Searching for some positives in an 0-2 start

It's been an admittedly negative first couple of games to the Nationals season, what with back-to-back losses to the Mets that included defensive gaffes, baserunning gaffes and bullpen gaffes.

But today's a new day, so let's try to think positively if only for a few minutes. Here are some encouraging developments through the first 18 innings of the 2019 season in D.C. ...

* Juan Soto is doing Juan Soto things,

The 20-year-old left fielder has picked up right where he left off as a 19-year-old. Soto is 3-for-8 with a walk, and all three of those hits were impressive ones during Saturday's game. He delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first (and then stole second base). He delivered another two-out RBI single in the bottom of the third. And he led off the bottom of the sixth with a hustle double to right-center, putting himself in position to score the game's tying run two batters later. Yes, he has struck out a surprising four times already. But he's looked awfully good at the plate in his other at-bats.

* Ryan Zimmerman has looked good at first base.

Though it took Zimmerman until his eighth at-bat to record his first hit - a three-run double in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Nationals back to within three runs of the Mets - he already had made a couple of nifty defensive plays in the field. Zimmerman showed off quick reflexes and a soft touch when he snagged Robinson Canó's scorcher down the first base line in the top of the seventh Saturday. And after stepping on the bag he made a good throw to second in an attempt to complete a double play. Trea Turner wound up having the ball kicked out of his glove by Pete Alonso, but Zimmerman's throw was on time and on target. For a guy who admittedly has some serious throwing issues, that was an encouraging sign.

* Tony Sipp has retired all three lefties faced>

After briefly warming up (but not pitching) on opening day, Sipp did make his Nationals debut in the seventh inning Saturday, when the score was still tied 4-4. It was the 35-year-old's first appearance against major league hitters after an abbreviated spring in which he only went up against minor leaguers on a back field, but he showed no signs of rust. Sipp faced four batters, and though he walked the only righty in the mix, he retired all three Mets lefties. He struck out Brandon Nimmo on a 3-2 fastball. He got Canó to hit the aforementioned sharp grounder to Zimmerman at first base. And then he got Michael Conforto to hit a more conventional grounder to first for the final out of the inning.