Wire Taps: Nationals don’t need stinking sleep; Aníbal Sánchez keeps rolling; more MASN tv rights fees dispute talk...

No sleep. No problem. Okay, the Nationals got some sleep after flying from Pittsburgh to Chicago overnight and before the series opener with the Cubs yesterday, but it was a big win after a long night. Now... just do it again. Go read your links, there’s baseball at 2:20:

NATS BEAT:

Aníbal Anímal:

Aníbal Sánchez powers sleep-deprived Nationals to a win against the Cubs - (WaPost)
"Aníbal Sánchez got to sleep Thursday, at least a lot more than his teammates, and he proceeded to make the Chicago Cubs look like the club running on nothing but fumes."

'Alejo' picks up Nats in longest outing since '15 - (MLB.com)
“'I know the situation, and I’m trying to go as deep into the game as I can,' Sanchez said. 'Thank God that I got the opportunity to be into the ninth inning.'"

Well-rested Sánchez leads weary Nats to another win - (MASN)
"There really wasn’t anything not to like about this performance, starting with the no-nonsense way the Nationals approached this game despite the circumstances."

Soto Pacheco:

An eventful day in left-center for Soto - (MASN)
"Over his last 13 games, the young slugger is batting a cool .346 with eight homers, 12 RBIs, 10 walks and a 1.317 OPS. He’s even scored a run in 11 of those 13 games."

Only 20 years old, Soto 'way above his years' - (MLB.com)
"There's one question about Juan Soto that stumps Nationals manager Dave Martinez -- does the rising superstar remind him of any other player throughout MLB history?"

Scherzer Post-Start:

Max Scherzer: No immediate setbacks following return start - (WaPost)
"If all goes well in the coming days, including a bullpen session in Chicago this weekend, Scherzer is expected to pitch against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday."

Scherzer optimistic but 'not out of the woods yet' - (MLB.com)
"The good news from Max Scherzer on Friday morning was he was able to play catch without issue prior to the Nationals' series opener against the Cubs, keeping in line with his normal routine after a start."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Remember Those 2003 Tigers? This Year’s Team Might Be Even Worse - (FiveThirtyEight)
"Though not Scherzer, oddly enough. Then-general manager Dave Dombrowski let Scherzer walk to the Washington Nationals after the 2014 season; all Scherzer has done since then is lead all MLB pitchers in WAR."

Nationals vs. Cubs prediction: Joe Ross will win it for Washington - (NYPost)
"Ross, left his last start after taking a liner off his right leg. Reports say he’s good to go. Ross has allowed a single run over his past 21 ¹/₃ innings."

MLB Players Weekend uniforms: Twitter reacts to black and white jerseys, and most are not loving them - (CBSSports.com)
"The one good thing, the uniforms are easy to describe. Some are black and the others are white. Seriously, that's it."

Want drama? Keep an eye on the NL East - (WaPost)
"According to FanGraphs, Atlanta has an 86-percent chance to win the division and is a near-certainty to make the playoffs (99 percent)."

MASN TV RIGHTS DISPUTE:

Nationals win $100 million MASN court battle with Orioles - (Yahoo!Sports)
"Not only do MASN and the Orioles owe that massive sum of money for the Nationals’ rights, they also reportedly owe interest on the extra rights fees."

Judge Upholds $100M TV Money Win for Washington Nationals - (Hollywood Reporter)
"A New York judge has delivered a $100 million victory for the Washington Nationals against the Baltimore Orioles in a long-running legal feud over TV money."

Judge rules in favor of Nationals in rights fee dispute with Orioles, orders MASN to pay out $296.8 million - (Awful Announcing)
"That’s a lot of money, but it gets better (from a Nationals perspective and/or from a laughing at Peter Angelos perspective), as the court also ruled the Nationals are owed interest on that sum."