Nats Chat

The Nats opened the homestand with a 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh despite an early three run deficit.  Mark & Al begin with the defensive exploits by James Wood in the top of the 9th as his perfect throw nailed the tying run at the plate.  It was an up and down evening for Wood as he doubled twice, but also struck out twice, thus setting a single season franchise record with 200Ks.

(10:15) Brady House & Dylan Crews each went deep in ...

The Nats had to settle for a series split in Miami after dropping Thursday night's finale 5-0. Al & Tim gather after Washington was shutout for the 12th time this season to conclude their otherwise winning road trip.

(04:00) MacKenzie Gore returned from the 15-Day IL to toss five innings in the loss.  Gore allowed two runs in the first inning and struck out four Marlins in the outing.

(08:05) CJ Abrams had a throwing error and it was...

The Nats led 3-0 entering the bottom of the 6th, but an ensuing comedy of errors tilted the evening in the Marlins direction for an 8-3 loss on Wednesday. Mark (From Miami) & Al though begin with the very encouraging news that MacKenzie Gore not only is coming off the IL, but will take the mound on Thursday night in South Florida.

(08:00) Jake Irvin tossed five scoreless innings, but it all came apart in the four run bottom of the 6...

The Nats scorching start to September continued on Tuesday night as they held off the Marlins 7-5 for a 4th straight victory.  Mark (From South Florida) & Al take note that Washington is now within striking distance of both Atlanta & Miami in the NL East.  The Nationals are six wins behind the Marlins with 18 games remaining.

(06:30) Josh Bell crushed a 3-run HR in the top of the 1st for his 4th homer in the past three games.  Bell ...

The Nats hot start to September continued on Monday night in their 15-7 pasting of the Marlins.  Mark (From Miami) & Al have four Nationals homers (two by Josh Bell) to sort through as the team has won six of their past seven games.

(05:00) Dylan Crews hit his first homer since May 20th, which came just before he landed on the IL all summer.  Crews had a big game on Monday night as he had three hits and knocked in four runs.

(10:15) ...

The Nats trailed the Cubs 3-1 entering the 9th inning, but a couple of homers later, they emerged victorious by a score of 6-3 Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Tim recap the Nationals 5th win in the past six games to take their second straight series.

(03:00) Josh Bell's gave Washington the lead for good with a pinch-hit 3-run home run in the 9th.  Bell was given was the day off, but hit for Riley Adams in th...

We learned on Saturday morning that Davey Johnson, the Manager of the Nationals when they won their first NL East title in 2012, peacefully passed away the previous day at age 82. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al note that some of Johnson's managerial traits were utilized by Miguel Cairo in the Nationals 2-1 afternoon victory over the Cubs.

(05:00) Jose A Ferrer continued his brilliant stretch in tossing a perfect bottom of the 8th.  ...

The Nats three game win streak came to an abrupt halt during Friday afternoon's 11-5 loss to the Cubs. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al convene after the Chicago warm wind was flying out towards the lake; leading to four Cubs home runs.

(04:45) Jake Irvin gave up two of those homers and allowed seven runs in his brief outing.  Irvin's ceded five runs in the bottom of the 1st and his first inning ERA this season is at a woeful 11.17; t...

The Nats turned an eight game skid into a three game sweep of the visiting Marlins.  Al & Mark convene after the Nationals pulled off their 2nd sweep of the season and just like the one in Baltimore back in May, there were major contributions by Nasim Nuñez.

(04:00) Nuñez entered the day with zero career MLB homers and shocked everyone by going deep twice on Wednesday afternoon. Nunez got the start at SS and also added a RBI single ...

Make it two straight victories for the Nats over Miami after Tuesday's 5-2 triumph.  Mark & Al discuss Cade Cavalli's successful outing on the heels of getting hit hard at Yankee Stadium last week. Cavalli struck out six Marlins and this was his sixth start since getting called up from AAA last month.

(12:00) The bullpen continued their strong run as of late as five arms combined for four scoreless frames.  Jackson Rutledge was used...

The Nats 8-game losing streak ended on Labor Day as Andrew Alvarez tossed five shutout innings in his MLB debut in Navy Yard.  Mark & Al throw plenty of flowers to the lefty who earned the 2-0 victory over Miami. Alvarez was called up from AAA-Rochester and was drafted out of Cal Poly in the 12th Round of the 2021 Draft.

(08:45) Alvarez's battery mate was also making his MLB Debut in catcher C.J Stubbs, who was teammates with him as...

August concluded at Nationals Park with a Rays sweep and an 8th consecutive loss for the home team.  Mark & Al spend plenty of time sorting through another awful month and what this means big picture for the organization. If you've taken some time off from the podcast due to the rough state of affairs, this is a good one chance to check back in.

(08:00) Jarlin Susana was removed from his AA-Harrisburg outing on Saturday due to right...

It was a not so fun Saturday in Navy Yard as the Nats dropped their 7th consecutive game. Mark & Al react to the 4-1 loss to the visiting Rays that bizarrely saw multiple instances of fans running onto the field during play.

(05:30) MacKenzie Gore was placed on the 15-Day IL prior to the game due to left shoulder inflammation.  Gore told reporters that he is aiming to return to the mound in mid or late September.

(13:40) Another putr...

The Nats losing streak was extended to six after Friday night's 4-1 defeat by the visiting Rays. Al & Tim begin with the offense going 0 for 12 w/ RISP and not taking advantage of opportunities to score.  The two worst offenders were Riley Adams (0 for 4) & Robert Hassell III (0 for 3).

(06:25) Chris Johnson, Assistant Hitting Coach, was surprisingly ejected for barking at the umpire following an early crucial CJ Abrams strikeout to...

The losing streak is extended to five after the Nats were crushed 11-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. New York hit six homers in the series finale and out-homered Washington 10-2 in the three game series.

(06:30) Cade Cavalli fell apart in the bottom of the 3rd as he gave up a trio of homers and seven earned runs in his outing.  The Yanks scored nine runs in that frame, which is more than the Nationals scored all series.

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The Nats dropped their 4th straight on Tuesday night in New York.  Mark & Al have even more instances of poor base running decisions by Washington in their 5-1 defeat.  James Wood didn't strike out in the affair, but he was egregiously thrown out at the plate in the top of the 5th inning.

(10:20) The coaching staff will likely almost completely turn over after the season.  Will that apply to franchise legend/ 1B Coach Gerardo Parra?

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The recent three game Nats win streak has morphed into a three game losing streak after Monday night's 10-5 defeat in Yankee Stadium. Al & Mark begin with Jacob Young's eventful evening that saw him get picked off and also hit a 9th inning Grand Slam.

(06:15) Young getting picked continues a recent pattern for him.  His base running deficiencies are additionally magnified due to his poor bat (.584 OPS). What does his future hold?

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The Nats held another late rally that came up short on Sunday afternoon on Broad Street. Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al note how the team continues to lose when either Jake Irvin or Mitchell Parker take the mound.

(05:10) James Wood went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and hit into a costly double play in the top of the 8th.  Wood has astonishingly struck out 35 times this month while only drawing six walks.

(11:05) Riley Adams hit 3rd and went 1 f...

The win streak ends at three as the Nats lost 6-4 on Saturday night in Philly.  Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al have another busy top of the 9th to discuss, but this time Washington's rally came up short.  There were runners on the corners with one out, but both James Wood & CJ Abrams could not come through.

(07:45) James Wood struck only three times in Saturday night's loss.  Wood leads MLB with 171Ks and Mark Reynolds record 223 whi...