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After a day off in the big city, the Washington Nationals and New York Mets are back at it this afternoon in the second game of the NL East rivals’ three-game set in Citi Field, with Patrick Corbin on the mound against southpaw Steven Matz. Hope you enjoyed your day without baseball, but luckily for us all it’s back in a few hours.
Go read your links while we wait for today’s 1:10 PM EDT start...
NATS BEAT:
Amid a flood of extensions, the Nationals have yet to approach Juan Soto - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Soto said the Nationals have not come to him with an extension offer. He’s also not focused on or worried about it."
Juan Soto taking Martinez's advice to get on base - (MASN)
"In six games this season, Soto has struck out nine times and walked three times. He broke out of mini-doldrums Wednesday with a vintage Soto performance..."
How Strasburg is pitching effectively with less velocity - (MASN)
"Two starts into the 2019 season, Strasburg’s four-seam fastball is averaging 93.6 mph. That’s way down from the 97.9 mph he averaged as a rookie..."
"I believe @stras37 has the four best combination pitches in the game."
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 5, 2019
Hall of Famer John Smoltz breaks down the arsenal of the @Nationals' pitcher. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/4Kt1AF5JU1
For Nationals’ bullpen, there’s no relief from the scrutiny - (WaPost)
"For this Nationals bullpen, something different would be welcome after it stumbled hard through the season’s first two series against the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies."
Inbox: How can the Nats fix bullpen's struggles? - (MLB.com)
"The Nationals seem encouraged that Rosenthal is still throwing hard -- his fastball is still in the upper 90s routinely -- so they know the arm strength is there."
Tony Sipp-Robinson Cano matchup underscores Sipp’s value to Nationals - (WaPost)
"Tony Sipp jogged out of the Washington Nationals’ bullpen late Thursday afternoon, with shadows creeping through Citi Field, and Robinson Cano waiting at the plate."
NATIONAL(S) BEAT:
VIDEO: Can Victor Robles, Juan Soto make Nationals forget about Bryce Harper? - (FOX Sports)
"Kevin Burkhardt, Frank Thomas and Dontrelle Willis discuss the potential impact Victor Robles and Juan Soto can have in Washington."
I hear you....I feel the same about guys named Grant. #struggleisreal https://t.co/1Xn7QwDfl2
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) April 5, 2019
PenFed reopens free seats for military at Washington Nationals games - (fairfaxtimes.com)
"PenFed Credit Union is continuing its unique and expansive sponsorship with the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team for the 2019 season."
How Yankees’ Gio Gonzalez reacted to brutal Triple-A debut for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders - (nj.com)
"Gio Gonzalez’s first real audition as a Yankees farmhand definitely didn’t show anyone that he’s out of place starting the season in Triple-A."
NY Mets' Pete Alonso living the dream after hot start to season - (USA TODAY)
"Pete Alonso’s first week in the majors sounds like something out of 'The Natural.'"
Dominic Smith’s Post-Game P*** Test Delays Mets Travel Ahead Of Home Opener - (Deadspin)
"This is now the second time the various schedule-makers have run afoul of [Noah] Syndergaard this season..."
More than three years later, Ryan Zimmerman continues effort to clear his name via lawsuit against Al Jazeera.
— Todd Dybas (@Todd_Dybas) April 5, 2019
"I’ve done nothing wrong. My family has done nothing wrong. ...So that’s kind of the reason why I’m still going on with this,” he told NBCSW.https://t.co/Ng8SExIVyM pic.twitter.com/G407HiCwh7