Nats Chat

The Nats lost 8-3 to the visiting Cubs on Tuesday evening to open their six game home stand. Al & Tim start with Trevor Williams; who was taken out in the pivotal top of the 5th and was charged with five runs allowed.  Williams threw a shutout last week, but this outing was in line with his season that sports a 6.03 ERA in a dozen starts.(07:30) Five bullpen arms were needed and the first one used struggled the most.  Andrew Chafin relieved Williams in the 5th and walked two of the three hitters he faced.  Jackson Rutledge interestingly was used in the top of the 9th in mop-up duty.(11:45) The offense scored three runs right away, but did nothing in the final six frames.  Luis Garcia Jr. had a trio of hits and had a RBI single in the bottom of the 1st.(15:30) Jose Teña did not properly handle a grounder in the top of the 4th and it led to a big inning for Chicago to tie the game.(19:00) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Wednesday vs. the Cubs.  Gore is tied with Boston's Garrett Crochet for the most strikeouts at 101.(23:25) ESPN's Jeff Passan handicapped every team and where they fit into the eventual Trade Deadline.  Al & Tim respond to what he wrote about Kyle Finnegan and the Nats organization. 

The Nats four game win streak was snapped in Sunday afternoon's 3-1 loss in Arizona.  Mark (From Phoenix) & Al open with DBacks Ace Corbin Burnes leaving the game in the top of the 5th due to a potential elbow injury.  Burnes will have a MRI on Monday just a few minths after signing a 6-year/ $210M deal.(07:30) James Wood was hitless, but both team doubles came from the new guys in Robert Hassell III & Daylen Lile.  Nathaniel Lowe's RBI single in the 5th was the only source of offense.(09:30) Mitchell Parker struggled yet again the bottom of the 1st and all three Arizona runs came in that frame.  Should the team experiment going with an Opener in future Parker starts to try and right the ship? Parker's ERA in the 1st inning is astonishingly over 10.50 this season and roughly 3.50 in all other innings.  (19:45) The three relievers used combined for three scoreless frames. Eduardo Salazar escaped a jam in the bottom of the 6th his first appearance since he replaced Jorge Lopez on the roster.(22:00) The Cubs come to D.C. on Tuesday and are tied for the best record in the NL.  The hosts note that Chicago is far ahead of Washington despite the two franchises beginning their rebuilds at the exact same time in the summer of 2021.(25:05) If the Nats are in the Wild Card hunt ahead of the Trade Deadline, will they be buyers? The Deadline this season is on Thursday July 31st at 6PM. 

The Nats won their fourth straight on Saturday night by defeating Arizona 11-7. Mark (From Phoenix) & Al marvel over the team's 10-run opening inning that set a tone for the entire evening.  No homers were hit and the first 11 batters safely reached base.(9:40) James Wood's biggest impact came defensively as he nailed a runner out at the plate to stymie a Dbacks rally in the bottom of the 8th.(11:30) Are the Nationals a good offensive team?(15:45) Jackson Rutledge really struggled as the first pitcher to relieve Michael Soroka.  Rutledge gave up three runs in the bottom of the 6th that cut the lead to four runs.(19:00) Jorge Lopez was DFA'd prior to the game and is the third veteran reliever that was signed in the off-season to have already been let go.  Davey Martinez said before the game that Washington "was not the right fit" for Lopez.(28:05) A shoutout that leads to an extended conversation about the future contractual situations of young stars like James Wood. 

The Nats beat the Diamondbacks 9-7 on Friday for their 3rd straight victory.  Mark (From Phoenix) & Al gather early in the morning after Washington moves past Atlanta for 3rd place in the NL East.(05:30) James Wood slugged his 16th homer of the season and it is the 3rd time he has left the yard on this road trip.  The last time someone in the franchise hit 30+ homers was Juan Soto in 2019.(08:30) Josh Bell crushed a homer for the 3rd straight evening and is beginning to turn his season around. His shot went 430 feet; above the pool at Chase Field.(10:45) Robert Hassell III collected a pair of hits and made an impressive throw to the plate to nail Eugenio Suarez. "Bobby Barrels" already has three multi-hit games since making his debut on May 22nd.(18:00) There multiple instances of great defensive play, including a crucial leaping catch at the wall by Daylen Lile to keep the game tied in the bottom of the 3rd.  Luis Garcia Jr. also turned a nifty 4-3 Double Play to help Brad Lord get out of a jam.(22:10) Kyle Finnegan notched his 16th save of the season; which is 3rd most in all of MLB.(23:40) Jake Irvin really struggled and allowed four runs in the 1st inning.  His season has taken on a seesaw approach, but his ERA is still under 4.00 at 3.93.(28:30) The Nats are 14-12 in May and this is the first month that they will be over .500 since August 2023. 

The Nats took the series in Seattle by scoring seven runs in the top of the 10th for a 9-3 victory.  Mark (From T-Mobile Park) & Al discuss the Nationals eighth victory in their past eleven games. They are just a half game back of the Braves for 3rd place in the NL East.(05:20) Luis Garcia Jr. had four hits that included a 2-run extra inning double to give Washington breathing room.(07:00) Josh Bell homered for the second straight game; his 8th of the season.  Bell's 3-run shot firmly put the game out of reach and gave the Nats a seven run lead.(10:00) James Wood didn't go deep, but did begin the scoring with a 2-run double in the top of the 6th.  The Mariners brought in their lone lefty to face Wood and he still managed to come through with a big hit.(17:30) MacKenzie Gore struck out eight hitters in six innings of work on 95 pitches. Gore now has 101Ks on the season to lead Baseball; seven ahead of Zack Wheeler.(23:10) Four relievers were needed and it was a big evening for Jose A. Ferrar, who retired all five batters he faced. Kyle Finnegan pitched the bottom of the 10th, his first action in a week due to shoulder fatigue.(27:15) An extended conversation on Keibert Ruiz's defensive struggles behind the plate. 

The Nats crushed the Mariners 9-0 on Wednesday night on an evening where they hit four homers.  Mark (From Seattle) & Al note how the team continued its pattern of the early innings dictating the rest of the way as they hit Back to Back home runs in the top of the 2nd.(06:00) James Wood hit a moonshot for his 15th homer of the season. Wood's OPS is at .949 and is the 5th highest in the NL.(12:10) Robert Hassell III hit his 1st career Big League homer.  Hassell had a big evening as he collected a trio of hits in the victory.(14:45) Josh Bell also homered and had three hits in the victory.  There is added pressure on Bell as Andres Chaparro has been activated in AAA.(20:30) The embattled Trevor Williams had a great outing as he tossed six scoreless frames on just 76 pitches. It was good timing for Williams as Cade Cavalli pitched well in AAA on Wednesday afternoon.(28:00) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Thursday night in the rubber match.  Gore leads all of MLB with 93 strikeouts so far this season; one ahead of Detroit's Tarik Skubal. 

The Nats were routed 9-1 in Seattle on Tuesday to begin their six game road trip. Mark (From T-Mobile Park) & Al convene after the Nationals fell to 24-30; putting them on pace for just 72 wins this season. Mariners starter Logan Evans cruised through the lineup as he only needed 88 pitches to last eight innings. (09:15) James Wood clubbed his 14th homer of the season and was the only source of offense for the team. However, Wood struck out three times and the hosts explore why he tallies so many Ks. (16:10) Mitchell Parker struggled again on the mound and gave up a trio of homers. Parker's troubles began right away as he gave up Back to Back HRs in the bottom of the 1st, continuing his recent trend of not pitching well in the opening inning. (25:15) Extended discussion of Ken Rosenthal's scathing piece of the Nationals rebuild woes in The Athletic. (39:30) Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Rochester Red Wings, swings by for his weekly AAA update. Hear his latest on Cade Cavalli, Yohandy Morales, Brady House, and more.

The Nats fell 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to the visiting Giants. Al begins with the sluggish offensive performance, that was punctuated by the curious decision to pinch-hit Josh Bell for Amed Rosario in the bottom of the 9th.  James Wood had a RBI double, but the bats only collected five hits in total.(07:30) Alex Call and Robert Hassell III each had disappointing outfield defense in the pivotal top of the 3rd.  Most notably, Call lost a fly ball in the sun at the wall that turned into a Sam Huff homer instead of an out.(12:15) Michael Soroka had a solid outing, but still was tagged with the loss. His six innings of work is the most he has pitched in five starts this season.(15:00) Al answers a listener email.  Feel free to send your thoughts to natschatpodcast@gmail.com. 

The Nats shutout the Giants on Saturday afternoon 3-0 for their seventh win in the past nine games.  Mark & Al have plenty of praise for Jake Irvin, who tossed eight scoreless innings and tied a career high with seven strikeouts. Irvin's ERA is down to 3.42 and his WHIP is an impressive 1.10.(10:45) Jorge Lopez surprisingly pitched the 9th instead of closer Kyle Finnegan.  Mark explains what is going on with Finnegan and why he did not enter the game on Saturday.(16:35) James Wood hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 1st for an early lead.  Wood has homered in seven of the eleven games in which he has been the DH.(21:00) The final out came on a diving catch by Daylen Lile in RF.  Lile started for the second straight day and had a single in the win.(24:00) The team is playing better,  but still remains four games below .500.  The hosts close the show by looking at the organization's big picture as we are almost one-third of the way through the season. 

The Nats five game win streak was snapped in Friday night's 4-0 loss to the visiting Giants. Mark & Al focus on MacKenzie Gore's status as he exited in the middle of an at- bat in the top of the 7th. Davey Martinez said afterwards that Gore is fine and it simply was a "Charley Horse" from a comebacker that Gore fielded in the bottom of the 2nd.(07:00) Gore struck out nine Giants to extend his MLB lead to 93Ks on the season.  The only run charged to the lefty was the leadoff batter in the top of the 7th, who came across the plate after Gore had left the mound. Gore was much more pitch efficient on Friday night as he was at 83 pitches through six innings of work.(13:35) Daylen Lile singled on the first pitch he saw as he hit 9th and played RF in his MLB debut.  Lile was called up from Rochester due Jacob Young being placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained left shoulder. Lile spent April in AA-Harrisburg and immediately made an impact when given the opportunity in AAA.(23:10) The offense could not get anything going as CJ Abrams & James Wood combined for an 0 for 8 effort. Luis Garcia Jr. was the only Nat to collect two hits against San Francisco's Landon Roupp and crew.(25:40) Four relievers were needed and none excelled. Zach Brzykcy allowed a pair of runs in an inning of work and his ERA is up to 11.12 in seven Big League appearances. 

The Nats won their 5th straight on Thursday night as they outlasted the Braves 8-7 in extra innings. Mark & Al focus on the completely flipped script for the Nationals in the past week; as they recently had lost seven games in a row.  Amed Rosario was the 10th inning hero as his pinch-hit RBI single ended the affair.(07:20) Robert Hassell III had quite the MLB debut as he singled in his first at bat, stole a base, collected two hits, and scored the winning run on Rosario's RBI single. Hassell got the nod in CF and hit 7th in the lineup.(10:00) Dylan Crews is on the IL due to an oblique injury; not a back issue. Jacob Young did not play on Thursday and it is unclear if too might be headed to the IL as he has not played since crashing into the Camden Yards wall on Saturday.(16:00) James Wood' big game was overshadowed, but nonetheless impressive as he reached base four times. Wood' big hit of the night came in the bottom of the 2nd on his 3-run double to take a 5-2 lead.(17:10) Keibert Ruiz had a big eveningin front of his parents, who saw him play in person for the first time in his professional career.  Ruiz's family traveled to D.C. from his native Venezuela for the occasion.(20:00) The bullpen mostly came through in their heavy workload on Thursday night. Six relievers were needed to toss over six frames and only allowed two runs in the process. Kyle Finnegan though did blow the save in the top of the 9th, but in his defense Jose Tena committed a crucial error to extend the game.(28:10) Trevor Williams had another poor start as he was yanked in the 4th inning. Williams was charged with five runs allowed and his ERA is now up to 6.39.  Will he get moved out of the starting rotation?

Tim gives a quick update on what you need to know as the Nats & Braves game was officially postponed at about 5PM on Wednesday.

The Nats won their 4th straight on Tuesday night as they topped the visiting Braves 5-3. Al & Mark have a lot to get to as Dylan Crews homered in the victory, but was removed mid-game because of a back issue, and that means Robert Hassell III is getting called up from AAA-Rochester. Hassell is one of the pieces from the 2022 Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres.(05:50) Jacob Young did not play for a second straight game due to crashing his shoulder into the Camden Yards' wall on Saturday. It is unclear if Young or Crews will be headed to the IL, and that likely will be decided after Crews' MRI on Wednesday morning.(10:00) Hassell's OPS is at .742 this season with four homers. He had a pair of doubles on Tuesday night in Syracuse prior to getting informed that he is headed to Washington.(14:30) The Nats offense continued their recent string of hot starts by scoring three runs right away against Atlanta's Spencer Strider.  They totaled eight hits in the win, but also had multiple terrible base running mistakes.(18:10) Mitchell Parker's outing was marred by a bad top of the 2nd where he gave up all three of his runs.  It was the 5th consecutive Parker start that was not classified as "good".(20:15) The bullpen teamed up for nearly four scoreless innings.  Kyle Finnegan punctuated the effort with a clean 1-2-3 inning for his 15th save of the year, which leads all of MLB.(26:10) Per the Washington Post, the team's Chief Revenue Officer and the Chief Marketing Officer left their positions earlier this month.  What does that mean in the bigger picture or isolated personnel moves?

The Nats continued to hammer Orioles pitching in their 10-4 win on Sunday afternoon. Mark (From Camden Yards) & Al discuss the Nationals first series sweep since mid July last season.  Washington also dominated the Battle of the Beltways this year by winning five of the six meetings.(03:30) The offense combined for five homers on Sunday and the team now has 50 home runs in 48 games this season.  CJ Abrams went deep in both the 1st & 2nd innings to lift his OPS this season to an impressive .942.(08:00) The other homers came from Dylan Crews, Luis Garcia Jr., and Josh Bell.  The team's increase in power this season leads to the hosts evaluating the hitting coach Darnell Coles, who is in the 4th season with the organization.(14:05) Michael Soroka earned the win after 5.2 IP and allowing three runs in the process. It is Soroka's first recorded victory since July 21st, 2023 while pitching for the Braves.(19:10) Brad Lord only lasted an inning in relief of Soroka despite inheriting a big lead. Al points out that not only is Lord a reliever instead of a starter right now, he isn't being utilized that often for long relief.(26:15) Washington has a well deserved day off on Monday before opening a three game series in Navy Yard vs. the Braves on Tuesday.  Thursday is a pitching matchup worth circling as Chris Sale takes on fellow lefty MacKenzie Gore.

The Nats immediately jumped out to a 6-0 edge on their way to Saturday's 10-6 victory at Camden Yards. Mark (From Baltimore) & Al convene after the Nationals third win in the past four days and their 2nd in a row at the Orioles. (04:30) Jacob Young crashed into the wall in the 7th and exited the game. X-rays were negative and it seems like no major injury was incurred. (08:00) Washington dominated Kyle Gibson in the opening inning by batting around and scoring six runs. The first out did not come until the 7th hitter and Young concluded the hit parade with a RBI triple. (12:20) Keibert Ruiz had a pair of hits, including a RBI double. Ruiz's OPS is .700 and is playing better defense than last season. (15:45) Despite entering the bottom of the 9th with a 10-2 lead, Kyle Finnegan had to warm up while Zach Brzykcy mightily struggled to get the final three outs. (18:15) Update on Derek Law, who has been on the IL all season due to right forearm inflammation. (22:00) Jake Irvin gave up five hits and allowed two runs in just over six innings of work. Irvin's ERA currently sits at 3.88, but Al notes the continuing trend of his declining velocity. (26:30) Brandon Hyde was fired as Orioles Manager on Saturday morning as they are in last place. Hyde & Davey Martinez worked together for years in Chicago, including when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series. Hyde took over in Baltimore; one season after Martinez came to D.C.

For the second time in three days, the Nats rallied late for a comeback win. Mark (From Baltimore) & Al gather after the Nationals 5-4 victory at Camden Yards to open the weekend series. (05:45) James Wood tied the game twice and the first came following a curious decision by Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde to pitch to Wood with a base open in the top of the 6th. Wood went deep in the top of the 8th for his 12th home run of the season. Nathaniel Lowe also homered in the affair in the the top of the 2nd. (08:00) Nasim Nuñez had by far the best game of his Big League career. Nuñez most importantly beat out an infield single for the go-ahead run in the 9th, but also flashed some leather in the outfield of all places. The only reason that Nuñez started was due to a fluky injury on Thursday night by Amed Rosario in his hotel room as he suffered a laceration. (16:00) A bizarre outing for MacKenzie Gore as he recorded nine strikeouts, but gave up ten hits on over 100 pitches in less than four innings of work. Hear Mark explain why this is one of the strangest starts he has ever seen. (22:30) A good night for the bullpen as they teamed up to only allow one run in over five innings of work. Jorge Lopez earned his 6th win of the season, which in a major statistical oddity has him tied for the most wins this season in all of MLB.

The Nats lost 5-2 in the Atlanta series finale on Thursday afternoon. Al Galdi hosts solo and begins with a wide angle lens look at CJ Abrams' future, as it is growing more appropriate to talk about Washington signing him to an extension ahead of his Free Agency after the 2028 season.  Abrams homered in the 8th inning, his second dinger this week, and his average currently sits at .317.(11:35) Trevor Williams only lasted 4.1 IP and fell apart once he faced the Braves lineup for a 3rd time.  Williams' ERA is now up to 5.91 and it is fair to wonder if he should flip places with Brad Lord in the bullpen.(14:40) Davey Martinez explains why Jose Tena got the start at 3B while Amed Rosario was at 2B.  Luis Garcia Jr. has been out all week after just having a child.(18:00) Al reads an email from an exasperated fan, who is asking for a purge of veterans that are not playing well.(23:00) Jim Callis, senior writer MLB Pipeline, gives Nats Chat an exclusive look at who the Nationals might pick at #1 overall in July's Draft. **** (This is a replay from earlier this month)

The Nats were on their way to another loss, but rallied for a 5-4 victory on Wednesday night in Atlanta. Al & Mark hop on after the losing streak ends at seven games; their longest of the season.(04:00) Offensive contributions came from the youthful trio of CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Dylan Crews.  Wood's RBI double in the top of the 8th gave Washington the lead for good. Abrams had a pair of hits and is hitting .311 so far on the season.(11:30) Jose Tena got another start at 2B while Luis Garcia Jr. is on Paternity Leave.  Tena was then moved to 3B late in the game when Nasim Nunez took over at 2B.(16:45) Mitchell Parker started off well, but ultimately gave up four runs in 4.2 IP. Parker was removed from the game after taking a come backer in the knee and was relieved by Jackson Rutledge.(23:50) Brady House & Robert Hasell III both homered on Wednesday night in AAA Rochester.  It is time to keep House on your radar as there is a decent chance that he is called up by next month.(30:00) Mark reacts to Tuesday's breaking news that Pete Rose and others have been removed from the Permanent Ineligible List.  Mark gives insight to what the upcoming process will be for Rose to determine whether or not he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

The Nats lost 5-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday night for their 7th consecutive defeat. Al & Tim run through the rotten state of affairs and wonder if any big changes are on the horizon as Washington is now nine games below .500 (17-26) through 43 games.(09:30) CJ Abrams homered on the first pitch of the game, his 5th of the season, and his OPS is up to .880.(10:45) Dylan Crews struck out to end the game on a questionable call. Crews' struggles at the plate are continuing as his batting average currently sits at .181.(17:30) Michael Soroka only lasted four innings on 81 pitches. Brad Lord relieved him and didn't do well as he allowed the Braves to take the lead for good, but also did not get much help from the defense behind him.(22:05) Cole Henry tossed a scoreless inning and has not given up a run in the month of May.  Henry only has one bad outing this season, when he gave up 5 runs in the series finale vs. the Mets in late April.(28:00) Pete Rose was removed from MLB's Permanently Ineligible list by Commissioner Rob Manfred and this could lead to him eventually getting into Cooperstown.(34:00) The weekly AAA report from Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Rochester Red Wings.

The Nats rallied in the top of the 9th, but couldn't make it to extras in Monday night's 4-3 loss in Atlanta.  Mark & Al dig into the decision to not use Kyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 9th, where it was tied 3-3. Jackson Rutledge initially stayed in the game, but then was relieved by Andrew Chafin as opposed to Finnegan.  The All-Star closer has not pitched since Game 1 of last Tuesday's doubleheader.(15:30) Jake Irvin gave up three runs off of seven hits in six innings of work.  Al points out the troubling trend regarding Irvin's strikeouts, as he only had one on Monday night.(20:35) James Wood chopped his 1th homer of the season, but it was another quiet day at the plate for his teammates.  Washington went 0 for 7 with RISP and struggled against Braves starter Grant Holmes.(27:10) The six game losing streak is now the longest in MLB and it seems that they are playing form behind every game. Michael Soroka takes the mound against his original team on Tuesday night.

The Nats were swept by the Cardinals on Mother's Day Sunday as they lost the series finale 6-1. Mark & Al address the growing elephant in the clubhouse after the 5th straight loss: Is the seat getting hotter for Manager Davey Martinez?(12:05) Nathaniel Lowe's solo homer was the only source of offense in defeat.  The bats were so quiet this weekend, that the only other Washington runs scored in the entire series were off of Dylan Crews' 2-run HR on Saturday. Hear Mark point out how much better Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas is against the Nationals than he is against most other opponents in the past few seasons.(17:30) Dylan Crews made a beautiful diving back-handed catch in the top of the 9th and it is an example of his great outfield defense since getting called up.(23:10) MacKenzie Gore gave up a 1st inning homer and four runs overall in just shy of seven innings of work.  Gore's exit was a tad curious as it seemed like he asked out of the game with two outs and about to face the 9th hitter.(31:00) Jarlin Susana, the highly rated AA pitcher , has been placed on the 7-day IL due to a Grade 1 UCL sprain. Susana was part of the trade package in the 2022 Juan Soto trade to the Padres.(35:00) Cade Cavalli has been optioned to AAA and was pulled in the 3rd inning on Saturday.  Mark explains the ramifications of Cavalli's roster status and most importantly when he might take the mound for the Nationals this year. 

The Nats rallied late with the bases loaded, but a CJ Abrams pop up resulted in a 4-2 loss on Saturday afternoon to the Cardinals. Al discusses the 4th consecutive defeat for Washington just after winning three in a row earlier in the week.(04:20) Davey Martinez was critical of the team after the game for issuing too many walks and conversely not drawing enough of them. Abrams swung on the first pitch against embattled St Louis closer Ryan Helsley with bases jammed in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and down two runs.(09:00) Dylan Crews slugged his 5th homer of the season to put the Nationals on the board in the bottom of the 8th.  His OPS currently sits at .571.(11:30) Trevor Williams gave up all four runs in the top of the 2nd.  Williams is currently staying in the rotation as Brad Lord is being moved back to the bullpen.(15:00) The 'pen was unscathed in three innings of work and Al highlights how well Cole Henry has mostly been performing.(16:30) Al reads some of the plethora of emails we received for feedback on the new MASN+ streaming app.(22:15) A special interview with Perry Giannis, President of Expos Fest, an annual gala in Quebec, that is to support a great cause.  Perry tells Tim why he thinks there needs to be more momentum for Felipe Alou to get inducted into the HOF and why Jose Vidro's number was retired at the event.

Erick Fedde, a former 1st Round pick for the Nats in 2014, shutout his old club on Friday night in D.C in the Cardinals 10-0 victory. Mark & Al evaluate Fedde's masterpiece, where he only gave up six hits on 109 pitches. This is the second time Fedde dominated his original team as he did so last May in a seven inning effort for the White Sox. (12:05) While we are here, Patrick Corbin threw a good outing on Friday night for Texas. Corbin has a ERA of 3.13 for the Rangers this season and Mark tries to lend an explanation for the better numbers this season. (17:30) Mitchell Parker had a third consecutive poor start as only has lasted four innings. Parker had immediate trouble as he walked the first two St. Luis batters he faced and both came across to score that frame. (26:40) The relief pitching struggled again and after the game Lucas Sims was released. Sims only recorded two outs in the top of the 8th and issued four walks that led to three Cardinal runs. He leaves his brief time with the organization with a 13.86 ERA.

The Nats led 3-0 entering the top of the 6th, but in less than a half hour they yielded eight Guardian runs on their way to an 8-6 loss. Mark & Al evaluate Michael Soroka, who initially seemed to have an excellent outing coming off the IL, but his scoreless effort turned into being tagged with four Cleveland runs. Soroka took the mound in the 6th after needing only 67 pitches prior to that frame. (9:25) Jorge Lopez & Andrew Chafin each struggled mightily in the nightmare inning, including a run scoring wild pitch. The low key positive came from Cole Henry, who tossed three scoreless innings to keep the game in striking distance. (13:30) The offense scored six runs off of 13 hits, but Davey Martinez was critical of their 4 for 19 effort with RISP in his postgame press conference. (23:00) What is swirling in GM Mike Rizzo's head regarding the state of the bullpen? (31:30) Washington hosts St. Louis & Erick Fedde on Friday night. Fedde has made seven starts this season and is sporting a 4.78 ERA.

The Nats opened the doubleheader vs. Cleveland with their 3rd straight win, but that momentum was halted just a few hours later. Mark & Al reluctantly begin again with the bullpen, who overall had an awful Tuesday at the ballpark.  They inherited a 6-2 lead in Game 1, but the Guardians immediately scored six runs in the top of the 7th.  The offense bailed them out and then Kyle Finnegan notched his 100th career save.(7:10) The Nationals were trailing when Brad Lord departed Game 2, but the 'pen still managed to give up five runs in only three innings of work. Lucas Sims allowed three runs and his ERA is now up to 12.34.(14:30) Jake Irvin continued his season long trend of having his roughest inning in the top of the 1st. Irvin was pulled in the 6th and Al offers a suggestion of how the organization should consider handling his future starts.(17:30) Lord had a good outing, but all signs are pointing to him moving back to the bullpen once Michael Soroka returns from the IL on Wednesday.  Lord began the season as a reliever before he was thrust into the rotation due to surrounding injuries.(27:00) The offense came through with ten hits in the Game 1 victory.  James Wood went deep with a 2-run shot for his 10th homer of the year.  Dylan Crews had a RBI double to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th; shortly after the bullpen coughed up the lead.(29:30) The bats were quiet in Game 2, Riley Adams solo HR was the only source of scoring.  Josh Bell returned to the lineup after missing three straight games and went hitless in the cleanup spot.  The bright spot came from CJ Abrams as he drew a trio of walks in the leadoff spot. Abrams has played at a level where he might return to the All-Star Game this summer.(36:40) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives Nats Chat an exclusive report on what is happening at AAA.

The Nats and Guardians were rained out on Monday and will play a traditional doubleheader on Tuesday starting at 3:35PM.

The Nats won their first road series of the season after a 4-1 victory over the Reds on Sunday afternoon. Mark (From Cincinnati) & Al note the bullpen having a solid weekend and instilling a bit more confidence as of late.(04:40) MacKenzie Gore extended his MLB lead for strikeouts this season by whiffing nine Reds in the series finale.  Gore fought through muddy conditions to make it through the bottom of the 5th as the rain intensified in what was his last inning of work.(13:00) Three Nationals relievers combined for four scoreless frames after Gore departed. Jorge Lopez tossed two innings on his way to earning the win.  Lopez has five consecutive scoreless appearance and all of them have come in high leverage situations.(16:10) Luis Garcia Jr. hit the go ahead solo homer to give Washington a 2-1 lead in the top of the 7th.  Garcia hit two homers on the road trip and his OPS this season is at .642.(20:00) The Nats begin a three game series vs. Cleveland on Monday night in Navy Yard.  There is some mystery as to who will start on Wednesday afternoon as it could either be Trevor Williams or Michael Soroka.  Brad Lord is slated to start the middle game on Tuesday evening.  (26:30) Jim Callis from MLB Pipeline previews the options for the Nationals this summer when they select the top pick in the Draft on July 13th. 

The Nats totaled 15 hits on their way to an 11-6 triumph at the Reds on Saturday evening.  Mark (From Cincinnati) & Al note Amed Rosario's biggest game yet since joining the team as he had four hits and a 3-run homer in the 6th to put Washington ahead for good.(07:00) Riley Adams had a big game with both the bat and his arm. Adams came through with a late 2-run single and threw out a pair of base stealers. Adams only has 22 at bats so far this season in the backup catcher role.(11:15) Trevor Williams had another rocky outing as he gave up four runs off of nine hits in just over five frames. Williams' ERA is up to 5.86 and his spot in the rotation is under closer scrutiny as Michael Soroka is poised to return soon from the IL.(16:20) Andrew Chafin excelled in his organizational debut as he recorded two strikeouts in relief of Williams to keep the 7-4 lead in tact through six innings. Mark relays his colorful impression of the veteran lefty who is full of personality.(23:00) MacKenzie Gore takes the mound on Sunday in the series rubber match.  Gore currently leads all of MLB w/ 59 strikeouts this season in seven starts. 

The Nats fell 6-1 in Cincinnati on Friday evening to open the three game set. Mark (From Cincy) & Al discuss Mitchell Parker's second consecutive poor outing as he allowed five runs off of four walks in only four innings on the mound. Parker this past week has been struggling with control and looks like a different pitcher than the one that began the season. (06:40) Michael Soroka struck out 11 Iron Pigs in only five innings of work in his AAA rehab outing in Rochester. He is expected to return to the big league rotation in the near future. (9:45) Jackson Rutledge tossed a scoreless bottom of the 8th and quietly is sporting a 2.38 ERA. Will he start to pitch in more high leverage situations moving forward? (13:10) Reds hurler Hunter Greene dominated Washington as he collected a dozen strikeouts in only six innings of work. Greene now has 55Ks this season, 3rd most in the majors, trailing league leader MacKenzie Gore by four strikeouts. (16:30) Josh Bell homered and the exited the game early due to tweaking his hamstring. (19:40) Trevor Williams is slated to start on Saturday, but there is heavy rain in the Cincinnati forecast.

The Nats snapped their three game skid with a 4-2 victory on Thursday night at the Phillies.  Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al open with the eventful top of the 6th where Washington scored all of their runs.  Luis Garcia Jr. not only had a RBI single, but also stole home on a double steal for the final insurance run.(08:10) Keibert Ruiz knocked in Nathaniel Lowe on what was ruled a three base error by Bryce Harper, but should it have been scored as a triple?(12:45) Brad Lord lasted five innings and recorded his first Big League "W". The timing is rather interesting as his rotation spot is at stake if Michael Soroka returns from the IL in the near future.(18:45) The bullpen came through for Lord as three relievers combined for four scoreless frames.  Jose A. Ferrer tossed two innings, Jorge Lopez pitched the 8th, and Kyle Finnegan bounced back with his 10th save of the season, the 2nd most in the NL.(25:00) The Nationals made their first bullpen transaction post Opening Day as they signed veteran Andrew Chafin and DFA'd Colin Poche. Chafin has been in the majors since 2014 and has a career ERA of 3.42. The lefty pitched well for AAA-Toledo last month before signing a major league deal with the Nats.(30:00) The road trip moves this weekend to Cincinnati for a three game set.  Mitchell Parker will start the opener on Friday night vs. Hunter Greene.   The Reds are 17-15 overall and are in 2nd place in their division. 

The Nats lost 7-2 on Wednesday night for their 3rd straight defeat. Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al begin with an update on James Frisbie, one of the Nationals batting practice pitchers, who collapsed on the field at the beginning of the day's workouts.  He received immediate medical attention and is apparently "feeling better".(04:30) A look at the Nats in April as they end the opening month at 13-18 overall.(06:45) Jake Irvin gave up a pair of homers, including a 3-run shot in the bottom of the 1st to Kyle Schwarber.  Irvin has allowed eight homers so far on the season in seven starts and has shown signs of diminishing velocity.(15:45) Josh Bell went 0 for 4 and struck out three times on Wednesday.  His OPS is now down to .503 and the hosts evaluate what to do regarding Bell's struggles at the plate.(24:00) Nathaniel Lowe had a RBI double hitting out of the cleanup spot. Lowe has likely been the team's 2nd best hitter so far and his OPS sits at .762.

The Nats lost a heartbreaker in Philadelphia as what briefly looked like a thrilling comeback victory turned into a 7-6 walk-off loss. Mark (From Citizens Bank Park) & Al start with the seesaw 9th inning that was initially a 5-2 Phillies lead at the start of the frame.(12:45) Discussion on how this ballpark has an aptitude of quirky games due to its odd dimensions.(16:30) MacKenzie Gore gave up a pair of homers and struck out six in his outing. Gore returns to the MLB lead for strikeouts this season just ahead of Zack Wheeler, his foil on Tuesday night.(19:30) The offense scored two off of Wheeler and came through with six extra base hits on the evening.  The highlight came in the four run top of the 9th when Nathaniel Lowe hit a go-ahead 3 run homer for a brief 6-5 edge.(22:45) Mark points out that Washington had the bases loaded in four separate at bats and struck out every time.(28:40) A special report on Cade Cavalli's short rehab outing in AAA, from Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Rochester Red Wings. 

Monday was an ugly one in Navy Yard as the Mets routed the Nats 19-5 to split the series.  Trevor Williams allowed five runs in just over five innings of work, but the bullpen really imploded in the loss.  The 'pen then combined to give up 14 runs in less than four innings on the mound. Cole Henry especially had a rough afternoon, as New York plated five runs off of him in the top of the 7th.(13:30) The offense only scored in the bottom of the 8th in this one.  Among the scoring was James Wood's 9th homer of the season, putting him just one back of the MLB lead.  Nathaniel Lowe also went deep and this leads to a discussion about the trade that brought him over to Washington this offseason.(22:45) Al & Tim look at the recent emergence of MASN+, the new direct to consumer streaming option of Nationals & Orioles baseball.  What does this mean for the team's broadcast rights long terms?

The Nats had their second walk-off win of the weekend as they overcame a six run deficit on Sunday afternoon for a thrilling 8-7 victory over the NL East leading Mets.  Riley Adams hit a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 7th to put Washington just one run back.  The offense then ncame through with two runs in the 9th and yet again it was CJ Abrams coming across for the winning run.(11:30) Dylan Crews began the team's scoring with a solo homer to continue his hot stretch. Crews has six hits in the past three games and has gotten a hit almost everyday since April 15th.(16:00) The much maligned bullpen kept its momentum as of late alive.  The 'pen combined for four innings of scoreless work, including a clean inning by the lefty Colin Poche.(19:30) Mitchell Parker had a disastrous first inning as he allowed five runs and saw the Mets bat around.  As bad as his start was, he was able to settle down and fight his way to complete five innings and save the bullpen for a few frames.(25:00) Evaluating where the Nationals are at after this recent stretch. 

The Nats were blanked 2-0 by the Mets on Saturday afternoon in D.C. Al & Mark evaluate the wasted opportunity as their solid pitching performance did not get any help from the offense. The bats produced only singles in their seven hits in defeat. (05:45) Jose Tena singled but most importantly had another good day at 3B in the field. Tena has been filling in at the hot corner due to Paul DeJong's trip to the IL and has markedly improved on defense since last season. (09:35) Brad Lord's started last four innings, but was interrupted by a brief early rain delay. Lord gave up a 2 run HR to Francisco Alvarez, the only source of scoring on Saturday. Lord began the season a reliever, but has filled in as a starter during Michael Soroka's stint on the IL. (16:00) The bullpen combined to toss five scoreless frames in the loss. Encouragingly, Lucas Sims threw one inning and only needed nine pitches in the process. (22:10) Mitchell Parker will take the mound on Sunday and believe it or not, but he leads all of MLB in pitcher WAR so far this season. (24:15) Juan Soto went for 0 for 4 on Saturday and is hitting .235 thus far. Soto has not homered since April 15th, but the Mets do have the best record in baseball.

The Nats came out on top in a seesaw affair as they walked off the Mets 5-4; snapping New York's seven game winning streak. Al & Tim have plenty to recap from the exciting evening in DC, including the Nationals pulling off a triple play for the first time in Navy Yard.(05:45) CJ Abrams scored the winning run in dramatic fashion as he came around all the way from first base on a James Wood single.  Abrams also tripled earlier in the game; his first hit since returning form the IL.(08:05) Dylan Crews had one of his best games yet as he scored three runs in the win.  Crews manufactured an early run by capitalizing on a mental mistake by Brandon Nimmo that unexpectedly put him in scoring position. Crews also tripled in the 9th as Juan Soto was unable to make the play in RF.(13:45) Jake Irvin was excellent as he pitched into the top of the 8th and did not allow a run through the initial seven innings. Irvin had a slow start to the season and has been able to drop his ERA down to 3.19.(18:00) Jose A. Ferrar allowed three runs after taking over for Irvin in the top of the 8th.  Kyle Finnegan gave up the big hit of the inning as Crews could not make a diving grab that led to a bases clearing triple by Mark Vientos.(26:00) Brady House hit his 4th homer of the AAA season and his OPS is at .877.

The Nats lost 2-1 to the Orioles on Thursday to stymie their attempt at a series sweep. Al & Mark convene to discuss the disappointing offensive performance as they only mustered five hits and one drawn walk.  James Wood & Dylan Crews each were 0 for 3 in the defeat.(04:00) CJ Abrams returned from the IL and went 0 for 4 after resuming his leadoff role.  Will he stay there or will James Wood get another chance at the top of the order?(11:15) It was hard luck loss for MacKenzie Gore as he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work.  Gore struck out eight Orioles and moved ahead of Zack Wheeler for the MLB lead in that category.(15:30) Washington had a solid performance by their bullpen.  Cole Henry handled the final two innings and continued his stretch of not having yet given up a run.  Henry was formerly a promising starter in the organization before needing thoracic outlet surgery (TOS) a few years back.(23:10) Juan Soto and the Mets come to DC for a four game series beginning Friday night.  New York has won seven consecutive games and have the best record in baseball.(26:00) An update on Paul DeJong, who will have surgery on his broken nose.  DeJong was hit in the face last week in Pittsburgh and has been on the IL since.

The Nats topped the Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth win in the past five games.  Mark & Al leadoff with James Wood, who immediately hit his 8th homer of the season, tying him for the NL lead.  It was the hardest hit homer by a National in Navy Yard in the Statecast Era (2015-present).(07:20) CJ Abrams played all nine innings on Wednesday in his second rehab start in Harrisburg.  There is a chance that he will return to Washington's lineup in Thursday's series finale.  Hear what Davey Martinez's reply was to Mark's question about which lefty bat will be in the leadoff spot when Abrams is back.(11:15) Josh Bell also homered in the 1st inning, his 4th of the year.  Bell is still struggling at the plate as his OPS sits at a disappointing .577.(15:00) Trevor Williams only gave up one run in five innings of work. Williams has made five starts thus far and after a slow start, he has thrown back to back solid outings.(19:45) Four relievers combined to take over after Williams departed.  They inherited a 3-1 lead and the O's tied up it in the top of the 8th before Luis Garcia Jr.s go ahead sacrifice fly.  Kyle Finnegan then completed the save, he is nine for nine this year and leads the NL.(26:30) Andrew McCutchen recently tweeted that he knows Jorge Lopez was not intentionally throwing at him last week in Pittsburgh.  So why were Davey and Lopez each suspended?

Tuesday was a fun one in Navy Yard as the Nats blanked the Orioles 7-0 to open the three game series.  Al & Mark heap plenty of praise upon Mitchell Parker, who  lasted eight frames for the first time in his career, and retired the final 17 Baltimore hitters he faced. Parker's ERA sits at 1.73 through five starts this season.(12:30) The offense broke out with 10 extra base hits and 14 hits overall.  Nathaniel Lowe & Dylan Crews each went deep and three players each had a trio of hits in the victory (James Wood, Keibert Ruiz, and Jose Tena). The team so far has hit 25 homers in 23 games, a more prolific pace than in years past.(18:30) Tena's big night leads to a discussion on the status of Brady House, who is playing 3B in AAA. House was the team's 1st Round Pick in 2021.(23:00) A brief recap of CJ Abrams' rehab assignment in Harrisburg on Tuesday night.(25:10) Colin Poche only faced the minimum three Orioles hitters even though he was pitching with a seven run lead.  Poche walked the first two batters he saw and that immediately forced Cole Henry to get up and ready in the bullpen.  Poche's ERA is currently at a staggering 15.00.(31:15) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, shares the latest from AAA.  Hear about lefty reliever Konnor Pilkington, who is having a good start to 2025. 

The Nats split their doubleheader on Sunday after winning Game 1 by a score of 3-2 before losing the nightcap 3-1. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al start with the offense, which only mustered four runs in 18 innings of action. Dylan Crews though continued his hot weekend by getting a hit in each game, manufacturing a run in Game 1 and by stealing his 6th base of the season in Game 2.(08:45) We point out Luis Garcia Jr.'s struggles this far as his OPS is at .569. He only has one homer in 2025 and his batting average sits at .209.(13:15) Jake Irvin pitched well in the victory as he struck out nine in just over six innings of work.  Brad Lord started Game 2 and lasted four frames while only surrendering a pair of runs to keep Washington in it.(17:20) The bullpen certainly had a much better day on Sunday than on Saturday.  The highlight came in Game 1 as Jose A. Ferrer & Kyle Finnegan combined for the final eight outs.  Finnegan is 8 for 8 on saves this season and at 96 career saves; he is 2nd all time in Nationals history behind Chad Cordero.(27:00) The Nats open a seven game home stand on Tuesday when the Orioles come to Navy Yard for three games.  CJ Abrams has been on the IL since April 12th and there is a chance he could return to the lineup vs. Baltimore at some point.INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS THIS WEDNESDAY AT 5PM PRIOR TO NATS/O'S

The Nats emerged victorious on Saturday in Colorado, but a 12-2 lead turned into a 12-11 escape act. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al run through the dizzying afternoon that saw four Washington homers, a dominant outing by MacKenzie Gore, and the bullpen allowing eight Rockies runs in the bottom of the 7th.(05:30) Dylan Crews had his best game yet in the majors as he went deep twice and snagged a great catch in the bottom of the 8th. Crews knocked in four runs, which is thus far a career high.(07:35) James Wood slugged his 7th homer of the season out of the leadoff spot.  Wood is currently tied for the NL lead in homers with four others players including Kyle Schwarber. Wood was lifted in the middle of the game for Alex Call for defensive reasons and Al vehemently explains why he disagrees with this decision by the manager.(17:00) It got lost in the shuffle of the late game dramatics, but MacKenzie Gore was fantastic on Saturday afternoon.  Gore tied a career high with 13 Ks on 104 pitches in six frames and now leads the majors with 45 strikeouts this year.(22:30) The bullpen inherited a 12-2 lead entering the bottom of the 7th and an inning later Colorado was now behind 12-10.  Lucas Sims only recorded one out yet gave up four runs and his ERA this season is up to 15.26.  It still is better than Colin Poche's 19.29, this after he surrendered a pair of runs while also only securing one out. What can be done to fix this?(37:10) Jorge Lopez's suspension was reduced from three to two games.  He will be eligible for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.(40:00) INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 23RD AT 5PM UNTIL FIRST PITCH AGAINST THE ORIOLES.

The Nats were dealt a curve ball Thursday morning when they learned shortly before the matinee that Davey Martinez was immediately suspended for one game as a result of Jorge Lopez throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen on Wednesday night (Lopez appealed his three game suspension). Mark (Live from Pittsburgh) & Al discuss how curious of a decision MLB made in opting to suspend Davey. All of this began with Paul DeJong getting hit in the face on Tuesday night, which resulted in him landing on the IL with a fractured nose. (14:00) The offense was quite anemic in 1-0 loss on Thursday afternoon. Nathaniel Lowe was the only member of the lineup to have multiple hits. Washington only scored four total runs in the final three game of this series in Pittsburgh. (17:30) Trevor Williams' best outing of the season was wasted as he only allowed one run in his five innings of work. The bullpen for only the 3rd time this season was not charged with a run. Lucas Sims had an encouraging appearance as he tossed a scoreless bottom of the 6th. (23:40) The final leg of the road trip moves to Colorado for a three game series. The weather forecast calls for potentially three inches of snow in Denver on Friday, so a doubleheader this weekend is possible. (26:00) Terry Byrom, Voice of the Harrisburg Senators, provides an update on the Nats AA affiliate. Hear the latest on prospects such as Daylen Lile, Yohandy Morales, and Jarlin Susana.

The Nats lost 6-1 on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) & Al recap the hectic bottom of the 7th that saw the benches & bullpens clear shortly before an Oneil Cruz Grand Slam broke the game open.  Jorge Lopez was ejected after throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen and that was presumed to be retaliation for Paul DeJong getting hit by a pitch in the face on Tuesday night.(13:10) The Cruz Grand Slam came against Eduardo Salazar who relieved  the ejected Lopez.  Salazar has had a bad series and his ERA this season is a staggering 7.56.  Salazar has options remaining and is a candidate to be demoted in the near future.(17:00) Mitchell Parker had a fourth straight quality start to begin his 2025.  The lefty only allowed one run in six innings of work on Wednesday.  Parker's ERA is an extremely impressive 1.85 and has been the team's best pitcher so far.(20:10) Davey Martinez confirmed that DJ Herz has undergone Tommy John surgery and is out for the year.  Herz was placed on the IL just a few days prior to Opening Day.(23:00) The hosts reset the ever increasing increasing amount of injuries within the organization. 

The Nats ended their three game skid with dominant pitching in Tuesday night's 3-0 victory in Pittsburgh. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al have plenty of praise for Jake Irvin, who lasted seven frames and only allowed three hits. This was Irvin's 4th outing of the season and by far his best. (07:00) Following a pregame meeting, the bullpen responded with two scoreless innings by Jose A.Ferrar & Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is 6 for 6 in save opportunities and trails only San Diego's Robert Suarez for the league lead. (12:45) James Wood led the game off with a towering 445 foot home run. Wood has six homers already this season and is tied for the 2nd most in the majors, trailing Tyler Soderstorm of the Athletics who has hit eight home runs. (17:00) Dylan Crews went 1 for 3 while hitting 7th and playing RF. Alex Call was the odd man out of the lineup as Jacob Young got the nod in CF. (22:05) Nasim Nunez continued to do a solid job filling in for the injured CJ Abrams at SS. Nunez gave Washington insurance with a 2-run single in the top of the 6th at the end of a 10 pitch plate appearance. (24:30) Paul DeJong exited the game early after getting hit in the face during an at-bat. He was sent for a CT scan and it is unclear whether or not he is headed to the IL. (28:00) A quick update on Andres Chaparo, who was placed on the IL the day before Opening Day due to an oblique strain. (31:45) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, provides an update from the Nats AAA affiliate.

The Nats dropped their third game in a row as they were routed 10-3 on Monday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) and Al run through the woeful bullpen totals, which is becoming a theme to the season. Colin Poche was the first pitcher to emerge from the 'pen, but allowed a pair of runs to lift his ERA to an eye-popping 16.62. Jackson Rutledge & Eduardo Salazar then later combined to give up five runs. It should be noted that the bullpen received zero help from the defense behind them. (15:20) Brad Lord made his 2nd start since being moved out of the bullpen. Lord only lasted 57 pitches and allowed four runs in under five innings of work. (19:00) An update on Cade Cavalli after he appeared with the team in Miami over the weekend. Cavalli is currently rehabbing at the team;' facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. (20:10) Paul Skenes only lasted six frames vs. Washington and gave up a pair of runs. The Nats did not draw any walks on Monday night after gaining a ton of free passes in the Miami series. Nasim Nunez, who got the start at SS, doubled and it was the team's only extra base hit. What kind of playing time does Nunez get while Abrams in on the IL? (25:15) Dylan Crews had a bit of a spotlight on him because he was facing the only man drafted ahead of him in the 2023 Draft (Skenes). Crews went 0 for 4 after missing the past two games due to Alex Call taking his spot in the lineup.

The Nats were routed 11-4 on Sunday afternoon in Miami for their 2nd straight defeat and it was their largest margin of loss so far this season. Al begins with MacKenzie Gore, who's pitching line saw four runs scored off of eight hits in six innings of work. Gore threw 105 pitches, another example of the lefty's pitch inefficiency.(05:40) Jorge Lopez & Lucas Sims combined to surrender seven runs, while only retiring the Marlins.  Sims' ERA is up to 12.79 so far this season; he was a reliever that the team signed to a one year deal at the beginning of Spring Training.(07:40) Cole Henry was called up prior to the game and pitched the bottom of the 8th.  Henry was originally a starter in their minor league system and is coming off of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.(11:00) The Nats drew 20 walks this weekend and combined for eight of them on Sunday.  James Wood walked three times in the loss and Alex Call had one in the leadoff role.(13:30) Dylan Crews did not play for a 2nd straight day in what seemed to be in favor of giving the at-bats to Call. His OPS thus far sits at .625.(15:00) Keibert Ruiz had an inexplicable base running gaffe in top of the 5th.  Ruiz got thrown out trying to steal 3rd base with only out and the game tied, which killed the rally with the heart of the order up.(17:30) Washington faces Paul Skenes for the first time on Monday night in Pittsburgh. 

The Nats did not have effective pitching in their 7-6 loss on Saturday afternoon in Miami. Al recaps the not so pretty totals for Trevor Williams, who allowed six runs off of eight hits, before getting pulled in the bottom of the 5th.  Williams so far on the season is sporting a 7.36 ERA.(06:00) The bullpen did not allow a run on Friday night for the first time all season, but that luck did not carry over into Saturday.  Colin Poche allowed. Marlins run across, but the trio of relievers that followed him did not allow a further run.  Al points out the grisly stats so far for the lefty Poche, who pitched for Tampa Bay last year.(10:05) Washington's offense only had singles despite scoring six runs.  Keibert Ruiz had three hits while hitting third in the order and leads the team with a .985 OPS.(13:00) Alex Call drew a pair of walks in the loss and has walked a staggering nine times out of 37 plate appearances this season. (17:15) CJ Abrams has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a hip flexor strain. Abrams left Friday night's game early after re aggravating the injury that kept him out of the lineup earlier in the week.(20:00) A special listener birthday shoutout.  To learn more about the opportunity, email us at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

The Nats trailed 4-0, but stormed back for a 7-4 victory on Friday night in Miami.  Mark & Al have plenty of offensive highlights to address, but begin with an update on CJ Abrams, who exited the game early due to a hip flexor strain. (07:00) The Nats had more extra base hits than they did singles in the win. The most pivotal one was Nathaniel Lowe's pinch-hit 3 run double that gave Washington a 5-4 lead in the 8th. Lowe was a late scratch from the starting lineup due to illness and later persevered through a 10 pitch at bat for the big hit.(10:45) James Wood homered for the fourth time in the past four games. Wood hit a towering shot in the top of the 9th to give the Nats much needed insurance.(12:40) Bell put Washington on the board with a 2 run HR in the top of the 6th.  Bell was moved to 1B after Lowe was a late scratch and that ultimately led to Alex Call taking over in LF for the DHing James Wood.  Call took advantage as he drew four walks and had a RBI double for the final run.(20:00) Mitchell Parker did not have a good outing, but the team is nonetheless 3-0 when he starts this season.  Parker gave up four runs in the bottom of the 5th and his poor defensive mechanics were a major culprit.(24:30) The bullpen finally had a game without surrendering a run in 2025. Lucas Sims walked the tightrope in his lone inning and Kyle Finnegan overcame a leadoff double to secure the save.(28:45) This was game one of a ten game road trip in three different cities.  They can reach .500 with a victory on Saturday vs. Sandy Alcantara as they currently sit at 6-7.

The Nats fell behind right away and lost to the Dodgers 6-5 on Wednesday afternoon to halt the win streak.  Mark & Al begin with Jake Irvin, who had one of odder outings you will ever see.  Irvin gave up four runs to the first four batters up, but then retired 18 of the final 21 Dodgers he faced.(12:00) The bullpen unfortunately continued their stretch of giving up a run every game this season.  Eduardo Salazar took over for Irvin, but gave up a pair of runs in the 7th to give the Los Angeles the lead for good.(15:15) The offense quickly overcame the early four run deficit after Luis Garcia Jr.'s RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd.  They collectively showed patience at the plate by drawing seven total walks. CJ Abrams hit a leadoff homer, his 4th time going deep this season.(19:30) Do you prefer James Wood in LF or at DH?  Wood played LF on Wednesday and drew two walks while going 0 for 3 at the plate.(25:20) Washington is off on Thursday and on Friday in Miami they embark on a 3 city/ 10 game road trip with no off days in between.(27:30) We remember a member of the 2005 Nationals Tony Blanco, who tragically passed away this week in the Dominican Republic in the nightclub accident that also claimed Nelson Cruz's sister & former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel.

The Nats won their 4th straight on Tuesday night as they routed the Dodgers 8-2.  James Wood stole the show as he went deep twice and knocked in five runs while serving as the DH.  Wood has homered three times in two games after entering series with just one homer.(09:45) Keibert Ruiz had a pair of hits while slotted at 3rd in the lineup. Ruiz has at least one hit in nine out of the ten games in which he has played in so far this year.(11:15) Dylan Crews also had two hits and has five of them this week after having a terrible opening week at the plate.(15:30) It was a true team effort by the pitching staff in order to get all 27 outs.  Brad Lord tossed three scoreless frames to open the game and later Orlando Ribalta also threw three innings. Lord not only pitched well, but he struck out Shohei Ohtani in both meetings.(25:30) Washington is now 5-6 after standing at 1-6 just a few days ago. The Nationals are 4-1 on the homestand and have won multiple series in a row.

The Nats have now won three in a row after defeating the defending World Series champion Dodgers 6-4 on Monday night in Navy Yard.  Mark & Al discuss MacKenzie Gore's solid outing where he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work.  Those two LA runs came off of a Shohei Ohtani 2-run HR, part of his evening where he was a double shy from the cycle.(10:00) Kyle Finnegan not only got the save, but took care of the final five outs.  He has recorded the final out in three consecutive days and in all likelihood will be unavailable on Tuesday.(17:10) James Wood homered for the first time this season to put Washington ahead 5-2. Wood was removed in the top of the 9th for defensive purposes by Jacob Young even though Wood was on deck if the Dodgers forced a bottom of the 9th.(22:10) Keibert Ruiz had a RBI double to extend the lead to 6-2.  Ruiz's strong start to the season continues as his OPS is currently at .981.(25:00) There were more instances of runners getting thrown out on base and three Nats have been tagged out at home in the past two days.  This has an ongoing issue over the past few seasons.(30:30) Brad Lord will start for the injury plagued pitching staff on Tuesday and Jackson Rutledge will likely come into relieve him. Lord was a starter in the minors and transitioned to a reliever during Spring Training.  This is a chain reaction to Michael Soroka getting placed on the IL shortly after DJ Herz did as well.(36:20) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the AAA-Rochester Red Wings, provides an update on Brady House, Robert Hassell III, Darren Baker, and more.