Nats Chat

The Nats were shutout 6-0 in Thursday afternoon's rubber match in Arlington to return to a game under .500. Mark (From Texas) & Al discuss the Nationals bats staying cold as they only scored two runs in the entire series. The offense collected just four hits in the loss and Eddie Rosario (.086) was one of the starters that did not get one. (17:00) Mitchell Parker took his first MLB loss as he gave up three runs off of six hits in 5.1 IP. Mark explains that Parker did not get all the help possible from his defense early on in the outing. (21:00) The game was 3-0 until the bottom of the 8th when Matt Barnes allowed three runs and his ERA currently sits at 6.75. (24:30) Victor Robles has played CF in AAA-Rochester for the past few days and tripled. Might he be called up for this weekend vs. Toronto? (25:30) This week the Nats faced Wyatt Langford, who the Rangers selected one pick after Dylan Crews last summer. This leads to a discussion about Crews' MLB timetable as he has been OK so far this season with AA-Harrisburg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats blanked the Rangers 1-0 on Tuesday night to return to .500 through 30 games. Mark (Live from Texas) & Al start with Trevor Williams, who is now 3-0 on the season in six outings. Williams lasted 5 IP and did not allow a run despite loading the bases in multiple innings. (12:30) The bullpen tossed four scoreless innings and it included Dylan Floro taking the mound in the 7th. Is he the new 7th inning guy in the "A Bullpen?". Kyle Finnegan notched his tenth save of the season, which is tied for the MLB lead. (16:30) Alex Call had the game's lone RBI and it was his first in the majors this season. The offense had five hits on the night and has not yet drawn a walk in this series. (19:30) Jacob Young was barely thrown out trying to steal 2nd and it ends his streak of 25 consecutive successful stolen bases to begin his career. (25:40) It is the Nationals first 1-0 victory on the road since.... 2017! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats four game win streak came to a halt on Tuesday night in Arlington as they fell 7-1 at the Rangers. Mark (From Texas) & Al begin with the slumping Eddie Rosario, who went 0 for 3 in the loss and is hitting just .088 so far this season. Rosario was signed during Spring Training to a minor league deal after playing the past few years in Atlanta. (9:30) Keibert Ruiz also went 0 for 3 and is hitting .143 so far. Ruiz does not have a hit since returning the lineup last Thursday vs. the Dodgers. (14:00) MacKenzie Gore gave up two runs in 5 IP and struck out seven Rangers. Gore has only allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six starts so far this season. (20:00) Tanner Rainey really struggled again as he gave up three runs in the bottom of the 8th. His ERA is at 9.32 and his velocity is noticeably lower than it used to be. As hard as it is to say to this 2019 contributor, will he be DFA'd soon? (25:00) April is over and the Nationals came very close to finishing over .500 as they sit at 14-15. Mark gives his observations from the opening month of the season. (30:00) Owen Ranger, who covers the Harrisburg Senators for "Nats Report", gives an update on the team's prospects in AA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats beat the Marlins 7-2 on Monday night to complete the four game sweep on the road and they are now exactly at .500 for the season. Mark and Al begin with CJ Abrams who slugged his 7th homer of the year, rare territory for this franchise. This leads to a conversation on whether or not a long term extension with the shortstop is in the works. (15:30) The Nats had a trio of doubles and Nick Senzel was one of them as he continued his scorching stretch. He came very close to going deep again and his slugging percentage is at .641. (18:15) Jacob Young had an incredible series as he scored nine runs and stole six bases in Miami. He is the first player to accomplish that feat in over 100 years! (22:45) Jake Irvin earned the win as he pitched six frames and only allowed a pair of runs. This was nice bounce back outing for Irvin after he gave up a dozen hits to the Dodgers last week. (30:30) Washington moves their road trip to Texas as they face the defending World Series champions. A victory on Tuesday would give the Nats their first winning April in the Davey Martinez Era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats beat the Marlins 12-9 on Sunday afternoon after falling behind 6-0 in the 1st inning. Al & Tim recap the big comeback on what is fittingly the ninth anniversary of the famous "Dan Uggla Game", one of the more memorable rallies in team history. It was the Nationals third straight victory and they go for the sweep on Monday night. (05:00) The scoring for Washington began in the 4th and that is when Nick Senzel hit the first of his two homers in the game. Senzel has homered four times in the team's past four games. (08:00) Jacob Young had another excellent game as he had three hits, stole two bases, and scored two runs while playing CF. (16:30) Alex Call had another a very impactful game just one day after getting promoted from Rochester. Call scored three times and had an outfield assist. Hear why Tim refers to him as a "AAAAA Player". (19:30) Patrick Corbin allowed seven runs and saw Miami bat around in the opening inning. Will this be the season that he loses his spot in the rotation? (28:00) Hunter Harvey recorded a five out hold and Kyle Finnegan notched his 9th save of the season. Derek Law struck out three Marlins in two innings of work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats trounced Miami 11-4 on Saturday afternoon for their second consecutive win over the Marlins. Al recaps the easy road victory as the offense totaled 11 hits and slugged a trio of homers. (03:00) Jesse Winker hit a grand slam that gave Washington a 6-1 edge in the middle of the game. He also had an infield single that brought in Jacob Young, who scored four runs on Saturday while also stealing a pair of bases. (11:00) Mitchell Parker had a short outing as he only lasted four frames. He gave up six hits, but only allowed one run that came in on a wild pitch. He threw 82 pitches in the afternoon, which is the most he's thrown yet with the Nationals in three starts. (14:00) The bullpen initially combined for four scoreless frames, but the bottom of the 9th did not go well for Tanner Rainey in mop up duty. He gave up three runs and has struggled mightily this season. (15:30) Joey Gallo was placed on the IL due to a AC sprain in his left shoulder. Alex Call takes his roster spot and it was another time that the franchise decided not to bring up James Wood. (22:00) Tim is joined by the President of "Expos Fest", Perry Giannias for an explanation of what the annual event is as they held it last weekend. Many Expos alumni were in attendance including Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou. Expos Fest supports a wonderful charitable cause and and one can visit exposfest.com to learn more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats beat the Marlins 3-1 on Friday night in Miami to end their three game skid. Al & Mark have another episode of praise for Trevor Williams as he only allowed one run in five innings of work. He has not had a bad outing in his five starts so far this season. (11:40) The bullpen used three pitchers and threw four shutout frames while issuing zero walks. Derek Law did the bulk of the work as he tossed a pair of innings and came away with the win. (15:45) All eight of the Nationals hits were singles and the biggest came from Joey Meneses as his 2 run single in the top of the 8th broke the tie. Meneses has eleven hits in the last week an his average has gone from .192 up to .256. (22:00) Joey Gallo struck out three times and has done so in three consecutive games. He leads MLB in strikeouts and only has three homers on the season. (27:15) Cade Cavalli drove to Miami from his rehab in West Palm and revealed that he is hoping to return to the mound in mid May in the minor leagues. He has been out since Spring Training last year after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats were swept by the visiting Dodgers on Thursday afternoon as they came up on the wrong side of a pitcher's duel. Mark & Al begin with MacKenzie Gore's noble effort in defeat as his only blemish was allowing an early Solo HR. Gore also threw over 100 pitches, a rarity for him thus far. L.A.'s starter however, the highly paid Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed six shutout frames. (12:00) The offense could only muster one run and it came on a Joey Meneses RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Among those struggling at the plate, Joey Gallo is hitting just .129 this season. Eddie Rosario is also well below the "Mendoza Line" so far this year. The good news though is that Meneses had a trio of hits in this game and his first extra base hit since the second game of the season. (19:10) Keibert Ruiz was reinstated from the IL and played for the first time since April 8th. Davey Martinez did praise Riley Adams for how well he played while Ruiz was out of the lineup for an extended time. (25:00) Mark gives an update on Dylan Crews, who has not been in Harrisburg's lineup for over a week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nats were clobbered 11-2 by the visiting Dodgers on Wednesday evening. Mark & Al examine the rough start by Jake Irvin as he allowed a dozen hits and six runs in 4.2 IP. This came a week after he tossed six shutout frames against this same lineup at Dodger Stadium. (11:00) It was another night that needed five bullpen arms and the final two did not perform well. Tanner Rainey and Jacob Barnes combined to give up five runs in the final two innings to put the game completely out of reach. This resurfaces the conversation on the need for a long man in the 'pen. (20:00) Lane Thomas was placed on the 10-day IL with a sprain of the left MCL. His roster replacement was Trey Lipscomb, who was called back up less than ten days after being sent down to AAA. Lipscomb played 1B on Wednesday and that sent Joey Gallo to the outfield. (28:00) The Nationals had very good injury luck last season, but that does not seem to be repeating itself in 2024. We close with a conversation on James Wood and comparing him to the situation with the scuffling Jackson Holliday in Baltimore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 stayed in the game and a few innings he was removed. Thomas will get a MRI on Wednesday morning....... could this lead to James Wood getting called up to fill the likely vacant roster spot? (18:30) The bullpen allowed all four runs in just four innings of work. Five more arms took the mound out of the 'pen in this game, in what seems to be the norm for the team this season. Hunter Harvey ceded a pair of runs and was tagged with the loss. (25:20) Patrick Corbin tossed a scoreless outing in 5.1 and only allowed three hits. (30:00) Mark gives an update on both Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 knocked in two runs. (20:40) Keibert Ruiz will likely make a rehab appearance with AA Harrisburg on Tuesday as he hopes to return soon from an extended absence due to influenza. The last game he appeared in was April 8th in San Francisco. (24:30) A look at the upcoming schedule as the Dodgers come to D.C. on Tuesday. The hosts note how few divisional games are upcoming as they don't face the Braves until late May and no Mets 'til early June. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 performance. (10:30) Jesse Winker tied up the game with a 2 run single in the bottom of the 9th. One of the runners that it brought in was CJ Abrams, who homered in the bottom of the 1st as he returned to the lead-off spot. (15:30) Lane Thomas had a outfield assist to throw out Jose Altuve at home to conclude the top of the 10th. Mark gives a detailed an in person perspective of the crucial defensive play. (18:00) It was another strong outing for Trevor Williams who is sporting an ERA below 3.00 through four starts this season. If you look at the numbers, he has been Washington's best pitcher thus far. Veteran listeners won't be surprised what suggestion Al has for the franchise regarding Williams. (26:00) A round-up of the bullpen from the victory as five arms were utilized. Tanner Rainey threw a scoreless top of the 9th as he pitched for the second straight day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 8th inning following Ildemaro Vargas getting caught stealing. Martinez felt there was obstruction by Houston's Jeremy Pena, but that particular call at 2nd base can not be challenged. This came with CJ Abrams up at the plate and two outs while trailing by three runs. (19:00) Joey Meneses is hitting .182 and only has one extra base hit. Is he in danger of getting sent down? (25:00) This was the beginning of the World Series anniversary weekend and Tim relays his observations of the scene at the stadium. Spotted at the ballpark on Friday night behind home plate were Anibal Sanchez, Kurt Suzuki, and Brian Dozier. (35:00) The Voice of the Harrisburg Senators Terry Byrom gives an update on Dylan Crews and the rest of team in AA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 shutout. Kyle Finnegan notched his 7th save of the season while throwing a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th and he is tied for the MLB lead in the saves category. (14:00) CJ Abrams led the game off with his 5th homer of the season while facing a pitcher making his MLB debut (Landon Lack). More than half of Abrams' hits so far this season are extra base ones ( 10 out of 18). (22:00) The victory gave Davey Martinez his 400th win as Nationals manager. (25:00) Brian Dozier told "The Sports Junkies" on 106.7 The Fan that he believes Stephen Strasburg will be in attendance for this weekend's 5th World Series anniversary festivities. Does Dozier have the scoop or is he mistaken? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Winker's 2 run HR. Winker is currently 3rd in the NL in OPS, only trailing Betts and Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna. He also leads all of MLB in On Base Percentage (.500). Winker has struggled the past few seasons, but in 2021 he hit .305 /w a OPS of .949. (18:45) Joey Meneses was not in the lineup for another day. Meneses has struggled so far this season as he is hitting .204 w/ an OPS of .522. (20:30) Jacob Young started again and stole a base. He is a startling 19 for 19 on stolen bases to begin his career. (27:00) The Nationals announced on Tuesday the members of the 2019 World Series roster who will be part of the festivities at this weekend's 5th Anniversary celebration with the Astros in town. The hosts react to Stephen Strasburg not being listed among the attendees despite his recent official retirement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 pull off the feat in the past 14 years. (09:00) Four bullpen arms were used and no walks were issued. Kyle Finnegan threw a clean bottom of the 9th to notch his 6th save of the season. (14:00) CJ Abrams went deep and he is blossoming into a star. His OPS currently stands at 1.004 and he has nine extra base hits so far this season. (17:30) Luis Garcia Jr. hit a crucial three run HR to extend the Nats lead to 6-2 in the victory. So far this year he is hitting .318 and his strong offensive production has been one of the pleasant 2024 surprises thus far. (23:30) There were a flurry of roster moves before the game and it included the reinstatement of Nick Senzel and Trey Lipscomb being sent down to AAA. Mark points all the factors that led to the roster crunch that resulted in Lipscomb returning to Rochester. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 another game with many bullpen arms used, as the team sent out 13 relievers collectively over the weekend. (12:00) Riley Adams caught every game this series as Keibert Ruiz remains out to illness. This hosts note that it turned out to be a mistake in not keeping Drew Millas on the roster as his replacement Amos Willingham never took the mound. (17:20) The lineup was shuffled and Lane Thomas came through by homering, part of his 3 hits and 3 RBIs on the afternoon while hitting 5th. Jacob Young occupied the lead off spot and delivered with a pair of hits. This leads to Mark giving an update on Victor Robles and hamstring strain. (23:00) Mitchell Parker will make his MLB debut on the mound on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. Parker was a 5th round pick from the 2020 Draft. He has made one start this year for Rochester and was promoted to AAA in mid September in last season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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' performance. The triple scored Jacob Young and Mark points out how just how lighting quick both of them are when running the bases. (13:40) Luis Garcia Jr. also had two hits, one of which was a RBI double to give Washington a 2-0 lead and also flashed leather in the bottom of the 9th. Garcia is hitting .333 so far on the young season and it is to his benefit as Nick Senzel might return to the roster in the near future. (16:05) Riley Adams had the rare assignment of catching a day game after a night affair as Keibert Ruiz remains out of the lineup due to illness. If Ruiz is sick, why is he in the clubhouse and dugout around the team as opposed to his hotel room? (21:00) Five relievers combined to give up just one run in four frames and they totaled seven strikeouts. Robert Garcia led the way with a trio of Ks in one inning of work. (25:30) Who will start on Monday night at Dodger Stadium in place of Josiah Gray? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. (08:00) Jesse Winker went 4 for 4 and was the lone source of offense as he clubbed a solo homer to tie up the game in the top of the 9th. Winker was signed to a minor league deal, but so far has been the team's best outfielder. (15:00) Trey Lipscomb made a base running error to begin the top of the 10th thus nullifying the ghost runner. (21:30) Keibert Ruiz missed another game due to illness (flu like symptoms) as Riley Adams starting behind the plate on Friday night. Drew Millas was called up on for Wednesday in San Francisco, but was sent back down afterwards because it was originally thought that Ruiz would be ready for the opener in Oakland. (24:00) Prior to the game Davey Martinez gave an update on Josiah Gray, that he has full range of motion and will start rehabbing soon. Mark adds who who might possibly take Gray's spot in the rotation when the Nationals play at Dodger Stadium in a few days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Millas stepped in for Keibert Ruiz who wasn't feel well, but immediately was sent back down to the minors after the game. Since Adon is not with the Nats, who will take that rotation spot on this road trip? (13:00) Patrick Corbin took the loss as he allowed seven runs off 11 hits. Corbin's ERA after three outings is 8.44. (20:00) A discussion on how the bullpen hierarchy is shaping up through a dozen games. (24:00) As the Orioles have called up heralded prospect Jackson Holliday, will James Wood get promoted to Washington in the near future? We do the best we can to explain the complicated wrinkles involved in the decision and a summation of the Player Prospect Incentive (PPI). (30:20) Yohandy "Yo Yo" Morales has moved into the top 10 rankings on MLB Pipeline. Morales is an infielder who currently is at AA-Harrisburg and was drafted in the 2nd round last summer out of the University of Miami (FL). Due to Brady House at 3B, Morales very well could end up playing 1B for the franchise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices