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These Wire Taps are being written before the end of the WBC game, so pick one of the two following clever intros to your morning Wire Taps depending on the outcome of last night's game.
Japan wins: Wow, it just seems incredibly stupid that Daniel Murphy essentially wasted his Spring Training to be on a team in a meaningless tournament that didn't even win said meaningless tournament.
U.S. wins: OH SAY CAN YOU SEE, BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT! OH BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES, FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN! AMERICA, AMERICA, GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
Either way, we have links, so let's take a look.
Koda Glover's spring dominance may not mean all that much
Glover is throwing the ball hard, and locating well. Only problem? He's pitching against minor leaguers, and as Michael A. Taylor has shown us, Spring success sometimes doesn't translate to regular season success.
Tanner Roark gets shot at redemption against Japan in WBC semis, succeeds
Tanner Roark struggled in relief against the Dominican Republic in the first round of the tournament. Last night against Japan, he got his second chance to showcase himself to the world. (He went four innings scoreless, which sounds like redemption to us.)
Daniel Murphy is using the power of concentration to his benefit
In October 2015, Daniel Murphy learned that if he focused in on every single pitch and every single play, he could do some pretty good things. That focus carried into 2016 -- and if it carries into 2017, said good things may just keep coming.
Dusty Baker wants a long reliever, but it's unclear who will be the guy
A.J. Cole? Jeremy Guthrie? Matt Albers or Jacob Turner? Or should the Nats not even carry a long man?
This spring, the Nats have answered questions. The Mets may need to worry.
The Nats have plenty of attractive options for their closer, and Bryce Harper is looking like Bryce Harper again, answering their two main questions. The Mets might be getting themselves into more than they bargained for here.
SI Playoffs Predictions: Nats lose to Dodgers in NLDS, again
HAHAHAHAHA THIS IS FINE
Dusty Baker and the Nats' coaches "haven't really discussed" closer situation
Glover, Shawn Kelley, and Blake Treinen are all names that come up quite a bit when the Nats' vacancy at closer is mentioned, but apparently Dusty and co. haven't discussed it.
Gio Gonzalez works out of early trouble to earn win
Gio Gonzalez loaded the bases in his first inning. Then, he got three outs, a promising sign for a guy that struggled with pitching with runners on base last year.
Updates on Juan Soto, Blake Perkins, and Armond Upshaw
A few Hagerstown guys have looked promising thus far in spring training.
Dan Kolko's in-game interviews are amazing as always
Chris Heisey, Joe Ross, and Sammy Solis all chatted with Dan Kolko on Monday, where we heard about weight loss, Koda the dog, and the clowns in the bullpen.
Dusty Baker's namesake led Arkansas to the second round of the NCAA tournament
Dusty Baker already has a turtle named after him, so it makes sense that Dusty Hannahs, who led the Razorbacks in scoring, gets his name from Dusty Baker.
NL East Notes: Nats closer, bullpen
Enny Romero, Oliver Perez, Koda Glover, Blake Treinen and a few others are all mentioned in MLBTR's NL East notes.
Today's Game: Nationals vs Cardinals -- 1:05 PM
Probable Pitchers: Max Scherzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Carlos Martinez (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Days until Opening Day: 12