With his leadoff single in the 1st inning of Saturday's game against the Twins, Indians first baseman Carlos Santana extended his current hitting streak to 13 games, the longest of his career.
Later, Santana's two-run double in the 5th inning, which put the Indians in front 3-1, gave him his 50th and 51st RBIs of the season, placing him in prime position to set a new career high in that category. (That RBI number is even more impressive when you consider how frequently he has batted in the leadoff spot.) He is already on pace to set a personal milestone in home runs as well, just seven away from his career best of 27 attained in 2011 and 2014.
.@TheRealSlamtana comes through!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 17, 2016
His two-run double scores Juan and Tyler (both singled) and we lead 3-1! pic.twitter.com/KkuvnDTg8C
Carlos continues to rake for the @Indians. 13-game hitting streak & 2 RBIs tonight
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) July 17, 2016
Stream: https://t.co/f0x1R04tYG pic.twitter.com/LlcU1VINXg
Santana's average after his first five plate appearances Saturday was .257, 26 points higher than his average in each of the previous two seasons. If he keeps hitting and reaching base at the same rate, he will also likely set a new career high in slugging percentage, currently at .497. Additionally, his OPS of .849 would be topped only by his 2010 season in which he only played in 46 games.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Santana is 2 for 15 lifetime against the Twins' scheduled starter Kyle Gibson. Both of those hits, however, were home runs.
