Nats Chat

The Nats lost 4-3 in Miami in ten innings despite briefly holding the lead in the 7th. Mark & Al recap the stud pitching match-up between Josiah Gray & Edward Cabrera, both of which are top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline. Gray was solid yet again for Washington, as he has been so far in all five starts since the trade. (10:33) Keibert Ruiz has hit four homers in his past two games for AAA Rocheste...

The Nats beat the Marlins 5-1 as Erick Fedde struck out a career high ten batters. Al & Mark evaluate Fedde's big evening and find out how Sam Clay of all people played a big role in the successful start. Should we be excited about the outing or affix an asterisk to it because it was against last place Miami? (10:31) The bullpen saw a flurry of roster moves including Patrick Murphy & Clay being ca...

The Nats lost 7-3 in Milwaukee in another game that had a glacial pace of play. Mark & Al continue to praise Lane Thomas as he had another impressive game while patrolling CF and hitting leadoff. Carter Kieboom also had a solid Sunday, including on the defensive end. (19:30) Sean Nolin and the bullpen tied a franchise record by issuing 11 walks as the pitching was very difficult to watch this week...

The Nationals lost 9-6 in Milwaukee to halt the three game win streak. Al laments how the game took four hours and eighteen minutes. What can be done to avoid interminable games like this one? (5:20) Lane Thomas was given a prominent role in the lineup card as the leadoff hitter in CF. He backed up the assignment by impressing with his bat, speed, and arm. A few other young guys made contributions...

The Nats won 4-1 in Milwaukee for their third consecutive victory. Al & Mark finally have an opportunity to praise Patrick Corbin, who was fantastic against the first place Brewers. How did the Nationals possibly "fix his glitch"? (10:24) The bullpen had a good evening from three different relievers. Is it OK to start feeling good about this young 'pen? (16:28) Many young guys stepped up Friday ni...

The Nats topped the Blue Jays 8-5 to complete the two game sweep. Al & Mark assess Josiah Gray's solid outing that lasted six innings. The only blemish on Gray's resume so far has been giving up solo HRs, of which he allowed two more on Wednesday. Gray did more than just pitch well as he had his first career hit and also made a nice play on a bunt attempt that led to a double play. (9:29) The bull...

The Nationals snapped their seven game losing streak with a 12-6 victory over Toronto. Mark & Al look Riley Adams who dominated his former organization with three hits, including a HR. As Adams has shown promise at the plate, it provides an opportunity to handicap what the catcher situation is between Adams, Barrera, and Keibert Ruiz. (8:57) Yadiel Hernandez homered to open the scoring. Where migh...

The Nats lost 6-5 to Atlanta for a seventh straight defeat, but the main story Sunday stemmed from pregame. Mark & Al react to the news that Joe Ross is back on the IL due to a partial UCL tear in his elbow, which could possibly lead to another Tommy John Surgery. What might this mean for the team's rotation and also the future of Ross' career? (16:54) The Nationals were more competitive than Satu...

The Nationals were pulverized 12-2 by Atlanta as Patrick Corbin's ERA is now a Major League worst 6.04 among qualifying starters. Al & Mark look at the flurry of losing in the past month and a half and wonder if 100 losses this season is now in play as they are now tied for last place in the division. (7:48) Patrick Corbin had another poor outing and is on his way to having the worst season any Na...

The Nats lost 4-2 to the Braves in a game that started three hours later than originally scheduled. Mark & Tim breakdown Josiah Gray's outing that was fantastic early on, but was sullied by a flurry of solo HRs that put Atlanta on top. Should he have been sent back out for the 7th inning? (11:10) The offense squandered many opportunities Friday night as they came up empty three times when they had...

The Nats lost both games of their doubleheader to the Mets. Al opens with putting into perspective just how much the Nationals have struggled in the past month and a half. They entered July 2 games over .500 and now are 15 games below that threshold. (6:00) He then dives into the state of the bullpen, which has no anchor to it. Kyle Finnegan gave up the game sealing HR to Pete Alonso and Tanner Ra...

The Nationals lost 8-7 to the Mets in a game that began on Tuesday night and ended Wednesday afternoon. Mark & Al respond to the only game played as the evening portion of the quasi doubleheader was rained out and instead we will have a true doubleheader on Thursday. (5:48) Juan Soto returned to the starting lineup from his knee issue and had three hits, including a first inning HR. The hosts poin...

The Nats game was suspended by rain in the 2nd inning in New York as they lead 3-1 over the Mets. Given the rainout, we decided to bring you a special edition featuring an interview with the incomparable Jim Callis of MLB.com and MLB Pipeline. Jim knows more than anyone when it comes to prospects, so no better person to hear from about Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, Brady House, and more...

The Nats lost 5-4 in Atlanta as Patrick Corbin gave up two more homers in defeat. Mark & Al react to another disappointing outing for Corbin as he flirts with an ERA of six this season. The hosts then respond to Ryan Zimmerman's postgame comments as to why he thinks the lefty hasn't been the same pitcher since October of 2019.   (15:38) Juan Soto was again limited to pinch hitting, which led to Jo...

The Nats rallied in Atlanta for a 3-2 victory to end their five game losing streak. Al & Mark react to the ninth inning where new acquisition Riley Adams hit a go ahead 2 run homer off of Braves closer Will Smith. (7:27) Josiah Gray was terrific on the mound as he had 10 Ks in 5 IP. How excited should Nationals fans be after an outing like this? Should Gray have stayed in the game to pitch the 6th...

The Nats lost their fifth straight as the Braves beat them 8-4 in Atlanta. Mark & Al discuss the decision to rest Juan Soto as he tweaked his knee on Thursday. How cautious will Washington be before he returns? (8:35) Carter Kieboom had another RBI and has nine hits already in August. How encouraged should Nationals fan be?  (19:29) Erick Fedde could not maintain a 5th inning lead and his evening...

The Nationals blew yet another late lead to fall 7-6 to the Phillies, resulting in a four game sweep. Al opens the with Kyle Finnegan's blown save, which puts the team at a season low eleven games under .500. He then quickly transitions into Carter Kieboom who had a very up and down game. Kieboom had multiple hits to keep his average above .300, but had a crucial error in the 9th which led to all...

The Nationals lost 9-5 to the Phillies despite hitting four homers. Al & Mark focus on the young starters who cleared the fences, especially Luis Garcia who had a pair of dingers. What is his offensive ceiling? (11:11) Juan Soto has cooled off recently and has reverted to hitting a lot of ground balls. Did the fire sale affected his day to day approach at the plate? (18:55) Paolo Espino had his wo...

The Nats lost 5-4 to the Phillies and Zack Wheeler. Mark & Al analyze Patrick Corbin's start which was very good until he allowed a pair of 7th inning HRs. He has now given up 25 home runs this season in just 21 starts. (9:34) Wander Suero was sent down to AAA as Javy Guerra took his roster spot. Additionally, Ryne Harper pitched a solid 9th inning as many fans have been howling for him to be give...

The Nats lost 7-5 (or was it 6-5?) to the Phillies after allowing five runs in the top of the 9th. Al & Mark evaluate Josiah "JoJo" Gray's first start as a National as he only allowed one run in five innings.  (9:56) Mason Thompson also made his franchise debut, a relief pitcher acquired from San Diego as part of the Daniel Hudson deal, had a crucial strikeout to strand the bases loaded in the 6th...

The Nats walked off the Cubs 6-5 to win the series. Mark & Al react to the unexpected HR Derby that took place between Yadiel Hernandez and Chicago's Rafael Ortega. Hernandez went deep twice, including the game winner in the bottom of the 9th, while occupying the cleanup spot. (10:18) A dissection of various decisions stemming from Sunday's lineup card. Will Keibert Ruiz replace Rene Rivera on the...

The Nats lost 6-3 to the Cubs to end what was likely the worst month in franchise history. Mark & Al put a bow on July 2021 and spin it forward. They analyze Victor Robles returning to the leadoff spot, which he briefly held back in April. (11:28) Luis Garcia started at shortstop Saturday night as Alcides Escobar had the night off. Could he be the long-term answer there or will he likely be at 2B?...

The Nats edged the Cubs 4-3 after a dizzying two day stretch that saw eight players traded away. Al & Mark digest what the deadline moves mean for the organization moving forward and analyze the remarkable Jon Lester trade. They also point out just how different the farm system is now regarded after acquiring a dozen prospects. (13:46) Reaction to Friday night's starting lineup that looks a lot di...

The Nationals split their doubleheader in Philadelphia, but the main news postgame was the blockbuster trade that sent Max Scherzer & Trea Turner to the Dodgers. Mark & Al analyze the mega move by Washington and assess what they think of the move. Why was Turner dealt instead of locking him up to a long-term contract? Did they get enough in return from LA? (12:15) Kiebert Ruiz (catcher) and Josiah...

The Nationals beat the Phillies 6-4, but Tuesday was filled with bad news for the organization. Al & Mark react to the announcement that Stephen Strasburg will have season ending surgery. For those not familiar with the procedure, they explain what TOS typically means for pitchers and the long-term ramifications. (15:15) Trea Turner was pulled from the game in the 1st inning due to a positive COVI...