One of the surprises for the New York Giants was seeing Josh Mauro at defensive end during the first practice at organized team activities this
week.Mauro knows the 3-4 system that is being installed by new defensive coordinator James Bettcher. The drawback is that the five-year veteran is not
going to be on the field when new coach Pat Shurmur and the Giants open the
season at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be starting a four-game
suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.The NFL handed down the suspension days after the 27-year-old Mauro signed a one-year contract with the Giants. The team knew it was coming before signing
him.”They have confidence in me,” Mauro said. ”They are giving me an opportunity here. I just want to give them everything I have to return that favor. It means
a lot to me and I want to give them everything I have.”Mauro has accepted responsibility for using the drug. He purchased an over-the-counter supplement and didn’t know it contained a banned substance. A
trace amount of it was found in a test. It was not present in a test a week
later.Mauro, who released a statement after the suspension explaining what happened, wants everyone to know that he is not a cheater.”Once you step away from this game all you have is your name,” Mauro said. ”You can have your accomplishments, your stats, whatever else, individual or
team successes you’ve had, but it’s just important for me to let everyone know
the circumstances beyond that.”Mauro could be a key player for Bettcher Jared Goff Jersey , who coached him for three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Along with linebacker Kareem Martin, he can explain the new system to
his teammates.He also doesn’t see a team that was 3-13 last season.”There are a lot of positives up here,” the former Stanford product said. ”This is probably the toughest division (NFC East) in the NFL, so there are a
lot of opportunities to play great teams. And just this city, it’s the ultimate
football city.”Mauro may train with the Giants and participate in training camp. Once his suspension starts, he cannot be with the team unless he is getting treatment for
an injury.Mauro, who started 26 games for the Cardinals with 75 tackles and two sacks, plans to meet with the staff before the suspension starts to get a workout
routine.While they traded Jason Pierre-Paul in the offseason, the Giants have depth at the end spot with Olivier Vernon Jim Brown Jersey , Kerry Wynn, Romeo Okwara and Avery Moss. They are heavy at the tackle spots with Damon Harrison, Dalvin Thompson, Robert Thomas and rookie
draft picks RJ McIntosh and B.J. Hill.NOTES: The Giants signed veteran receiver Russell Shepard, who has played five seasons in the NFL. He was released by the Carolina Panthers last week. To
make room on the 90-man roster, first year cornerback Tim Scott was released. He
played in one game last season.—The Washington Nationals‘ bats finally came alive Friday night. They hope that offense shows up again Saturday as the Nationals attempt to win two
straight games for the first time in more than three weeks.After a 17-7 rout on Friday night, the Nationals can pull even with the Philadelphia Phillies for second place in the National League East with a win
Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.Washington hit seven home runs against the Phillies on Friday, including two by rookie Juan Soto and the 20th of the season from Bryce Harper. The team
scored 17 runs on 18 hits in the win after combining for three runs on 12 hits
in its previous three games.The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Nationals, who are 9-15 in June and have not won consecutive games since June 5-6. Still Billy Turner Jersey , they are 42-38 on the season and one game behind the Phillies in the division.Right-hander Vince Velasquez (5-8, 4.69 ERA) will try to keep the Phillies in second place on Saturday.With one exception, Velasquez has been reliable for the Phillies over the last two months. The hard-throwing righty has allowed fewer than three earned
runs in seven of his last 10 starts. He allowed 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings against
the Milwaukee Brewers on June 8 but has a 2.73 ERA in his other nine starts
dating back to May 5.Velasquez, who averages 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings, had seven strikeouts in six innings against the Yankees on Monday. He gave up two runs on
three hits and four walks in the outing and took the loss as the Phillies’
offense struggled in the 4-2 defeat.“I had a couple walks here and there, and I had to pitch around some guys,” Velasquez told reporters after the game. “It’s a tough lineup to face.”Saturday’s start will be Velasquez’s sixth in his career against Washington. He is 2-2 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.333 WHIP in his first five starts. This season,
Velasquez held the Nationals to one run on one hit and four walks over five
innings in a May 5 start in which he got the win.Jeremy Hellickson is expected to be activated off the disabled list and make the Saturday start for the Nationals. Hellickson (2-0, 2.28) strained his right
hamstring in a June 3 start and has not pitched since.He made a rehab start for Class A Potomac last Sunday and gave up 11 runs in 4 2/3 innings. But he said he felt healthy after the outing.“Physically Demarcus Lawrence Jersey , I felt fine,” Hellickson told the Washington Post last week. “I mean, obviously not how I wanted it to go, but I felt fine. Felt
my stuff was pretty good. Just command was a little shaky, but (my) hammy was
100 percent.”Hellickson was solid before the injury. He posted a 1.30 ERA and .548 opponent OPS in five starts during May, and the Nationals won each of those
outings.Hellickson pitched for the Phillies in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In his only career start against Philadelphia, Hellickson did not allow an earned run in
eight innings while with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2015
season. Grayson Allen Jersey
