Wire Taps: Nationals sweep Braves; Nats sign Jonny Venters; Jeremy Hellickson setback + more...

A 14-4 win. 14-4! A rare laugher was a welcome change in a season lacking in humor for the most part so far.

Washington’s on the way to (or already resting in) Cincinnati after taking two from the Braves in Atlanta, and the Nationals have now won five of six (after a five-game losing streak).

Enjoy your off day while we wait for the start of the series with the Reds. Go read your links:

NATS BEAT:

Nats Sweep Braves:

Nats' bats clobber early, often in rout of Braves - (MLB.com)
"During what to this point has been a tumultuous 2019 season, the Nationals haven’t been able to enjoy many nights like Wednesday night’s 14-4 pummeling of the Braves at SunTrust Park..."

Everything goes Nats' way in blowout of Braves (updated) - (MASN)
"Even 'The Freeze' lost his between-innings race to a plucky civilian who made it around the warning track before the former track star could catch him."

Nationals have won five of six thanks to laugher in Atlanta - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Walks, singles, doubles, triples, good at-bats. Every aspect of good offense was present."

Nationals Sign Venters/Bullpen Links:

Nationals add Venters to mix on Minors deal - (MLB.com)
"The Nationals signed veteran left-handed reliever Jonny Venters to a Minor League deal Wednesday, the latest addition to a carousel of veteran relievers the club has signed since the start of the year to try and cure their ailing bullpen."

Nationals sign veteran lefty Venters to minor league deal - (MASN)
"The Nats signed Venters to a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg, where he’ll attempt to get himself on track and perhaps merit a promotion at some point."

Nationals sign left-handed reliever Jonny Venters to a minor league deal - (WaPost)
"The Washington Nationals’ search for bullpen help, any bit of it they can find, continued when they signed Jonny Venters to a minor league deal Wednesday."

Amid bullpen fiasco, Nationals contemplate utilizing relievers as openers - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Despite winning five of their last six games, the Nationals' bullpen struggles are far from over."

With improved health and depth, Nats lineup finally clicking - (MASN)
"The sense within the clubhouse all along was that this group just needed time to get healthy and get into a groove."

Other Nationals Links:

With No. 17 pick in draft, Nats might move away from selecting a pitcher - (MASN)
"MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis believes that because of a lack of top-flight hurlers available late in the top 20 projected picks, a bat might be the Nats’ pick this time."

Victor Robles can't stop getting hit by pitches at a painful pace - (Washington Times)
"Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Victor Robles surely loves to make contact with the baseball, but the baseball also seems to love making contact with Robles, and we don’t mean his bat."

Denaburg doing well, but starting point for summer yet to be announced - (MASN)
"With the season two months old, the Nationals No. 1 selection from last season, Mason Denaburg, is continuing to make good progress in West Palm Beach, Fla."

For a longtime local radio voice, debut Nationals broadcast was the ‘thrill of a lifetime’ - (WaPost)
"As a 5-year-old, Pete Medhurst would sit in front of the TV in his Harwood, Md., home with the Panasonic tape recorder his grandfather gave him and pretend he was a play-by-play announcer."

Hellickson shut down with sore shoulder (Nats up 14-4) - (MASN)
"The Nationals have shut down Jeremy Hellickson from throwing after the right-hander was continuing to experience shoulder soreness while on the injured list."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Gausman, Braves crushed by Nationals in two-game sweep - (AJC)
"It took less than 20 minutes to deflate the enthusiasm and energy of a high-voltage crowd at SunTrust Park on Wednesday."

Inside the Numbers: Why are the Washington Nationals so bad? - (Augusta Free Press)
"Remember back when the Washington Nationals were a preseason co-favorite in the National League East?"