Washington Nationals’ lineup for 3rd of 4 with the New York Mets + Anthony Rendon and the Rend-on-base-streak

With a walk in his first at bat last night, Anthony Rendon extended his on-base streak to 28-straight games, going back to August 21st.

Before last night, Washington’s 28-year-old infielder was 39 for 113 (.345/.427/.602), with 11 doubles, six home runs, 16 walks, and 14 Ks over the course of the streak, with the Nationals mentioning in their pre-game notes that it was, “... the longest active streak in Major League Baseball and [was] tied for the fourth-longest streak in the National League this season with Cesar Hernandez (4/22-5/25),” of the Phillies.

Rendon had also posted multi-RBI efforts in five straight, “... the longest such streak in MLB this season and tied for the longest since,” the Texas Rangers’ Rougned Odor, “put together a six-game streak from Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2016.”

Rendon was 11 for 21 (.524 AVG) with a double, three home runs, 11 RBIs, three walks, and five runs scored in those five games, though that streak ended last night.

Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez talked over the weekend about the consistent production the 2011 1st Round pick has provided, when healthy, since the Nationals drafted him, explaining to reporters that the key to Rendon’s success was really fairly simple.

“He’s just really good,” Martinez said.

“He understands the game and he understands himself as a hitter and he has a game plan every time he goes up there. He hits the ball where it’s pitched, stays on the ball, hits the ball up the middle, he can pull the ball. He does all kinds of good things and just watching him play is a lot of fun, and his defense is really good.

“He’s one of the best out there at third base. I’m just glad the he’s having fun. He’s having a good year. He’s healthy. Everybody’s got nicks and bruises right now, it’s September, but he is playing really well.”

As Martinez noted before Friday night’s game, however, as impressive as Rendon has been this season, the numbers could be even better if he hadn’t missed time with a injured foot that ended up taking longer than expected to heal.

“Here’s a guy — people don’t realize, he missed six weeks, and he’s got 20-something home runs, 70-something RBIs, hitting .300,” Martinez said. “Put those six weeks — give him those six weeks back he might have 30 and 100 by now, and his all-around game, his defense — I know a couple times he’s gone first-to-third on balls that he probably shouldn’t have went but he did. It just goes to show you that that he’s very talented and people don’t — I don’t think that people realize how talented he really is.”

Rendon has 22 home runs and 83 RBIs, actually, and he has a .305/.369/.521 line after last night’s game.

“I’ve always said this,” Martinez continued, “... for me he’s the one guy that’s consistent throughout our whole lineup every day. He comes every day and you know what you’re going to get, he puts the ball in play, he can move guys over, he does all the little things.”

Rendon will try to keep the on-base streak going today in the third of four with the Mets.

HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP VS THE METS FOR TODAY’S GAME: