How good is Noah Syndergaard

Getting to know you: Ross, Chen face familiar foe

The Nationals and Marlins will already play their fifth game against each other in this young 2016 season when they meet Wednesday night at Marlins Park. The clubs have split the first four matchups.

Right-hander Joe Ross will take the mound for the Nationals, and he has picked up right where he left off from a solid rookie campaign last season with a pair of dominant outings. Through his first two starts, Ross has yielded one run on eight hits in 14 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.

The Marlins will start left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who has felt fine physically since taking the mound in his last start after causing some concern when he was struck on the left elbow by a comeback liner on Opening Day. He was actually pitching a gem in his last start, a no-decision against the Braves. Through six innings, he faced the minimum, but he got into trouble with one out in the seventh, and he was lifted. Chen ended up being charged with two runs.

"In the seventh inning, maybe I was trying to be too perfect and hit the corners," Chen said. "I should have done a better job in the seventh. I missed my spots there."

Things you need to know:

• With Baltimore in 2015, Chen faced the Nationals once and lost, giving up three runs (two earned) in eight innings. Ross made his season debut against the Marlins on April 10 at Nationals Park, when he held Miami to one run in seven innings.

• Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double to begin the second inning Tuesday. He has eight extra-base hits so far this season.

• Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich has reached safely in each of the 12 games he has played this season. He entered Tuesday with the best on-base percentage in the Majors at .510.

Bringing the heat: Harper's slam fuels Strasburg

 Stephen Strasburg and Adam Conley were making quick work of hitters on Tuesday until the Nationals erupted for a record-setting seventh inning, smashing four home runs, punctuated by Jayson Werth's career No. 200 blast and Bryce Harper's two-out grand slam.

Werth and Wilson Ramos went back-to-back on solo shots off Conley with one out in the seventh, and Harper and Ryan Zimmerman connected off Chris Narveson in the Nationals' 7-0 win over Miami at Marlins Park. It marked the first time Washington had belted four dingers in an inning, and the first time the Marlins surrendered that many.

"That just shows what we're capable of doing," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "I've always said once we can get everybody swinging the way they're capable of swinging, that we're capable of a lot of those innings, which goes to show us that we should never be out of a ballgame if we're capable of striking like that."

The Nationals' power-surge shocked the Marlins, as they scored seven times in what had been a scoreless pitchers' duel. Conley, brilliant through six innings, had struck out eight batters. He was victimized by one-out shots from Werth and Ramos. Keeping the inning alive was Strasburg's two-out single, his second hit of the night.

"He just seemed to run out of gas a little bit," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of his young lefty. "That's something we've got to watch. We've got to find out where that spot is. I thought he was really good tonight."

Strasburg was brilliant on the mound, as well, striking out 10 batters in eight innings, as he improved to 11-7 all-time against the Marlins.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Fab four: The Nationals ripped four homers in the seventh inning, the first time in franchise history (2005-present) they have homered four times in a single frame.

Werth got things started with a solo home run with one out, launching a 3-2 fastball 435 feet for his second homer of the year and 200th of his career. Ramos homered on the very next pitch, driving a slider to left-center field. Harper continued his stellar start to the season with his second career grand slam -- and fifth homer in the past six games -- followed by a solo dinger from Zimmerman.

The last MLB team to hit back-to-back homers twice in an inning was Milwaukee vs. Arizona on Aug. 11, 2010, via the Elias Sports Bureau. More >

Conley's learning curve: His final line didn't tell the whole story of just how effective Conley was, at least until the Nationals broke things open with their homerfest in the seventh. In the first inning, the lefty stranded Anthony Rendon at third by striking out Harper and getting Zimmerman to bounce to second. Conley racked up eight strikeouts and was at 82 pitches through six innings. No Marlins starter had gone deeper than 6 1/3 innings, until Conley went 6 2/3 innings, but the lefty was unable to close out the frame. He had his string of 12 straight scoreless innings snapped on Werth's homer. And by surrendering the single to Strasburg that extended the seventh, he ended up having four runs charged to him.

"This guy, he's pitching like your ace," Mattingly said. "He's attacking on the inside. He came after these guys like he had no fear of them. He got the ball in there. You could see how that set up his pitches later in the game. Then, they get him there in the seventh. But everything he did early in the game really sets up the rest of his game for him." More >

Dominant Strasburg: Strasburg is off to a stellar start for the Nationals this season, and he may have delivered his best outing to date Tuesday. He held the Marlins to three hits, two of which did not leave the infield, through eight shutout innings while striking out 10, the 22nd double-digit strikeout game of his career.

In his last 16 starts dating back to last season, Strasburg owns a 1.65 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 131-to-19.

"He's coming into his own. It's incredible," Harper said. "You see what he did in college. He had so much pressure going through the Minors, coming up and everything, got hurt, trying to get back into it with his ankle and things like that. Then the second half last year, [he] was absolutely ridiculous. Now, he's putting up video game numbers again." More >

Stanton robs Harper: Through six innings, Conley was pretty much in command. The lefty struck out Harper in the first on an 83 mph changeup. In the fourth, Conley again got Harper, this time striking out the reigning NL MVP Award winner on a 94 mph fastball. With one out in the sixth, Harper was in attack mode early. He turned on Conley's 92 mph fastball and drove a sinking liner to right field, but Giancarlo Stanton got a good jump and made a diving catch, robbing Harper of extra bases. According to Statcast™, the exit velocity on Harper's liner was 85 mph, and the ball projected 292 feet from home plate, which meant Stanton needed to cover ground in a hurry.

QUOTABLE
"That's probably the best I've seen him. I haven't seen him too much. But to me, he had a lot of stuff working tonight. His changeup was really good. He uses all of his pitches. He's not a guy just out there throwing. He's using all of his weapons." -- Mattingly on Strasburg

"It's fun for us. We have a better seat than most. He's continuing on what he did last year. Playing every day, and the way he prepares, hopefully he can do it all year. It's fun to watch. Obviously, he's a big reason why we're playing the way we are right now." -- Zimmerman on Harper

More >

INSTANT REPLAY
With the game out of hand in the top of the ninth, the Nationals reviewed a close play at first on Michael Taylor's grounder to short. Miguel Rojas made the long throw, and Taylor thought he was safe. But after a review of 1 minute, 9 seconds, the call was confirmed, and Taylor was out.

UMPIRE INJURY 
First-base umpire Jerry Layne left the game limping in the second inning after he appeared to tweak something while dodging a leadoff double down the right-field line by Daniel Murphy. The rest of the game went on with three umpires, forcing Hunter Wendelstedt and Scott Barry to man the field by themselves. More >

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Ichiro Suzuki's infield single (initially ruled an error on Rendon) was career hit No. 2,940 of his career, leaving him three shy of Frank Robinson for 33rd place all-time.

WHAT'S NEXT
Nationals: Joe Ross takes the mound after two dominant starts to begin the 2016 season. Ross owns a 0.60 ERA with 10 strikeouts so far this season, including a victory over Miami at Nationals Park in his first start of the year after allowing one run over seven innings.

Marlins: Wei-Yin Chen makes his third start at 7:10 p.m. ET Wednesday, and the lefty seeks his first win as a Marlin. The former Orioles lefty had a hard-luck no-decision in his last outing, when he gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings against Atlanta. His ERA is 5.56.

Stripling out to slow surging Braves for LA

Part-time stockbroker and current Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling will attempt to add to the excitement surrounding his blossoming career when he takes the mound to oppose Julio Teheran and the Braves on Wednesday night at Turner Field. Atlanta, which won the series opener, is going for its fifth straight win.

Stripling gained the attention of the baseball world as he flirted with a no-hitter during his April 8 Major League debut. The 26-year-old right-hander tossed 7 1/3 hitless innings against the Giants and was lifted after 100 pitches, with the Dodgers wanting to protect his arm. Stripling is two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

The Braves will be getting their first look at Stripling, who limited the D-backs to two runs over six innings on Thursday in his second start.

Teheran was scheduled to start on Tuesday, but the Braves pushed him back a day because he had developed a fever while battling a cold on Monday night. Teheran limited the Nationals to two solo home runs over six innings on Opening Day, but he has allowed 10 earned runs over 11 innings in his past two starts.

Things to know about this game

• Teheran has posted a 5.56 ERA and surrendered 1.82 home runs per nine innings on the road since the start of the 2015 season. But at Turner Field during that span, he has posted a 3.10 ERA and surrendered 0.83 HR/9.

• Yasiel Puig hasn't seen much of Teheran, but he has found success against him. Puig has four hits in six at-bats against the Braves' ace, with a double and a homer. He's also drawn two walks. The current Dodgers actually have feasted on Teheran, batting .329 and slugging .494 with an .894 OPS. Their two weakest hitters against Teheran are Carl Crawford and A.J. Ellis, neither of whom will be in the lineup Wednesday.

• Stripling is a licensed stockbroker who does money management during the offseason in the New York office of Wunderlich Securities. Stripling was a finance major at Texas A&M and a fifth-round pick of the Dodgers in 2012. He invested his signing bonus in Facebook, Under Armor and Apple.

Braves down Dodgers for 4th straight win

 Alex Wood's bid for a memorable homecoming was undone by his inconsistent command and a suddenly vibrant offense that helped the rejuvenated Braves claim an 8-1 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Turner Field.

Tyler Flowers matched a career high with four hits and Jeff Francoeur notched his own multi-hit game for the Braves, who have won four straight since opening the season with nine consecutive losses. Flowers notched an RBI single in each of his three at-bats against Wood and Francoeur fueled a two-run first inning with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

"It's not the way we wanted to start, lose nine and then win four," Francoeur said. "But at the same time, [heck], you might as well keep going."

Wood, who spent most of the previous three seasons with the Braves, was burdened by two costly errors and the command issues he displayed while allowing six runs -- three earned -- over four innings.

Because he was pitching on short rest in place of the ill Julio Teheran, Braves starting pitcher Williams Perez lasted just 3 1/3 innings. Ryan Weber stranded the two runners he inherited in the fourth inning and earned his first career win after limiting the Dodgers to one run over 3 2/3 innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Fourth-inning insurance: After Perez exited with a 4-0 lead in the top half of the fourth, Wood retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom half before the Braves started a rally with a Freddie Freeman walk and an error by Corey Seager. Francoeur followed with his second RBI of the night to set the stage for Flowers, whose third RBI single gave the Braves a 6-0 lead.

Unhappy homecoming: Wood's much-anticipated return to Turner Field did not unfold like he had envisioned. The former Brave and University of Georgia product struggled all night with his control, striking out only one while walking three and hitting two -- his first two of the season and the same number of batters he hit in his first 14 starts with the Dodgers, covering 82 1/3 innings. More >

"A lot of them came out swinging early, especially in the first inning. It surprised me a little bit on some of them," said Wood. "[Nick] Markakis, Freddie [Freeman], those guys have started swinging a lot earlier in the count. I had to adjust. But with my fastball command what it was, it was kind of tough to battle between the aggressive hacks and not being able to throw it where I wanted to."

Immediate need: After being forced to use Matt Wisler, who was originally slated to start Tuesday's game, in the 10th inning of Sunday's win, the Braves promoted Weber from Triple-A Gwinnett to serve as a long reliever. Perez kept the Dodgers hitless before surrendering consecutive one-out hits in the fourth. But the right-hander was wavering, so Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez signaled for Weber, who limited the Dodgers to the fifth-inning run that was tallied courtesy of two well-placed singles that eluded second baseman Daniel Castro.

"Perez was struggling," Gonzalez said. "He had walked three up to that point and the swings were starting to get better. He did his job. He came back a day short because of Julio. I'm a believer in putting guys in position where they're going to be successful. We had a four-run lead at the time and I didn't want to mess around. So, we brought Webby in. That was my thought and it worked out perfect."

Whoops, there it is: Los Angeles was uncharacteristically shaky fielding behind Wood. The Dodgers, who entered the game with the best fielding percentage in the Majors, were charged with a season-high three errors, leading to three unearned runs. Prior to Tuesday night, Los Angeles had committed only four errors and had allowed just one unearned run. Third baseman Justin Turner committed two of the miscues. He had been perfect in 27 opportunities coming into the game. Seager also hadn't committed an error before his fourth-inning miscue.

"That extends innings and gets guys up to the plate, kind of gets them rolling," said Seager. "They move around, they move up bases on you. It kind of changes the whole atmosphere of the game."

QUOTABLE
"He was only hitting [.130], but this kid is going to keep developing and we're glad he is developing in the big leagues." Gonzalez, on Mallex Smith, who highlighted Tuesday's career-high three-RBI game with a two-run double in the seventh.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Flowers' four-hit game was the third of his career and his second within his past eight games dating back to Sept. 30, when he notched four hits for the White Sox.

Francoeur's multi-hit game was his first for the Braves since July 9, 2009 -- the day before he was traded to the Mets.

WHAT'S NEXT
Dodgers: The Dodgers play the middle game of this three-game set, with first pitch set for Wednesday at 4:10 p.m. PT. Rookie righty Ross Stripling will make his third career start and look to continue the roll he's been on. The 26-year-old has allowed three earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .116 against him.

Braves: Teheran will take the mound when Atlanta resumes its three-game set against the Dodgers on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Teheran was scratched from Tuesday's start because he carried a fever while battling a cold on Monday. The right-hander has struggled in his past two starts.

Mets, Phils call on vets in series finale

In the series finale between two teams stacked with young pitching talent, it will be a showdown of veteran starters at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.

After the first two games featured 23-year-olds Noah Syndergaard and Vince Velasquez and 25-year-olds Jerad Eickhoff and Logan Verrett, 42-year-old Bartolo Colon will face off against 29-year-old Jeremy Hellickson.

The Mets' Colon has yet to pitch more than six innings in a start this season, most recently lasting 5 1/3 frames while allowing two runs on eight hits against Cleveland. He averaged 6 1/3 innings per start in 2015, and May 15 was his first start that season in which he pitched fewer than six innings.

The Phillies' Hellickson has only made it out of the sixth in one of his first three starts of 2016. Last time out, on Friday against the Nationals, Hellickson allowed five runs in the first inning and one more in third before getting lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of that frame.

Things to know about this game

• Catcher Travis d'Arnaud returned to the Mets' lineup on Tuesday after leaving Saturday's game early with a left elbow injury and missing games Sunday and Monday. Kevin Plawecki had two hits on Sunday filling in for him, while d'Arnaud has four all season so far.

• David Lough has played in both games since he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. He reached base twice Monday and stole second, and he went 1-for-4 Tuesday. The lefty should be in the Phillies' lineup Wednesday as he continues to platoon with right-handed hitters Tyler Goeddel and Peter Bourjos.

Deep 6: Mets power up in rout of Phils

First was Michael Conforto, then Yoenis Cespedes. Two innings passed, and Neil Walker and Lucas Duda joined in. Curtis Granderson wanted to get in on the fun, too. By the end of the Mets' 11-1 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night, five Mets had put balls over the outfield walls of Citizens Bank Park, including two from Walker.

"This is a really talented group," Walker said of a Mets team that has homered 17 times over the first five games of a road trip. "To watch it firsthand … these are the kind of things this team is capable of."

Two pitchers entered Tuesday night having yet to allow a run in a start, but only the Mets'Logan Verrett escaped with that still intact. Verrett tossed six scoreless innings and has now led the Mets to wins in both of his spot starts in place of Jacob deGrom, who is expected to make his next scheduled start. Verrett also reached base twice and scored on Cespedes' third-inning home run.

"I didn't feel as sharp as I did in my last start, so I really had to work for it today," Verrett said. "Early on, I was trying to overthrow a bit with my fastball. … A little bit later in the game, we started throwing some sliders in there, and that was really able to help me find my arm slot."

Phillies starter Vince Velasquez lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his follow-up performance to his 16-strikeout shutout against the Padres last week -- but only two of the Mets' six dingers came against him. Thanks to a Ryan Howard error that allowed Verrett to reach in the third, only two of the five runs Velasquez allowed were earned, raising his season ERA from 0.00 to 0.93.

"We didn't pitch well. We didn't hit well. We didn't play well tonight," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We got beat pretty bad. The Mets seemed to want it. There's not a whole lot to say."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Gone, baby, gone: Six times, the Mets went deep against the Phillies, breaking the game open early -- Conforto's two-run homer came in the first inning, Cespedes' three-run shot in the third -- and putting it away late. Walker's two-homer game was particularly noteworthy; the second baseman upped his season total to six when he went back-to-back with Duda for the second straight night.

"Our lineup right now, to be honest, we've got a lot of guys who can hit it over the fence," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "The other team, there's a lot of pressure on them. If you make a mistake, you know somebody can hit a home run. That's really tough on the opposition." More >

Bullpen blowup: As if the five runs the Mets scored against Velasquez weren't enough, New York continued to pile on against the Phillies' bullpen once Velasquez was pulled in the fifth.Brett Oberholtzer and James Russell combined to pitch three innings, in which they gave up four home runs, amounting to six runs. Philadelphia entered Tuesday with the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball (5.49). After the Mets massacre, their ERA is now 6.14.

Super sub: Making two starts this month in place of All-Star deGrom, Verrett finished with a combined 12 scoreless innings against the Marlins and Phillies. Half of that came Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, where Verrett did not allow a batter past first base after escaping jams in the first and second innings. Verrett will head back to the bullpen with deGrom expected to return this weekend.

"He gave us exactly what we needed, and that's big innings," Collins said. "He's been a big piece of our club, even pitching out of the bullpen. When we need a start, he gives you a good one." More >

Howard's error: Verrett hit a routine ground ball to Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis in the third. Galvis threw to first, but Howard missed the catchable throw for an error. Velasquez retired the next two Mets, but Conforto singled and Cespedes homered on an 0-2 curveball. Velasquez regretted the pitch, wishing he had thrown a fastball.

"Why I agreed to the pitch, I don't know why," Velasquez said. "Maybe it was just the heat of the moment and I just went with it. … Cespedes was just waiting on it the whole time. It's bad on my part. Bad pitching, bad execution. I take full responsibility for that."

QUOTABLE
"We're just not having fun. All through spring we were having so much fun, in the dugout, outside the dugout. We need to stop being timid. We have to be a little more upright, be fun, start enjoying ourselves. I think we'll be all right." -- Velasquez, on the Phillies' offensive struggles

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Mets, who compiled 40 percent of their offense on homers last season, are at 57 percent this year after plating all 11 of Tuesday's runs on homers. Only the Orioles have a higher percentage of runs via homers. After hitting two home runs in their first eight games, the Mets have broken out for 17 in the five games since.

 Tuesday marked the 15th straight game the Phillies weren't able to collect 10 hits, extending their franchise mark to begin a season. The last team to go this long into a season without a 10-hit game was the 1978 Mets.

"Our hitters will come around, but we haven't been taking advantage of mistakes," Mackanin said. "I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's a lack of aggressiveness."

JUAN'S GLOVE SHINES GOLD
Juan Lagares drew a gasp from the Citizens Bank Park when he skied above the center-field fence to take a possible home run away from Maikel Franco in the eighth. Lagares, who had entered as a pinch-hitter one inning earlier, is struggling to find regular playing time after breaking camp as the Mets' fourth outfielder. More >

WHAT'S NEXT
Mets: Bartolo Colon (1-1, 2.13 ERA) looks to take sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list among Dominican-born pitchers when he wraps up the Mets' three-game series Wednesday in Philadelphia. Colon matched Pedro Martinez with his 219th career win last time out in Cleveland, holding the Indians to two runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Phillies: Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 4.30 ERA) pitches the series finale against the Mets on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts before allowing five earned runs in three innings Friday against the Nationals.

Done with Braves, Strasburg faces familiar foe in Fish

When he takes the mound Tuesday night at Marlins Park, Stephen Strasburg will look to continue his dominance in 2016 against a team other than the Braves. In his two previous starts, both vs. Atlanta, the 27-year-old went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA. In 13 2/3 innings this season, Strasburg has struck out 11 and walked five while yielding 10 hits.

As a team, the Marlins had surprising success against Strasburg last season, hitting a combined .309. Miami captured two of three decisions against Strasburg in 2015. Lifetime, Strasburg has more decisions vs. Miami (17) than any other team. Over his career, Strasburg is 10-7 with a 3.69 ERA against the Marlins, with 122 strikeouts in 122 innings.

Miami will counter with Adam Conley. The lefty won his only decision over the Nationals, but has pitched in just two games (six innings) lifetime against them. He started the April 7 game at Washington, but went just one inning before a lengthy rain delay. He allowed two hits and three runs in his inning of work, but then went six scoreless on Wednesday against the Mets.

Things to know about this game

• Giancarlo Stanton has had particular success against Strasburg during his career. In 28 official at-bats, the Marlins slugger is hitting .429 with three homers and 10 RBIs. He's one of five current Marlins players hitting .290 or better, with at least 10 career at-bats, against Strasburg.

• Conley is a relative unknown with the Nationals. As a team, Washington has just 14 at-bats against the lefty. The Nationals have collected five hits off Conley, including one homer by Wilson Ramos.

• Strasburg is approaching a milestone in his stellar career. He needs just 88 strikeouts to reach 1,000. Last season, Strasburg struck out 155 batters. He led the league in 2014 with 242 K's.

Wood makes Atlanta return to open series

Prior to leaving Miami and heading back to Atlanta on Sunday, a reporter joked to Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez that now comes the easy part of the schedule when they host the Dodgers on Tuesday, in the first of a three-game series against the reigning National League West champions.

"Yeah, right," Gonzalez answered with a laugh. "What's that kid's name? And the other guy?"

Gonzalez was referring to rookie Ross Stripling (the 'kid' who flirted with a no-hitter his first start) and of course Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. But the Dodgers will not have to face either one right away, as Alex Wood (1-1, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to make his third start for the Dodgers in the series opener. It will be the former Braves lefty's first start at Turner Field against his former team since being traded to the Dodgers last July.

As for the Braves' starting pitcher on Tuesday, it was scheduled to be Matt Wisler, but he was needed to pitch in relief in the 10th inning on Sunday in the Braves' 6-5 win at Miami. Williams Perez will make the start and Wisler now will be pushed to a Thursday start. Julio Teheran is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday.

Three things to know

• Tuesday's game kicks off an eight-game, three-series homestand for the Braves, who will be looking for their first win at Turner Field this season.

• Braves right fielder Nick Markakis has reached base safely in all 12 games this season.

• Adrian Gonzalez has been crushing fastballs this season. Entering the Dodgers' Sunday night game against the Giants, Gonzalez has had 10 of his 16 hits and four of his five extra-base hits off heaters.