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Nats OF Juan Soto leaves game early with right calf cramp
The Nationals slugger drew an 11-pitch walk from Sixto Sánchez with one out in the top of the first. He then was replaced in right field in the bottom half of the inning by Gerardo Parra. AdOpening day of the 2021 baseball season is a week away; Washington hosts the New York Mets at night on April 1. We can do some different things to keep them ready as far as the swing and things of that nature,” Martinez said. “But we want to make sure this doesn’t become a bigger issue.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Can the Nationals shock the heavily favored Astros?
Gerardo Parra #88 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with the trophy after winning the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington, DC. But it's hard to think of many guys better than that trio to kick off a World Series." The Astros are in their third World Series in franchise history, having reached the series in 2005 and winning it all in 2017. While the Astros were a favorite throughout the season to get this far, the Nationals were on more uneven footing. The San Francisco Giants are the last wild card team to win a World Series, in 2014.