Wire Taps: Washington Nationals’ walk-off win; Kyle Schwarber hits home run real far + more...

Max Scherzer tossed seven scoreless, struck out 10, passed Cy Young on the list of all-time strikeouts leaders, and then cracked a beer open after Kyle Schwarber hit a walk-off homer to lift the Nationals to a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Washington, D.C.

“I’m in the training room,” Scherzer said when asked how he experienced Schwarber’s blast.

“You know a swing can win it at any point, and obviously Schwarber was able to get a pitch that he could drive, and I don’t even know where it landed because by the time it got into the air I had already cracked a beer open and was ready to start partying. So, that was a good thing. I heard it cleared everything and didn’t land anywhere, didn’t touch anything, so to hit a game-winning shot like that, that’s pretty cool.”

It is pretty cool, Max. The rest of you, go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Schwarbomb:

Max Scherzer dominates for seven, Kyle Schwarber comes through in ninth to lift Nats - The Washington Post
Max Scherzer throws seven scoreless innings before Kyle Schwarber makes his introduction to Nationals fans with a 463-foot bomb to win the game in the ninth.

Kyle Schwarber hits mammoth walk-off homer to cap 1-0 win over Diamondbacks - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Kyle Schwarber entered the bottom of the ninth in an 0-for-12 slump."

Schwarber's walk-off bomb sends Nats to victory (updated) - (MASN)
"Great starting pitching, however, can’t win a ballgame all by itself. Somebody’s got to score a run at some point."

Other Nats Stories:

Jon Lester working towards return to the Nationals - (MLB.com)
"Southpaw starter Jon Lester threw 49 pitches over three innings in a sim game on Thursday as he builds his way toward his 2021 season debut."

Corbin still searching, Lester still building, Avilán lands on IL - (MASN)
"Davey Martinez stayed up late Thursday night, stayed at Nationals Park til 12:30 a.m., went home and then stayed up until 2 a.m. pondering the state of his team, specifically his pitching staff."

Max Scherzer passes Cy Young on all-time strikeouts list - (MLB.com)
"He notched his eighth strikeout to lead off the seventh inning to tie Young at 2,806 punchouts for 22nd in Major League history."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Eight early moves front offices should weigh, from dueling Kris Bryant trade deals to a Juan Soto mega-extension – (The Athletic)
"Nationals and Juan Soto - Approximately what it will take: 12 years, $424 million ($35.3M AAV)." - [ed. note - "Jim Bowden's estimate."]

Asdrúbal Cabrera, a World Series champion with Nationals, gets ovation in D.C. - The Washington Post
The 35-year-old was recognized because he was the starting second baseman on Washington's World Series team.

NL EAST UPDATE:

Ronald Acuna Jr.: Atlanta Braves star is better than ever in 2021 - (Sports Illustrated)
"The one player Snitker hasn’t dared to move around is Ronald Acuña Jr., who’s become baseball’s most feared leadoff hitter—if not its most feared hitter, period."

Mickey Moniak center field in Phillies lineup - (MLB.com)
"Mickey Moniak is going to play, and he is going to play often now that he replaced Adam Haseley on the Phillies’ roster."

How Mets postponements are affecting Jacob deGrom - (NY Post)
"Jacob deGrom will eventually pitch for the Mets again, perhaps as soon as Saturday if the weather allows it."

Top 46 Prospects: Miami Marlins - (FanGraphs)
"Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Miami Marlins."