Wire Taps: Washington Nationals beat NY Mets again; Kyle Schwarber homers twice again; Ryan Zimmerman comes up big again

So, is Davey Martinez more surprised when Kyle Schwarber doesn’t hit a home run in a game at this point?

“No,” Martinez said with a laugh after another two-home run game on Monday night. “It really — I tell him all the time when he goes up there I just want him to have good at bats, I remind him every time, ‘Hey, take your walks, get the ball in the strike zone,’ and when he does that, you’ve seen what he can do.

“He’s been awesome. And he’s been an unbelievable leadoff hitter for us, so it’s been good.”

Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Kyle Schwarber, Paolo Espino lead Nationals past Mets - (WaPost)
"Kyle Schwarber belts two more homers, Paolo Espino works five scoreless innings in a spot start, and the Nationals pull within three games of the Mets."

With homer barrage, Nats take down Mets again - (MASN)
"But, hey, the end result was just fine for the Nats, who kept up their winning ways and again took down the team it’s chasing."

Kyle Schwarber breaks Harper's Nationals record for most home runs in a month - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Twenty-eight days into the month, Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th home run of June to set the Nationals record for the most long balls in any calendar month since the team was founded as the Montreal Expos in 1969."

Kyle Schwarber homers against the Mets - (MLB.com)
"His blast against Mets right-hander Jerad Eickhoff flew a Statcast-projected 439 feet at 110.2 mph to right field. It was his 11th career leadoff home run and sixth of the season."

After winning trip, Nats face daunting stretch to close first half - (MASN)
"Now for some harsh dose of reality: If they can’t at least hold the course over the next two weeks against the toughest stretch of schedule they’ll face all year, the last two weeks won’t have meant much in the big picture."

Scott Boras discusses Max Scherzer’s status ahead of trade deadline - (WaPost)
"Boras represents Scherzer, who is the Nationals' ace and in the final season of a seven-year contract."

Trea Turner was ‘giggling all game’ during Max Scherzer substance checks - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Max Scherzer was not the least bit pleased as umpires checked him mid-inning for foreign substances in a game in Philadelphia last week. However, at least one of his teammates took the incident a bit more light-heartedly—shortstop Trea Turner."

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP - (MASN)
"Robles took a full round of BP with teammates, and though he wasn’t moving around at full strength, he didn’t appear to be significantly hindered."

The Nationals' poor starting pitching depth will force them to be creative with their roster management – (The Athletic)
"Cracks in the Nationals’ armor resurfaced over the weekend, during a four-game series split with the Marlins at LoanDepot Park."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Nats' Josh Bell helps Bowser kick off DC summer youth programs, reopen swimming pools - (WJLA)
"Appearing with the mayor was Washington Nationals baseball player, Josh Bell. He told the young people if they read for 20 minutes a day, they will have read a million word a year."

Arizona, Florida Complex Leagues primer - (MLB.com)
"With a January birthday, Lara will be 18 for the entire 2021 season, and it’s a promising sign that Washington made him its FCL Opening Day starter right from the jump."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Bryce Harper back in Phillies lineup, Jean Segura is very close - (NBC Sports Washington)
"After a one-game absence, Bryce Harper is back in the Phillies’ starting lineup for Monday night’s game in Cincinnati."

Why is Edwin Diaz a different pitcher in save vs. non-save situations for the Mets? | Newsday

“The greatest predictor of Edwin Diaz’s success in any given appearance this season has been not his strikeout rate or slider control or the weather or his catcher or the opponent...”

How worried should the Marlins be about JJ Bleday? - (Fish Stripes)
"One of Minor League Baseball’s most talented hitters is still searching for consistency in his first full professional season."

Braves Lose Mike Soroka for 2021 and Likely Beyond - (FanGraphs)
"Last August, Soroka was immediately sent off for an MRI, which revealed that he had torn his right Achilles tendon. You know an injury is serious when a team’s rivals are offering their condolences nearly instantly."