When center fielder Brandon Watson played for Washington, he struggled to hit, much less get on base. Now he can’t stop doing either — and, because of it, he’s close to a record.
Watson is four games shy of breaking a 95-year-old record after getting a hit in the 39th straight game Tuesday for the Nationals’ AAA club in Columbus.
Watson already owns the second-longest streak in International League history. And he surpassed Charleston’s Mitch Hilligoss for the longest hitting streak this season. Hilligoss had a 38-game streak stopped earlier this season.
Watson had three hits, including a first-inning single, in Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to Syracuse.
His hitting streak began on May 1 and he has hitsafely in 46 of the past 47 games.
“Watson is locked in,” Nats General Manager Jim Bowden wrote in an e-mail.
“Getting released from the Tigers was a good wake-up call for him.”
However, it’s unlikely the 25-year-old Watson would be called up to the big leagues any time soon. The Nats likely will continue with the platoon of Nook Logan and Ryan Langerhans; until they shelve that, then it’s likely Watson will stay in AAA.
For the season, Watson is batting .329 with five doubles, 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases. In 2006, Watson had five hits in 28 at-bats with Washington.
Meanwhile, Nats reliever Luis Ayala made a rehab appearance for Columbus in the same game. In one inning, Ayala allowed two hits, including a homer. He walked one and struck out one in his 29-pitch effort.
Ayala has not pitched this season because of elbow surgery.
