Wire Taps: Washington Nationals take 2 of 3 from Orioles; Next Up - Three with Braves in Atlanta...

Juan Soto had one problem with 20-year-old infield prospect Luis Garcia joining the Nats over the weekend. It, well, it made him feel old. Yeah, the 21-year-old Soto did actually, in fact, say that.

“Now I feel a little old,” Soto said after Sunday’s win in the finale with the Orioles. “I don’t know if I am. But it feels good.”

Soto is really happy that Garcia made his way to the majors over the weekend after Starlin Castro suffered a broken wrist.

“You see a guy like that come through. I saw him we played rookie ball. I played a little bit with him in rookie ball. I was hurt and I was down there, and I saw how good he was, and how good he is right now,” Soto added.

“It’s amazing to see a guy growing up and come up here and try to do the best, and it just feels really good.”

Will the young stars in the Nationals’ lineup spark something for the team that’s been having a tough time of things early this season. We’ll see, we guess.

Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Aníbal Ejected... or Not?:

Aníbal Sánchez joins Stephen Strasburg as latest Nationals ‘fan’ to get ejected - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Though it was unclear who let the expletives slip, Strasburg was ejected and he tipped his cap as he walked up to the concourse."

Aníbal asked to leave stands; Long ejected - (MLB.com)
"Only there is no going inside the clubhouse this season, per health and safety protocols. Instead, Sánchez sat in one of the tunnels for the remainder of the game."

Other Nats Stories:

Heated Nats eke out 6-5 win to take weekend series - (MASN)
"Rainey then wriggled his way out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth, striking out Chance Sisco, Severino and Dwight Smith Jr., all looking at fastballs, the final one with the tying run 90 feet away."

Nats outwit O's with small ball, Soto at No. 2 - (MLB.com)
"Juan Soto can hit a baseball just about anywhere in a park, so when he’s moved around the batting order, it’s just as intriguing."

Bacus on major league debut: "I really made it" - (MASN)
"Bacus was added to the roster early Friday after spending the last month and a half at the club’s alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va."

Eighth-inning error lifts Nationals to a 6-5 victory and a series win over the Orioles - (WaPost)
"Max Scherzer was dinged for three home runs but lasted seven innings and struck out 10, and Tanner Rainey and Daniel Hudson took it from there."

Hot mics becoming a hot topic for boisterous Nationals - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Sunday, in the quiet of Camden Yards, words from Davey Martinez or hitting coach Kevin Long -- or both -- could be heard across the broadcast when the pair became irritated with home plate umpire Will Little."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Orioles lose, 6-5, to Nationals on throwing error by Ruiz as Means has emotional return; Santander homers twice - (BaltimoreBaseball.com)
"Means, who made the shortest start of his career, wasn’t the losing pitcher. The Orioles hit three home runs against Max Scherzer, two by Anthony Santander and another by Pedro Severino, to tie it at 5."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Phillies’ sweep of Mets signals hope for rest of this strange COVID-19 season - (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"The Phillies moved to within two games of first place after finishing off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets Sunday."

Zack Wheeler makes Mets' Brodie Van Wagenen eat his words - (NY Post)
"Zack Wheeler took the high road, opting not to rub in his strong outing against his former team."

Starting pitching impressive in series loss - (MLB.com)
"If the Marlins can mirror the type of starting pitching they had this weekend against the Braves, they’ll like their chances of challenging the reigning National League East champions in this 60-game sprint of a season."

'Security blanket' Markakis leads Braves' win - (MLB.com)
"Nick Markakis gave the Braves a jolt before they left Atlanta and he helped create an encouraging conclusion to a rough road trip with the latest of his timely hits."