Nats Chat

The "Trea Turner Play" somehow resurfaced in a game between the Nats and Astros in Minute Maid Park and this time it was the final sequence of a 5-4 Nationals loss. A bewildered duo of Mark (Live from Texas) & Al recap all angles of the controversial no call; including Davey Martinez's postgame rant that won't be forgotten any time soon. Why can't runner interference be reviewed? (17:00) The botto...

The Nats lost 6-1 in their first return to Houston since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. Mark (Live from Texas) and Al scratch their heads over an Alex Call bunt attempt during the early stages of a potential 3rd inning rally. Call is really struggling at the plate as he is hitting .215 on the season (06:25) Chad Kuhl got the nod to pitch the 7th while trailing 2-0 and Al wonders if one of the "A...

The Nats snapped their six game skid with a 6-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta to avoid the sweep. Al & Tim start with the five run top of the 6th; which included a rare home run from 1B Dom Smith. It was his first HR since late April; this coming after he was given the bulk of Saturday off. (12:00) The "A" bullpen was well rested and came through with four scoreless frames. Hunter Harvey...

The Nats losing streak is up to six games after falling 6-4 in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Al summarizes MacKenzie Gore's start where the lefty gave up five runs in as many innings. Gore's ERA is now above 4.00 (4.04) and he has not earned a victory since April. (08:20) Lane Thomas doubled and tripled on Saturday in Georgia. Hear Al point out a staggering 1st inning Lane Thomas statistic. (14:3...

The Nats lost their 5th straight as they allowed Atlanta to rally for a 3-2 final. Mark & Al recap the fateful bottom of the 8th where Washington had terrible defense on three different occasions in the frame. Dom Smith, who is in the lineup mainky due to his glove, made a crucial bobble on a routine grounder, which immediately led to the Braves tying run. Should he remain the everyday 1B? (13:05)...

The Nationals skid hit four games after 6-2 loss to Arizona on Wednesday evening. Al & Mark have no choice but to update the latest on the sorry state of affairs with the pitching staff. The day began with Erasmo Ramirez getting DFA'd and ended with Jordan Weems allowing a pair of runs in the 9th inning. (10:10) Patrick Corbin technically tossed a quality start despite allowing 3 runs right off th...

The Nationals held an early lead but behind poor pitching they ended up losing 10-5 to visiting Arizona. Mark & Al start with a familiar refrain the struggling bullpen. Erasmo Ramirez inherited a 4-3 lead when he took the mound in the 5th inning, but it quickly became a 6-4 Diamondbacks edge. Ramirez last year was the Nationals Pitcher of the Year, but so far this season his ERA is at 6.33. (12:00...

The Nats were routed 11-3 in Sunday's rubber match as the bullpen was unable to keep it close against Philadelphia's powerful lineup. Mark & Al lay out how poorly the 'pen pitched, evidenced by the fact that Philly led 2-1 until Andres Machado allowed a 3 run HR vs. Kyle Schwarber in the top of the 6th. Will there be some roster maneuvering by Tuesday? (10:20) Trevor Williams' start ended on a sou...

The Nats lost 4-2 on Saturday to Philadelphia to move behind the Phillies by a game in the standings. Al starts with MacKenzie Gore's OK outing where he allowed nine hits in six frames on the mound. Gore lasted 101 pitches in the afternoon and his ERA is currently at 3.66. (06:15) Only two relievers were used as the "A Bullpen" got the day off following Friday night's workload. Chad Kuhl threw two...

The Nats are now tied for 4th place in the NL East with Philadelphia after holding on for dear life in an 8-7 victory over the visiting Phillies. Mark & Al look at how the current formula for Washington victories is not pitching/defense, but instead through offense. The bats jumped all over Zack Wheeler for an early 7-1 lead; including 3 RBIs from Jeimer Candelario. Lane Thomas came through with t...

A jam packed edition of Nats Chat after a 10-6 victory over the Dodgers to avoid the sweep. Mark (Live from LA) & Al marvel at the five home runs hit by the Nationals in the victory; two of which came from Keibert Ruiz. He homered three times in less than 24 hours against his old team to already match last season's HR output for the young catcher (7 HRs). Luis Garcia went deep at the perfect time...

The Nats made it interesting at the Dodgers until the bullpen couldn't keep it competitive in a 9-3 loss. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al evaluate the 'pen that has taken major steps back in the month of May as opposed to how the season began. Should Davey Martinez have used Hunter Harvey when they only trailed by one run? (13:20) Jake Irvin had a shaky outing as he allowed 8 hits and 4 runs...

The Nats lost 6-1 at the Dodgers on Memorial Day evening. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al put in perspective where the franchise stands after 54 games, the one-third point of the season. They are currently on pace for 69 victories; which would eclipse preseason expectations. (06:00) Trevor Williams had an unusual pitching line as all six LA runs scored against him were considered unearned due...

The Nationals missed a chance to sweep in Kansas City as they instead lost 3-2 on a walk-off single by Michael Massey. Mark (Live from KC) & Al delve into Davey Martinez's decision to give Chad Kuhl the final two innings of work to try and protect the lead handed off by MacKenzie Gore. Were Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey available? (05:45) Martinez was openly critical of Lane Thomas' decision to...

The Nats scored all their runs in the 6th inning in a 4-2 Saturday afternoon victory in Kansas City. Al & Mark (Live from KC) run through the big inning that saw RBI hits from Corey Dickerson, Keibert Ruiz, and CJ Abrams. Dickerson's double gave him 1,000 career hits for his career. It was another game without a homer for the offense that has been racking up the hits lately. (14:00) Josiah Gray on...

The Nats prevailed 12-10 in Kansas City in a wild Friday night affair. Mark (Live from Kauffman Stadium) & Al recap the busy night for the offense that saw fifteen hits. Luis Garcia led the way with six hits to tie the franchise record (Anthony Rendon 2017). Garcia dramatically raised his average on Friday from .262 to .288. (11:00) Joey "Four Bags" earned the moniker in terms of amount times reac...

The Nats staged an impressive 7th inning rally, but it was all for naught after Rougned Odor's 2 out HR in the 9th inning off of Hunter Harvey to give San Diego the 8-6 victory. Al & Tim look at the tenuous closer situation as Harvey blew his 4th save of the season. Davey Martinez opted to pitch Kyle Finnegan in the 8th against the bottom of the Padres order. (08:45) Washington trailed trailing 5-...

The Nats beat the Padres 5-3 on Wednesday night to even the series. Mark & Al recap the victory and point out how Washington and San Diego have similar records despite vastly different payrolls. Is the rebuild ahead or right on schedule? The Nationals jumped out early to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning; behind RBI hits from Keibert Ruiz and Alex Call. (14:25) Lane Thomas had a RBI double to continue...

Juan Soto returned for to D.C. for the 2nd time since being dealt last August. The Padres defeated the Nats 7-4 to open up the 3 game series as Soto homered and had three hits on the evening. Mark & Al discuss the warm reception by the crowd towards Soto and how his exit still feels fresh; unlike other former Washington stars that are playing elsewhere. (8:50) MacKenzie Gore, part of last year's b...

The Nats beat the Tigers 6-4 for their 20th victory of the season to take the series. Mark & Al recount the unusual game that saw Washington collect 18 hits and draw 0 walks in the process. Riley Adams homered and came a triple shy of the cycle in a rare start behind the plate. (13:20) Ildemaro Vargas went deep while giving CJ Abrams a day off at short stop. He is hitting .333 in limited playing t...

The Nats ended their four game skid by topping Detroit 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in a game that lasted just a tad over two hours. Al praises the lineup for their five extra base hits in the victory and two of those came from the scorching bat of Jeimer Candelario. (11:40) Patrick Corbin earned the victory and also reached the milestone of 1500 career strikeouts. Al points out that Corbin is likely...

The Nats lost 8-6 on Friday to visiting Detroit after trailing 8-0 in the 6th inning. Mark & Al break down Jake Irvin's short outing and wonder how much this affects his future status in the rotation. Luis Garcia committed a costly throwing error in the 3rd inning which led to 3 more Tigers runs (It should be noted that this was his 1st error of the season). (14:30) Matthew Boyd, the Tigers starti...

The Nats suffered a disappointing sweep in Miami as they lost 5-3 on Thursday afternoon. Al & Mark scratch their heads at how the Marlins have absolutely dominated Washington in the past few years; to the tune of Miami having won 18 of the past 22 meetings. (06:20) Jeimer Candelario's bat was not the problem this week in Florida as he homered and doubled on Thursday. He totaled 8 hits in the 3 gam...

The Nats came up just short again in Miami as they lost 4-3 on Wednesday evening. Mark & Al dissect MacKenzie Gore's outing that lasted just a shade over 5 innings. His ERA currently sits at 3.69. (11:00) Corey Dickerson hit a 2 run HR in his first swing after missing the past month due to injury. Dickerson got the nod at DH as Joey Meneses is on Paternity Leave. Dickerson is a well traveled veter...

The Nats suffered a gut punch loss in Miami on Tuesday night as their comeback efforts resulted in a 5-4 loss after Jorge Soler homered off of Hunter Harvey in the bottom of the 9th. Al & Tim run through the decision to have Kyle Finnegan pitch in the 8th and to give Harvey the opportunity to close it out. (10:45) Josiah Gray pitched very well and was in line for the victory until the blown save....