Wire Taps: Washington Nationals beat Braves in Atlanta; Unwritten rules talk; What’s wrong with the Nationals’ defense?

Seth Romero, in his second major league appearance, got the ball in the sixth inning of last night’s matchup with the Braves, with Washington up 6-5 on Atlanta, and the Nationals’ 1st Round pick (2017) gave up a leadoff single, got an out on a bunt towards first base, and in a matchup with Freddie Freeman, got a fly to right for the second out of the inning before he was done for the night...

Manager Davey Martinez came out to the mound to make a change and had a quick chat with the 24-year-old reliever.

“I had a conversation today on the mound when I went to get Romero, and I said, ‘Do you realize what you’ve just done?’

“And he goes, ‘No.’

“And I said, ‘You just got out a potential Hall of Famer. Pretty cool.’

“And he looked at me and he goes, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you did. Go take a shower.’”

Go take a sho— I mean, go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Unwritten Rules:

For Martinez, baseball's unwritten rules have changed - (MASN)
"During a 16-year playing career from 1986-2001 that included 6,480 plate appearances, Davey Martinez reached a 3-0 count 300 times."

Davey Martinez thinks unwritten rules need to adapt to modern MLB - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Davey Martinez smiled Tuesday when the phrase '3-0 count' was first said during his media availability."

Juan Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr. are challenging baseball's unwritten rules - (NBC Sports Washington)
"The Unwritten Rules are fickle. Supposedly, they are known, taught and adhered to at all levels of baseball..."

Actual Baseball:

Seven relievers post five zeros in Nationals' win - (MASN)
"Davey Martinez can wish for more innings from his rotation. Until it actually happens, he has no choice but to ask for a lot from his bullpen."

Castro to have right wrist surgery on Friday - (MASN)
"Nationals second baseman Starlin Catro will have surgery on Friday to repair his broken right wrist. If everything goes well in rehab, Castro expects to be back around the beginning of October."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto are breaking baseball's unwritten rules. Isn't it great? - (ESPN)
"Soto admired his home run for a second or two -- certainly not as long as he has admired some of his other blasts -- and Smith then barked an expletive at Soto, which only led to an even slower trot around the bases."

What’s Wrong With The Red Sox & Nationals Defense? – (The SIS Blog)
"The Nationals’ issues are primarily in the outfield where as a group, they’ve combined to cost the team 10 runs, tied with the Angels outfield for worst in the majors."

With no NL East team breaking away, race to MLB playoffs could go the distance - (ESPN)
"The Braves remain the favorite -- according to FanGraphs, their odds of winning the division increased from 50.9% to 56.7% after Monday's victory -- but they are not a team without issues."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Mets lose David Peterson to IL withing rotation in shambles - (NY Post)
"The Mets’ already precarious starting rotation took another hit on Tuesday. In other words, just another day ending in the letter 'y'."

Phillies offense puts together big win over Red Sox - (MLB.com)
"Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have been topics of conversation recently as the Phillies announced their plans to retire Dick Allen’s No. 15."

Bullpen unravels in 5th after Tomlin's 1st start - (MLB.com)
"Recognizing the value Tomlin could provide as a starter or reliever over the remainder of the season, Braves manager Brian Snitker lifted the veteran after he allowed two runs on 51 pitches over four innings."

Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves - (MLB Trade Rumors)
"The Marlins announced a series of roster moves Tuesday, including the contract selections of right-hander Brett Eibner and lefty Brandon Leibrandt."