Wire Taps: Washington Nationals place Howie Kendrick on IL; Sean Doolittle up for award + more Nats links...

Brock Holt is the new Brian Dozier. Pass it on.

“He loves the game,” Davey Martinez said of the utility man the Nationals picked up after the Brewers released him. “He loves his teammates. He’s fit right in already. And he brings a little bit of — kind of reminds me of a Dozier. Brings that little — he loves to sing, I know that. He says he wants to got to Nashville and be a country singer after this. So we’ll see. I asked him if he was tone deaf. But he loves being with his teammates.”

I’d say he should try singing “Calma” but Holtzier (Dolt sounds mean?) should be allowed to pick a country tune to perform at a safe social distance from his other team. Shirt optional.

Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Sean Doolittle tapping into former delivery to return to peak form - (MASN)
"Doolittle’s fastball velocity was back up to 92 mph, and he induced five swings and misses out of the eight he threw."

Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton, Nationals grapple with baseball during a pandemic - (WaPost)
"For stressed-out players, baseball in the time of coronavirus is lonely, disorienting and not always very much fun..."

Trea Turner, Nationals to face questions about shortstop's long-term future - (WaPost)
"The Nationals have a track record of giving big money to pitchers and letting homegrown position players walk."

Nationals place Howie Kendrick on 10-day IL with left hamstring strain - (NBC Sports Washington)
"The Nationals placed infielder Howie Kendrick on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, sending their Opening Day cleanup hitter to the shelf with a left hamstring strain."

Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain - (MASN)
"Even when he has been healthy enough to play, Kendrick hasn’t been able to match his production from the first several weeks of the season."

Are Nationals getting it together in time for a run? - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Which leaves these questions: Is something happening? Or was this an unsustainable positive blip?"

Holt and Harrison add spark to offense after rough week - (MASN)
"Martinez said there was a method to his madness in the middle of his order that night, wanting guys who make contact to fill those gaps."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Despite no season, Harrisburg Senators’ flavor can still be found with Washington Nationals - (pennlive.com)
"One of the success stories this summer has been right-hander Dakota Bacus, who joined the Nationals from Oakland during the 2013 season."

Five Baseball Things: The red-hot AL Central, the Yankees struggle and more – (The Athletic)
"At this point in the 2019 season, the Washington Nationals had the second-worst record in the National League..."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Could the Braves lose the East? Would it matter if they did? - (AJC.com)
"Were this a normal season, the Braves would have cause to worry about their postseason chances."

The Mets are wasting peak Jacob deGrom - (NY Post)
"That fuels an additional urgency for the Mets to find a way into the playoffs, because just how many more of these elite deGrom years are there to waste?"

Rookie Alec Bohm's sudden impact on Phillies has earned big praise from teammates, including future MVP hype from Bryce Harper - (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
"Bohm rescued the Phils with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to give them a 6-5, walk-off win in Game 1."

These rookies are Statcast standouts - (MLB.com)
"Devin Williams may have the best changeup in baseball, but [Sixto] Sánchez's isn’t that far behind."