Arenado extends hitting streak to 27 games

ARLINGTON-- Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado wasted no time Wednesday night putting himself alongside teammate Michael Cuddyer at the top of the Rockies' hit-streak chart.

Arenado pulled Rangers right-hander Colby Lewis' 3-1 pitch in the first inning into the left-field corner for a two-run double, which extended his hit streak to 27 games -- tied with Cuddyer's streak last season for longest in club history.

The hit came after a two-out single by Troy Tulowitzki and a double from Carlos Gonzalez, and accounted for the first runs of a 9-2 Rockies victory.

"The whole team is playing well, hitting the ball hard and coming together," Arenado said. "It's nice to see everyone pulling for each other."

Arenado, 23, is hitting .364 (39-for-107) with 11 doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs during his streak.

The last time someone 23 or younger had a streak this long was 2003, when 23-year-old Albert Pujols had a 30-game streak for the Cardinals.

The streak began on April 9, a week before Arenado's 23rd birthday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the longest streak for anyone 22 or under when it began since Benito Santiago's 34-game streak in 1987. Santiago was 22 throughout the run, which stands as a Major League rookie record.

Arenado is in his second year. After debuting April 28 last year, Arenado batted .267 in 133 games and became the first National League rookie third baseman to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Arenado's bat has caught up with his glove this season. He also has been an ironman, having started all of the Rockies' 36 games.

Arenado and Cuddyer are the eighth teammates in Major League history to have hit streaks of 27 games in either consecutive or the same seasons. In 2005-06, Red Sox Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez and Phillies Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley accomplished the feat.