Wire Taps: Daniel Murphy's defense improving; Blake Treinen's journey to the majors; Michael A. Taylor feeling better at plate

Well, that was unexpected. Washington rolled in to St. Louis, and most of us were expecting a win and two losses, or to be swept by the Cardinals. Instead, the Nationals swept the redbirds in Busch Stadium. Who would have guessed?!

Here's the news from Kansas City.

Nats pleased with Daniel Murphy's improving defense
Murphy, billed as a below-average player defensively, has yet to make an error (knock on wood). The second baseman tributes much of his improvement to bench coach Chris Speier and backup infielder Stephen Drew.

Ramos returns from bereavement list
The catcher was available beginning on Sunday.

Blake Treinen's long journey to the big leagues, from high school to Nationals Park
Blake Treinen quit baseball after his freshman year of high school, but returned to the sport in his upperclassman years, and was later drafted by the Oakland Athletics. What happened in between all of that, though, is the real story.

The Nationals' defense is making their pitchers look good
Comparing the ERA of the Nationals' pitching staff to their FIP (Fielding-Independent-Pitching) shows a large difference, meaning that the players behind the pitcher are playing defense.

Jayson Werth gives game used bat to little girl in Cardinals uniform
Before you sound the alarms and get the pitchforks and torches out, Werth credited part of his success on Saturday to the young birthday girl and her friends' waving. Not a bad outcome for the kids, considering their hometown Cardinals lost.

Span reflects on time with Nationals, season with Giants thus far
Span, after two successful (and one injury-plagued) season with the Nationals, signed a new deal with the Giants this past offseason. Bill Ladson sat down with him to discuss his time with the Nats, the Giants, and what the future holds for him.

Michael A. Taylor feeling better at the plate
Just in time for Ben Revere to return to the major league squad, Taylor noted on Friday that he felt like he was improving at the plate. "Hopefully, it will turn into a few more hits", said Taylor.

MLB Shop messes up again, puts Nationals in Southern Maryland
On the Nationals' "State of Mind" glass, the team is located in, you guessed it, Maryland. First the Fenway Park calendar snafu, now this? Ouch.

Because it's technically May...
Here's your official All-Star Game ballot.

Tonight's Game: Nationals vs Royals - 8:15 PM (MASN, WJFK)
Probable Pitchers: Gio Gonzalez (1-1, 1.42 ERA) vs Edison Volquez (3-1, 3.34 ERA)