Nats Chat

The Nats lost 4-1 to the Dodgers on Tuesday night in D.C. Al & Mark open with the multiple costly base running miscues that Washington committed, especially the instance that came in the bottom of the 9th. Did third base coach Ricky Gutierrez throw up the "stop sign" too late for Luis Garcia Jr.? (09:00) Lane Thomas injured his leg on a stolen base attempt in the bottom of the 5th. He initially st...

The Nats shutout Houston 6-0 on Sunday afternoon to capture the series. Mark & Al sing the praises of Mitchell Parker, who tossed seven shutout frames in just his 2nd career start. Have they found a "Diamond in the Rough"? (15:30) The offense came through with 11 hits and immediately scored three runs off of Hunter Brown. Luis Garcia Jr. continued his strong April as he had a trio of hits and knoc...

The Nats topped the Astros 5-4 in 10 innings on Saturday afternoon in D.C.. Mark relays to Al what the atmosphere was like at Nationals Park as this was centerpiece of the 2019 World Series Anniversary Weekend. (05:00) Joey Meneses had three hits and most importantly came through with a RBI single to end the game while DHing. His batting average went up from .182 to .217 due to Saturday's performa...

The Nats lost 5-3 to the Astros on Friday evening in D.C. Al & Tim discuss MacKenzie Gore only lasting four innings as he needed thirty-seven pitches to get out of the top of the 2nd. (09:00) Riley Adams homered and has continued to produce at the plate while Keibert Ruiz has been out due to the flu. Will Adams see more time at DH when Ruiz returns? (14:30) Davey Martinez was ejected in after the...

The Nats blanked the Dodgers 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon to finish their road trip out West with a winning record. Mark (From LA) & Al recap Jake Irvin's excellent outing as he tossed six shutout frames in the victory. One lingering question after his start though was should he have returned for the 7th, given that he only threw 73 pitches? (10:00) Three members of the bullpen combined to preserve...

The Nats lost 6-2 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium as Mookie Betts went 5 for 5 against Patrick Corbin and the bullpen. Mark (From LA) & Al discuss Corbin starting the season at 0-3 as he gave up nine hits and five runs in 6.1 IP. This leads to a discussion on the chances of Corbin losing his rotation spot at some point during the season. (10:30) The only runs Washington scored came off of Jesse...

The Nats bounced back with a 6-4 series opening victory on Monday night at Dodger Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day. Mark (From LA) & Al begin with praise for Mitchell Parker, who won his MLB debut while facing the loaded Dodgers lineup. It is shockingly the first Nationals pitcher to win his debut since Stephen Strasburg back in 2010. Mark runs through the laundry list of past pitchers who could not...

The Nats led 6-1 in Oakland but it all fell apart in the 6th inning and they ultimately lost 7-6. Mark (Live from the Oakland Coliseum) & Al recap the disappointing series finale. (04:36) Derek Law gave up four runs despite retiring the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 6th. This blighted Trevor Williams' final line as two of the three runs he ceded came with Law on the mound. This was an...

The Nats beat the Athletics 3-1 in California on Saturday afternoon as MacKenzie Gore tied a career high with 11 strikeouts. Mark (Live from Oakland Coliseum) & Al discuss the southpaw's sterling outing that saw five shutout innings on 90 pitches. (08:45) CJ Abrams had a pair of hits including a RBI triple and Al notes that it seems like the team's success is directly correlated to Abrams' perform...

The Nats lost 2-1 in Oakland on Friday evening in 10 innings of play. Mark (Live from Oakland Coliseum) & Al begin by noting that this is the final season in this particular stadium as the team will temporarily relocate to Sacramento next year, before ultimately settling in Las Vegas. (04:40) Jake Irvin only allowed a solo homer in 6 IP on just 74 pitches for his best start of the season thus far....

The Nats lost 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco, ending their three game win streak. Al & Mark (Live from Oracle Park) recap a quiet day for the bats as they only mustered four hits in defeat. The only run came from Joey Gallo, who now has a trio of homers on the young season. (05:30) Catcher Drew Millas was called up and started behind the plate, replacing Joan Adon on the roster. Milla...

The Nats held on 5-3 in San Francisco on Tuesday night for their 3rd straight victory. Mark (Live from SF) & Al though begin with the news from pregame that Josiah Gray is headed to the 15 day IL with a right elbow/ forearm flexor strain. Despite the news, there were some positive indications from both Gray and Davey Martinez that this does not necessarily mean season ending surgery or anything of...

The Nats cruised to an 8-1 victory on Monday night in San Francisco to begin their west coast road trip. Mark (Live from Oracle Park) & Al begin with the Nationals offense knocking Blake Snell out of the affair after just three innings of work with his new team. The reigning NL Cy Young winner did not sign with the Giants until mid March and therefore missed the bulk of Spring Training. (05:00) CJ...

The Nats ended their three game skid with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Phillies on Sunday afternoon. Al & Tim start with MacKenzie Gore's solid performance as earned his first win of 2024 in 5.2 IP of work. A trio of bullpen pitchers (Weems, Harvey, and Finnegan) then combined for ten scoreless outs. (11:15) Lane Thomas had his best game of the season as he had a pair of hits, stole three bases...

The Nats lost 5-2 to the Phillies but afterwards in a very subtle manner, it came across the MLB.com's transactions log that Stephen Strasburg is retiring. Mark & Al react to the news that the Strasburg saga has finally been wrapped up. The next homestand will serve as the 5th anniversary celebration of the World Series title as Houston will be in town and they wonder if the timing of that weekend...

On a chilly night in the District, the Nats were blanked 4-0 by the Phillies. Mark & Al start with the struggling offense as they only totaled two hits on the evening. One of those was squandered by poor base running as CJ Abrams tried to stretch an early single into a double. (06:25) Lane Thomas was hitless and is mightily slumping this season. So far he is just 2 for 28 at the plate and has not...

The Nats lost 7-4 to Pittsburgh in D.C. to drop a 2nd straight rubber match as they are now 2-4 on the season. Al & Mark recap another bad outing by Josiah Gray as he gave up four runs in the opening inning. His ERA so far this season after a pair of starts is 14.04. (14:00) The offense totaled eight hits after trying to dig themselves out from the early deficit. Lane Thomas was for 0 for 4 and so...

Wednesday was filled with rain in the DMV, but the skies were clear enough in the early evening for a 5-3 Nationals victory over Pittsburgh. Mark & Al start with Joey Gallo as his first hit with the franchise was fittingly a solo HR. He then later added two more hits after beginning the season 0 for 12. (08:00) Luis Garcia Jr. doubled three times and knocked in a run. It is the first time in Garci...

The Nats lost 8-3 to the Pirates in their sold out home opener to begin the season 1-3 for the sixth consecutive year. Mark & Al recap a second straight day filled with bullpen struggles as the game was tied at 4 entering the top of the 8th. Matt Barnes and Tanner Rainey shared responsibility for the four late Pirates runs and overall the quartet of Nats relievers gave up ten hits in the afternoon...

The Nats came one out shy of winning the opening series of the season as they lost 6-5 on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. Mark (Live from Cincy) & Al recap the loss where a 5-3 lead with two outs in the 9th quickly turned into a Reds walk-off HR given up by Kyle Finnegan. (07:30) Trey Lipscomb homered in just his 2nd career game and continues to impress at 3B. (11:00) CJ Abrams also homered on Sun...

The Nats scored 3 runs in the 9th to escape with a 7-6 victory on Saturday afternoon. Mark (From Cincinnati) & Al discuss the comeback, which involved a lot of "Small Ball". Keibert Ruiz tied the game by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Eddie Rosario continued his strong start to the season with the go ahead sacrifice fly. CJ Abrams had a excellent game as he scored a trio of runs...

The Nats were routed 8-2 on Opening Day on Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati . Mark (Live from Cincy) & Al recap the defeat that got off to an immediate negative tone as third baseman Nick Senzel broke his thumb while fielding a ground ball in warmups. Then Josiah Gray allowed seven runs before the 3rd inning was over, including allowing a pair of HRs to Nick Martini, who entered the game with only...

Mark is back from Florida and so are the Nats as Opening Day is Thursday in Cincinnati. He & Al begin start with the prospect likeliest to begin in Ohio this week and it's not James Wood or Dylan Crews. Hear all the factors that led to Trey Lipscomb escalation up the depth chart within the organization. Lipscomb is an infielder and was drafted by Washington in the 3rd round of the 2022 Draft after...

As Opening Day approaches next week, Mark (From West Palm) & Al react to Davey Martinez giving Josiah Gray the nod to take the mound on March 28th in Cincinnati. Patrick Corbin, who started Opening Day the past two seasons, will get the ball in Game #2. MacKenzie Gore is expected to be the starting pitcher for the home opener on Monday April 1st. (15:20) An update on the bullpen and which arms are...

Opening Day is under a month away as Mark & Al convene to discuss the latest with the Nationals. James Wood has been the star of Spring Training and that is where the conversation begins. What are the chances the 21-year-old will be with the Nats on March 28th in Cincinnati? (08:30) An update on how Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III have looked during Grapefruit League play. (11:30) An explanatio...