s?coach?Bill Belichick?is apparently a believer. Texans coach Bill OBrien told me that he ran into his former boss at the owners meetings, and Belichick gave him

WASHINGTON -- Calm and collected on the outside, Lucas Giolito was so anxious about making his major league debut that he kept going into manager Dusty Bakers office to ask when the game would start. Alex Bars Jersey .Rain delayed it almost an hour and then cut Giolitos outing short, but when he was on the mound he was dominant as the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 5-0 on Tuesday night. Baseballs top pitching prospect allowed just one hit, struck out one and walked two in four scoreless innings and made the most of his start despite the weather.I never saw rain in the forecast at all, Giolito said. I thought it would be like 72 degrees, sunny, all that stuff. Thats how I dreamt it. But Ill take what I can get. An MLB debut is an MLB debut and Im glad I pitched well.The 6-foot-6 Giolito mixed his curveball and improving changeup in with his overpowering fastball to silence the Mets after a leadoff single by Curtis Granderson. Giolito was in control of his emotions and his pitches all night.He pounded the strike zone very well, said outfielder Bryce Harper, who hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. His fastball was good, his curveball was good. I think he kept them off-balance pretty well and definitely a huge bummer that we went into that rain delay.An 85-minute rain delay cost Giolito the chance to pick up his first major league victory, as the win went to reliever Oliver Perez (2-1) instead. But Giolito left an impression with his first Nationals start, taking to heart the advice his veteran manager gave him.Dusty told me: `You can be anxious. You can be nervous. Just dont be scared. You belong here. Thats just what I tried to prove, the 21-year-old said. After the first pitch, I couldve been pitching Double-A, I couldve been pitching in front of zero people. It wouldnt have mattered. I was just locked in.Mets right-hander Matt Harvey (4-10) wasnt quite as locked in but was very good in allowing one run on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. An RBI triple by Danny Espinosa was the only crack Washington needed against Harvey, who was a hard-luck loser.It would have been great for him to go a few more innings because tonight was some of the best stuff hes had all year, manager Terry Collins said. Tonight he had things going.Harpers two-run shot off lefty Jerry Blevins, his team-leading 16th of the season, and Wilson Ramos two-run double in the seventh gave the Nationals bullpen some cushion. On the other side, New Yorks bullpen became even more depleted the day before Logan Verrett has to make a spot start.TRAINERS ROOMMets: Granderson was removed from the game after the second rain delay because of a calf injury that tightened up on him, Collins said.. ... RHP Hansel Robles was struck in the right calf with a line drive in the seventh inning and walked off under his own power. ... LHP Steven Matz has a bone spur in his elbow and had his start pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday. ... RHP Noah Syndergaard has a small bone spur in his elbow but isnt expected to miss any time. ... 1B Lucas Duda is two weeks away from resuming baseball activities.Nationals: An MRI confirmed RHP Stephen Strasburg has an upper back strain. Strasburg threw a bullpen session Tuesday afternoon.UP NEXTMets: RHP Verrett (3-4, 4.14 ERA) makes a spot start for Matz as the rest of the rotation gets pushed back. The Mets will have one fewer arm available in the bullpen as a result.Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (8-5, 3.52 ERA) makes his 17th start of the season trying to bounce back from allowing four earned runs in a loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. Custom Bears T-shirts . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Jim Miller Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-...arge-2326t.html . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. When the?Houston Texans?gave quarterback Brock Osweiler the?four-year, $72 million deal that the Denver Broncos wouldnt this offseason, some?questioned the move.A quick poll of a few NFL front-office executives indicates that they believe the Texans made the right call. They believe the 6-foot-7 Osweiler is an accurate passer and good leader who can manage an offense supported by a good running game and a top defense. The $72 million price tag seemed high to some execs, but thats the price of a quarterback these days.New England Patriots?coach?Bill Belichick?is apparently a believer. Texans coach Bill OBrien told me that he ran into his former boss at the owners meetings, and Belichick gave him a thumbs-up on the Osweiler deal. With Osweiler behind center, the Broncos beat the Patriots in November. The QB?was?23-of-42 passing for 270 yards with one?ttouchdown and one interception. Doug Atkins Jersey. He said Brock played well against the Patriots, and he felt he was a good football player, OBrien said.Belichick and the Patriots get another chance to see how good Osweiler and his new team are?Thursday night.Osweiler has been just OK?in his first two starts for the Texans. He has completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 499 yards with three touchdown passes and three interceptions. His 65.3 Total QBR ranks in the middle of the pack in the league, but its better than his 58.3 from the past season.For the Texans to improve on last seasons AFC South title and first-round playoff exit, they need more from Osweiler.?Heres a closer look at how Osweiler and the Texans season could go. ' ' '