Mark Reynolds powers Nationals with 2 HRs, 10 RBI in 18-4 victory over Marlins
On Wednesday, the Washington Nationals held a players-only meeting in the midst of a slump that saw 17 losses in 22 games for the preseason NL East favorites.
Whatever they talked about must have worked. The Nationals have been on an offensive tear since, including Saturday’s 18-4 win over the Miami Marlins powered by a huge night from first baseman Mark Reynolds.
Mark Reynolds has career night
Reynolds, fresh from hitting a walk-off home run to top the Marlins on Friday, had a career night at the plate on Saturday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs and a whopping 10 RBI.
He got the scoring started in the second inning with a first-pitch two-run blast to left off of Wei-Yin Chen to score Bryce Harper and mark back-to-back plate appearances with a home run.
His second home run carried over the center field wall at Nationals Park with Harper and Trea Turner on base to give the Nationals a 13-3 lead in the sixth inning. By the time the night was over, Reynolds had tallied two singles, a double and a pair of home runs.
Entering the night, Reynolds was hitting .257 with eight home runs and 14 RBI. His 10 RBI on Saturday tied a single-game team record set by Anthony Rendon last season.
Nationals pounding Marlins to bust slump
The Nationals’ win comes two days after a posting 14-12 win over the same Marlins team that included a rally from a 9-0 deficit and ended a five-game losing streak. Washington has won three straight since.
Max Scherzer was reportedly vocal in Wednesday’s team meeting, and must have said something that inspired his teammates.
Or maybe it’s just that facing the Marlins is the cure to most baseball ails in 2018.
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