12th-year veteran Mark Reynolds has had a nice career that includes four seasons with 30 or more home runs and five with at least 85 RBI. However, he officially wrote his name in the record books with a monstrous offensive performance Saturday night. In an 18-4 rout of the Marlins, Reynolds set the pace for the Nationals, going 5-for-5 with two homers and a double while becoming just the 15th player in MLB history to drive in 10 runs in a single game.

Through 120 plate appearances for the Nationals this season, Reynolds is sporting a strong .953 OPS with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. Not bad for a guy who was still on sitting on the free-agent market two weeks into the season.

 

In Case You Missed It

Surprisingly enough, the Nationals’ 18-run explosion was not the largest total of Saturday night’s slate, as the Diamondbacks did them one, or perhaps two, better. On the back of five roundtrippers, the D-Backs blasted the San Diego pitching staff for 20 runs. Along with his five teammates that drove baseballs out of the yard, David Peralta harassed Padres hurlers all night, going 5-for-6 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored.

Sticking with the offensive theme, the Red Sox erupted for 15 runs of their own in an 11-run drubbing of the Royals on Saturday evening. Andrew Benintendi put together quite a performance in this one, going 2-for-2 with a homer, a double, four walks, two RBI and four runs scored. Mookie Betts certainly made his presence felt as well with a 4-for-6 effort that included a pair of doubles.

Ross Stripling bounced back from a fairly mediocre outing last Sunday to pick up his seventh victory of the campaign Saturday night. The 28-year-old righty limited the Angels to only one run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven. Stripling is now carrying a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 through 89.1 innings on the year.

 

Sunday on the Hill

Staying in L.A., Sunday night’s series finale between the Dodgers and Angels is set to feature an intriguing matchup of southpaws. On the Dodgers side, Alex Wood will look to maintain his recent form. Over his last four starts, Wood has worked to a stellar 2.19 ERA and 18-to-3 K/BB ratio across 24.2 innings.

Opposing Wood will be Andrew Heaney who turned in a solid effort at Seattle this past Tuesday. In that outing against a stout Mariners’ lineup, Heaney allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while tying a season-high with 10 strikeouts. In addition to that, he has posted an outstanding 2.18 ERA across seven home starts this season.

 

Streaking

Alex Bregman (HOU) – 12 games – 21-for-49, 6 HR, 7 2B

Eugenio Suarez (CIN) – 10 games – 14-for-38, 2 HR

Whit Merrfield (KC) – 9 games – 15-for-38, 1 HR

Khris Davis (OAK) – 9 games – 13-for-36, 1 HR, 4 2B