Game 149: Paolo Blanks the Rockies

The Nats shutout Colorado 3-0 as Paolo Espino earned his fifth victory of the season. Al & Mark tip their caps to Espino, who held a potent Rockies lineup scoreless in almost six frames. Who could have ever guessed the season that Paolo is having? It was the first shutout pitched by the Nationals staff since mid June. (11:03) Tanner Rainey returned to the mound after a lengthy stay in Rochester. He struck out the side in an encouraging outing. Will we see him get a save opportunity before the end of the season? (19:01) Juan Soto launched a mammoth HR that traveled over 450 feet. His OPS is creeping towards 1.000, which is a surprise based upon how his season started off. (25:47) The offense otherwise had a quiet series, but the hosts take this opportunity to assess two of the young pieces who have had prominent roles post trade deadline. Luis Garcia's stock is up, Carter Kieboom's is going in the other direction. (34:40) Alex Avila announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Avila had an unusual start to his career as his father was the Tigers GM while playing in Detroit (who then traded him away). Avila made one All Star game and received MVP votes in 2011. (41:33) A look at attendance for the past few months and how the rebuild might affect ticket sales for the 2022 season.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices