Nats Chat

Monday was a jam packed one for the Nats as lost 16-7 to the Mets in extras, with New York scoring 10 runs in the top of the 12th.  Mark & Al begin with the report that Dylan Crews is getting called from AAA and that he will take the place of Brady House, who will be sent to Rochester. House has really struggled lately in the field and has committed eight errors already this season.  Crews' OPS in Rochester was .777 with five homers during his month and a half stretch in AAA.

(11:45) Seaver King was promoted to AAA after having a strong start to his season in Harrisburg at shortstop.  King was the franchise's 1st Round pick at 10th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft.  King's OPS in AA was .989.

(16:20) Jacob Young was removed in the bottom of the 2nd after getting drilled in the ribs and the X-Rays were negative.

(18:00) The defense continued to be sloppy as Washington committed four errors on Monday night.

(23:00) Jake Irvin only lasted four innings and allowed one earned run, three runs in total.  Irvin's ERA is up to 5.59 and the concerns about him in the rotation do remain.

(24:30) Explaining the confusion in the top of the 12th when the umpires briefly would not allow Jorbit Vivas to relieve Paxton Schultz on the mound.   Schultz was forced to pitch for the 3rd straight day when the 12th began and the Mets took full advantage. 

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The Nats did not sweep on Sunday and instead lost 7-3 to the visiting Orioles. Mark & Al open with Richard Lovelady, the Opener who gave up an upper deck solo homer in the top of the 1st hit to Gunnar Henderson.

(04:00) Miles Mikolas allowed a 2-run HR vs. the initial batter that he faced in the top of the 2nd after taking over for Lovelady.  Mikolas' ERA this season is a grisly 6.91.

(09:00) Will Andrew Alvarez take Mikolas' spot in the rotation?

(17:00) Jacob Young homered for the 5th time this season; which is already a career high.  Young also went deep in Saturday's victory.

(20:00) Keibert Ruiz doubled, walk, and his slugging percentage is almost on par with Jams Wood believe it or not.

(27:00) Brady House dropped a foul ball and was charged with his 8th error of the season, tied for the 2nd most in all of MLB.

(29:30) The Mets come to town on Monday for a four game series. New York is coming in with momentum as they went 5-1 in their recent home stand. 

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The Nats have finally returned to the .500 mark and did so in emphatic fashion.  Mark & Al dive into the Nationals 13-3 pummeling of the Orioles on Saturday afternoon in front of another sell out crowd in D.C.  The fans were not only treated to a win, but also received Alex Ovechkin Bobbleheads.

(08:00) Keibert Ruiz had a monster afternoon as he homered, knocked in five runs, stole a base, and even won an ABS challenge. Ruiz's OPS is up .715 and has climbed over .200 points in the month of May.

(15:00) Brady House did not start on Saturday, but he still ended up doubling and homering late in the rout.

(21:00) Cade Cavalli lasted until the 7th and struck out eight O's along the way.  Cavalli was throwing a shutout through six innings (79 pitches), but he allowed a pair of homers in the top of the 7th to mar his final pitching line.

(28:10) This victory ends a shocking streak of 15 consecutive defeats for Washington when entering the game at 1 game under .500.

(31:15) A great shoutout that mentions Nationals Fantasy Camp. If you are interested in a shoutout to be read on air, send us an email at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

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The Nats edged the Orioles 3-2 on Friday night in front of a sold out crowd in Navy Yard. Al & Mark praise the nearly 39,000 fans in attendance who packed the house for the well received promotion of  "Hot Dog Day".

(08:00) Zack Littell tossed five shutout innings before handing the ball off to Andrew Alvarez.  This was the first scoreless outing of the season for Littell in his 9th appearance. Blake Butera showed confidence in Littell in allowing him the opportunity to wriggle out of a jam in the top of the 5th.

(14:45) Andrew Alvarez had a strong performance after returning from Rochester.  Alvarez tossed three scoreless innings before running into trouble in the top of the 9th. Alvarez was relieved by Gus Varland with no outs and then Richard Lovelady came in to nail down the final Orioles out.

(24:00) Daylen Lile homered for 4th time this week to put Washington up 3-0. Lile had three of the team's hits in the victory and his OPS is now at .798; making him the clear 3rd best hitter in the lineup.

(29:15) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Saturday afternoon as the team looks to finally get back to .500.  Thursday's loss was the 15th consecutive one for Washington when entering the affair at one game below .500.

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The Nats entered Thursday one game below .500 and for the 15th consecutive (15th!!!!) time they lost when trying to reach that level. Mark (From Cincinnati) & Al recap recap the 15-1 thrashing at the hands of the Reds.

(04:15) Blake Butera is not hung up on necessarily reaching .500 right now.

(07:00) Foster Griffin had by far his worst start of the season by allowing nine runs in under five innings of work.  Griffin issued three walks and gave up a pair of homers against the Cincinnati offense. The outing went so poorly, that his ERA went from 2.12 to up to 3.53 in the process.

(15:00) Washington's starting pitching was rough all series despite the two victories.  The bullpen was needed a lot this week even though the team is in the midst of a 16 games in 16 days stretch.  

(17:20) The offense was no match for Reds starter Chase Burns,, who struck out seven hitters in six innings.  The Nats only mustered three hits, but Nasim Nuñez did steal his MLB leading 18th base.

(21:30) The Nationals welcome Baltimore on Friday to begin their two series/ seven game home stand.  The Orioles thus far are four games below .500. 

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The Nats staged an impressive comeback in Wednesday night's 8-7 win in extras.  Mark (From Cincinnati) & Al discuss how Washington found themselves in an early 5-0 hole, before the offense & bullpen teamed up to rally against the Reds. They are just one game below .500 through 43 games played.

(05:45) Daylen "The Louisville Slugger" Lile hit his 3rd homer in the past two games in the top of the 10th.  Lile had a very strong reaction after he went deep and shared the moment with family, friends, and of course teammates.

(08:30) Curtis Mead played three different infield positions and is the first National to do this since.... Gerardo Parra!

(13:30) The offense is 2nd in runs scored across MLB this season.

(17:40) Five relievers combined  to only allow one run in seven frames.  The one run the Reds scored off of the 'pen came with a ghost runner in the bottom of the 10th.  Mitchell Parker bounced back from Saturday's poor performance in Miami by tossing three scoreless innings in immediate relief of Jake Irvin.

(21:35) The Nats caught a big break in the 10th when fan interference was ruled on a potential game tying homer.

(22:20) Jake Irvin had a bad start and lasted just three innings.  Irvin's ERA is a staggering 5.91 and his spot in the rotation is officially in jeopardy.

(27:30) TGIF - Foster Griffin will take the mound on Thursday afternoon as the team is one win away from reaching .500 in mid-May.

(30:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives an update from AAA. 

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The Nats blasted six homers on Tuesday night for a 9-2 win in Cincinnati. Mark (From Great American Ballpark) & Al start with the impressive offensive totals, that included a pair of homers from both Luis Garcia Jr. & Daylen Lile.

(05:30) Luis Garcia Jr. has been on a hot streak after missing a few games due to a wrist issue.  Garcia's OPS has now climbed up to .725 for the season.

(07:00) Daylen Lile went deep twice in front of a throng of friends and family as he grew up in Louisville, which is roughly 90 minutes away from Cincinnati.

(12:45) Washington has hit 50 homers in just 42 games. James Wood's solo shot was his 12th of the year; which is the 3rd most in the NL.

(16:00) Miles Mikolas began his evening with three scoreless frames, but ran into trouble in the 4th.  The Reds ended up scoring two runs in that inning and a Brady House fielding error was a culprit.

(19:30) Brad Lord earned the win by throwing nearly three innings on Tuesday.  Lord's ERA currently sits at 3.21 through 13 appearances.

(25:00) Brady House committed his 7th error of the season and Keibert Ruiz was charged with catcher's interference. This was after Blake Butera called for defensive drills over five hours prior to Tuesday's 1st Pitch. 

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The Nats dropped a second straight winnable game over the weekend in Miami.   Mark & Al react to Washington's 5-2 loss in the rubber match of the three game series that came just before the Wizards were announced as the lottery winners for the NBA Draft.

(05:30) The Nationals continued their pattern of sloppy play by making a pair of crucial outs on the bases. One of them was particularly painful because it came with James Wood in the batter's box and a runner already in scoring position.

(11:10) Nasim Nuñez let a double play ball go through his legs that led to an early unearned Marlins run while filling in at shortstop.

(16:45) Miami pulled off a double steal against Gus Varland in the pivotal bottom of the 8th.  Drew Millas also used poor judgment in use of ABS Challenge that inning.

(21:30) An assessment of Cade Cavalli's outing where he allowed two runs in almost six innings of work.  Cavalli struck out four and his ERA dropped a tad to 4.02.

(23:00) Luis Garcia tripled and also had a RBI double in the middle of the game.  Could Garcia step up and be the 3rd best hitter in this lineup?

(37:15) Jim Callis, Senior writer for MLB Pipeline, gives Nats Chat an exclusive scouting report on potential options for the Nats at #11 at this Summer's MLB Draft.

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The Nats blew an early four run lead and ultimately lost 8-7 on Saturday afternoon in Miami.  Al & Tim point out how this was a particular frustrating defeat as the Nationals drop to 19-21 overall through 40 games.

(06:30) Washington staged a furious rally in the 9th that fell just short.  They trailed 8-4 entering the frame, but Joey Wiemer made a crucial base running mistake that removed the tying run from scoring position.

(14:00) Richard Lovelady was the surprise choice as the Opener and he delivered with two scoreless frames.  PJ Poulin had to come in for the final out for Friday night's win and that possibly led to Lovelady getting the ball on Saturday.

(16:00) Zack Littell & CJ Abrams each committed an error on Saturday afternoon.  Abrams' throwing error in the bottom of the 6th led to an unavoidable Marlins run to make it 4-3.

(19:45) Mitchell Parker had a nightmare relief appearance as he allowed five runs and his ERA ballooned to 5.82 afterwards.  

(27:30) The Nats & Marlins square off earlier than usual on Sunday afternoon at 12:15PM on Peacock.  Cade Cavalli will take the mound with a current ERA of 4.15.

(30:40) Tim (Atlanta native) gives his thoughts on the passing of Hall of Fame Manager Bobby Cox at age 84. 

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The Nats edged the Marlins 3-2 on Friday night for their 3rd straight victory.  Mark & Al discuss the road win where all of the scoring came in the 1st inning.

(03:00) Foster Griffin was tremendous in striking out nine Marlins in seven innings of work.  Griffin has pitched at least six frames in four consecutive starts. The lefty's ERA is a very impressive 2.12.

(11:30) **Riding the wave while it lasts** - Is there any scenario where the Nationals would give Griffin an in-season multi-year extension?

(17:30) Brad Lord came an out shy of recording the save, but a CJ Abrams throwing extended the bottom of the 9th.  PJ Poulin came in relief of Lord and served as the Closer as opposed to the Opener.  Will Poulin then pitch the bottom of the 1st on Saturday?

(22:00) Jacob Young's 2-run HR in the top of the 1st turned out to be the difference. Young has three homers so far this season; already more than he hit in 2025.  

(26:10) Nasim Nuñez stole a pair of bags and he leads the majors with 16 stolen bases. 

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The Nats beat the Twins 7-5 on Thursday afternoon for their first home series victory of the series. Mark & Al have plenty of praise for Keibert Ruiz, who doubled twice and broke a late tie with a solo homer in the bottom of 7th. Ruiz's OPS rose an astonishing .127 points in  single day.

(10:30) Breaking down the Nationals catching situation after back to back days of rare offensive production from that position.

(18:00) Curtis Mead knocked in a pair of runs while hitting 3rd in the lineup.

(20:05) The victory masked Jake Irvin's so-so outing on Thursday.  Irvin allowed eight hits and four runs in just innings of work as his ERA is a concerning 5.22.

(23:00) Multiple instances of good defense by the Nats in this game.

(27:20) Gus Varland notched his 4th save of the season to extend his team lead in that category.

(30:30) Washington heads to Miami for a three game set over the weekend.  Foster Griffin will start on Friday as the team enters the road trip at two games below .500. 

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The Nats crushed Minnesota 15-2 on Wednesday night; the most runs they've scored all season.  Mark & Al open with the offensive performance where four homers were hit in the victory.

(05:00) Another big night by CJ Abrams, highlighted by a late Grand Slam.  Abrams roped a pair of doubles to give him eight total bases on Wednesday night. Abrams' OPS is at .960, tied for 7th best in the NL.

(11:00) The other three Washington dingers came from Drew Millas, Brady House, and Jose Tena. This was Millas' first homer of the season and his OPS shot up over .100 points after the home run.

(16:30) Miles Mikolas had his best outing of the season and earned the win by last over five innings. Mikolas allowed two runs off of three hits and struck out three Twins.

(20:25) Mitchell Parker tossed over two perfect innings in relief and his stats are very impressive thus far this year.  Parker's ERA is now down to 3.38.

(24:00) Cionel Perez surprisingly chose to be released instead of going to AAA.  Perez then was signed by the Mets on a minor league deal.

(26:30) Jake Irvin is slated as Thursday afternoon's starter as the Nats seek their first series victory at home this season.

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The Nats were trounced 11-3 on Tuesday night against visiting Minnesota. Al & Mark examine Cade Cavalli's poor outing, where he allowed six runs in just four innings of work.  Three of those were unearned, but Cavalli had a fielding error that contributed to the run total. Cavalli only threw two strikeouts after having registered double digits Ks in his previous two starts.

(14:30) Andre Granillo struggled by giving up four late runs in two innings on the mound.  Granilo afterwards was sent down to AAA-Rochester.

(19:00) Jackson Rutledge was DFA'd to make room for reliever Max Kranick on the 40-man roster.  Rutledge was a 1st round draft choice from 2019 that did not pan out.

(22:05) James Wood came very close to hitting a homer and had to settle for a double.  It was Wood's first extra-base hit in almost a week.

(25:10) Daylen Lile doubled in a rare show of power so far this season.  Lile is tied for the team high in hits, but his OPS is only at .692.

(28:30) WIll Riley Adams get called up from AAA to take over for one of the scuffling catchers?

(32:00) Brady House did not start on Tuesday and we answer a listener question about House's usage. 

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The Nats won their first home game since April 21st on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al discuss the 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, where five Washington pitchers combined to take the mound. PJ Poulin lasted two innings for the first time as an Opener this season and he remains the only pitcher on the team to serve in that role.

(05:45) Zack Littell only allowed one run in nearly four innings of work on 41 pitches. Littell's ERA remains high at 7.24 through seven outings.

(15:25) Richard Lovelady recorded the final two outs for his first Save of the season as it continues to be a different reliever almost  every time in that role.

(19:20) CJ Abrams had a great offensive game has he had a pair of hits, stole a base, and scored two of the three Nationals runs.

(23:00) Nasim Nuñez had a big day as well as he knocked in a pair of runs and scored the other one.

(28:10) Blake Butera changed up the pregame defensive drills and Mark relays what he saw while watching it happen.

(33:15) Minnesota comes to town on Tuesday night for three games.  The Twins are currently in last place in the AL Central.

(35:00) Luis Garcia Jr. was pulled from the game due to wrist soreness. Garcia is getting an MRI on the wrist and there is a chance that he will land on the IL. 

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The Nats home woes continued in Saturday afternoon's 4-1 loss to the Brewers.  Al & Tim note how the team is now 3-12 at Nationals Park to begin the season, and they have not yet won a home series.

(06:30) The offense has cooled off a bit recently; other than a few recent exceptions.  Washington had two men on, with no outs in the bottom of the 9th and were unable to do anything with it.  Brady House's OPS is currently at .642 and that needs to improve this month; as does the contribution at the plate from the catchers.

(13:30) Foster Griffin had a slow start to his outing, but did settle down over the course of six innings.  Griffin's was charged with three unearned runs in the top of the 1st after Brady House made a two-out fielding error.  Griffin's ERA remains impressive at 2.27.

(19:00) Orlando Ribalta pitched the top of the 9th shortly after returning from Rochester.  Cionel Perez, also a reliever, was then ultimately sent down to AAA after clearing waivers.

(23:20) Zack Littell will take the mound on Sunday in the series finale and this will be his 7th outing of the season.

(27:00) Blake Butera is publicly not pleased with how the team leads the majors in errors.  Washington committed a pair of errors in the field on Saturday. 

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The Nats continue to struggle at home as they lost 6-1 to Milwaukee on Friday night. Al & Mark marvel at Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski, who no-hit the Nationals until being removed in the bottom of the 6th due to a right hamstring cramp. Misiorowski eclipsed 100 MPH many times in his dominant outing.

(08:00) The offense only mustered two hits and the first one didn't come until the bottom of the 7th after a Daylen Lile double.

(11:45) Washington is 3-11 at home this season and it is comfortably the worst record in Baseball. Conversely, the Nats are 12-7 on the road thus far.

(15:20) Jake Irvin allowed four runs in just five innings of work.  Irvin did strike out five Brewers however and his ERA currently sits at 4.93.

(21:40) Mark's assessment of the team's defense after one month of play.  The Nationals committed pair of errors in Friday evening's defeat.

(27:20) Foster Griffin, the franchise's Ace so far in 2026, will take the mound on Saturday afternoon.  Griffin had his own no-hit bid in Milwaukee a few weeks ago.  

(29:30) An update from the Voice of the Harrisburg Senators at the AA level, Frankie Vernouski. 

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The Nats won another road series after rallying for a 5-4 victory over the Mets on Thursday afternoon.  Mark (From Citi Field) & Al open with CJ Abrams, who crushed a 2-run HR in the top of the 8th to put the Nationals up for good.  Abrams' OPS is up to .961; which is 5th best in the NL (Ildemaro Vargas has the lead believe it or not).

(13:15) Sloppy base running in the top of the 9th; which cost the team chance at insurance runs.

(15:45) James Wood made two excellent defensive plays in RF.

(20:00) Miles Mikolas pitched competitively and ultimately allowed three runs in four innings of work. Mikolas struck out three Mets and his ERA currently sits at 8.23.

(23:00) The bullpen only gave up one run the entire series.  Gus Varland notched a four out Save, his 3rd of the year.

(25:35) After a 4-2 road trip, the Nationals return for six game home stand on Friday.  This weekend they host Milwaukee, who they swept last month on the road. Minnesota comes to town on Tuesday for a three game series on South Capitol Street.  Washington will enter May at a surprising 15-17.

(28:00) The Juan Soto trade and its after effects seemed to be in the background this series more than past meetings against Washington.

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The Nats pummeled the Mets 14-2 on a wet Wednesday night in New York. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al have another strong Cade Cavalli outing to go over as he struck out ten hitters for the 2nd straight start. Cavalli lasted six innings and ended his evening by throwing 24 straight strikes.

(11:00) A trio of relievers combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Cavalli.  PJ Poulin threw the bottom of the 9th, meaning it is unlikely that he will be the Opener on Thursday afternoon for Miles Mikolas.

(14:05) Brady House's Grand Slam in the top of the 4th put the game out of the reach by giving the Nationals a 9-1 lead. The offense had no trouble with David Robertson, who gave up seven runs in his outing.

(15:30) Curtis Mead had a 4-hit evening, which included a 9th inning homer, a double, two singles, plus a RBI HBP.

(25:45) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives an update on Dylan Crews and others in AAA.

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The Nats were shutout 8-0 on Tuesday night at the Mets. Mark (From New York) & Al begin with Zack Littell, who gave up a homer on the first pitch of his outing  Littell allowed eight runs, and almost all of those came in the decisive bottom of the 4th.  The veteran righty's ERA is now up to an awful 7.85.

(05:30) Littell has pitched 16 innings this season and stunningly has give up 13 homers in that stretch. This leads to a discussion about Littell & Miles Mikolas, who both have really struggled in the starting rotation thus far.

(15:05) The bullpen did not give up a run in relief of Littell.  Is Brad Lord the next man up if there is an opening in the rotation?

(18:10) Offense struck out 11 times and could only muster three singles. Luis Garcia Jr. went 0 for 4 and his OPS is only at .617 this season.

(22:00) Paul Toboni met with the media prior to the game on Tuesday afternoon and this could be a monthly occurrence.

(24:15) Toboni on Dylan Crews and how he is doing down in AAA.

(35:00) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Wednesday in the 2nd game of this series on the road.  

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The Nats emerged victorious in another extra inning affair this weekend vs. the White Sox.  Mark (From Chicago) & Al recap Sunday's 2-1 triumph; where the Nationals took the series rubber match.

(04:00) Washington went 9-8 in this stretch of 17 games in 17 days.  As they sit at 13-16, it feels like the team culture is at a better place all things considered.

(07:05) Foster Griffin tossed seven shutout innings and he closes his April with a very impressive 2.67 ERA.  Griffin pitched in Japan for the past three seasons for the Yomiuri Giants.

(15:10) Paxton Schultz notched the first save of his career immediately after getting called back from AAA.  Clayton Beeter has been placed on the IL due to right forearm tightness.

(22:00) Jose Tena pinch- hit for Jacob Young ; even though the Nationals were already up 1-0.  Tena responded with a solo homer to give his squad some insurance.

(26:40) Next game is Tuesday at the Mets after a much needed off day. Will we get an Opener for Zack Littell on Tuesday?

(28:15) Some symmetry between the bizarre firing of the Red Sox staff and what happened to the firings on South Capitol Street last early July. 

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The Nats beat the White Sox 6-3 on Saturday afternoon in 10 innings. Mark (From Chicago) & Al praise Jake Irvin for his nine strikeout effort in almost six innings of work. This was the first scoreless outing for Irvin in 2026 and the most strikeouts he's had since April 20th last year in Colorado.

(11:30) Mitchell Parker allowed a pair of runs, but did strikeout three Chicago hitters.  Brad Lord took the mound in the 10th to notch the final three outs.

(14:30) Nasim Nuñez was the offensive star of the day with four RBIs in the win.  Nuñez's big hit came in the 10th to give the Nationals two more insurance runs.

(18:00) It seems like ABS has led to more walks across the sport. The Nats drew 10 walks in the victory on Saturday afternoon.

(23:10) Foster Griffin will toe the rubber on Sunday in the series finale. Griffin so far has been the team's Ace and this will conclude a stretch of 17 straight days with a game. 

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The Nats fell 5-4 at the White Sox to open their road trip on Friday night. Al & Mark (From the South Side) begin with the White Sox's curious decision to pitch to James Wood in the top of the 9th w/ first base open and Luis Garcia Jr. standing on second base.

(04:45) PJ Poulin was the opener before handing the ball to Miles Mikolas in the bottom of the 2nd. Munetaka Murakami hit his 11th homer of year off of Mikolas, which is tied for most in Baseball.

(07:30) Riley Cornelio was put in a tight spot for a MLB debut.  Cornelio took the mound in the 7th and it was a rough ride that included issuing four walks, and allowing the decisive three runs. Cornelio joined the team from AAA on Friday, but was sent back to Richmond following the defeat.

(11:00) Parsing through the decision to use Cornelio in a high leverage bullpen spot for his MLB debut, when he normally is a starter.  Why did he not just start the game?

(20:30) Erick Fedde was the White Sox Bulk pitcher and he gave up 3 runs in almost six innings of work.

(22:10) Brady House had a big night as he homered in the top of the 8th to briefly to tie the game at 4.

(23:15) Two more instances of costly and terrible base running.

(29:00) Injury updates on Josiah Gray and Cole Henry. 

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The Nats lost 7-2 to the Braves on Thursday afternoon to conclude another disappointing home stand. Al examines the bullpen meltdown in the top of the 7th where Atlanta scored four runs to break the tie. Gus Varland & Cionel Perez were the culprits in the pivotal frame.

(08:10) Cade Cavalli struck out 10 in just five innings for his best outing of the season. Cavalli gave up two runs and his ERA dropped down to 4.01.

(14:00) Mark gives a quick update on Riley Cornelio, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, who will join the Nationals on Friday in Chicago.

(16:30) James Wood homered for the 10th time, which has him atop the NL. CJ Abrams hit his 7th homer of the year in the bottom of the 4th.

(21:40) The Nationals will start a two city road trip tomorrow night at the White Sox before moving to the Mets on Tuesday.

(23:45) Tim is joined by Bob Black, the Voice of the Richmond Spiders, to talk about the new AAA Ballpark in Richmond and if one day the Nats could get an affiliate there. 

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The Nats were out-slugged 8-6 on Wednesday vs. the visiting Braves. Al & Mark recap another rough start for Zack Littell, as he gave up a quartet of homers in six innings of work.

(07:00) Littell's ERA is now at 7.56 in five appearances and he has allowed a staggering 11 homers in 25 innings.

(12:30) Further examination of the evaluation process that led to Littell not signing until Spring Training was well underway.

(17:25) James Wood homered yet again, and he now is atop the NL in this category.  Six of his Wood's homers have been opposite field shot so far this season.

(19:30) Daylen Lile & Joey Wiemer also homered on Wednesday evening.  The Nats are on pace so far to contend with hitting 200 home runs this season as a team.

(30:00) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Thursday afternoon in the series finale as Washington looks for the split with the Braves. 

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The Nats routed the Braves 11-4 on Tuesday night on South Capitol Street.  Mark & Al focus on the recent offensive production and are encouraged by many of the results. Washington drew a stunning dozen walks on their way to snapping Atlanta's six game win streak.

(07:30) James Wood homered for the 8th time this season, which is tied for the NL lead. Luis Garcia Jr. also had a big night at the plate as he had four hits and knocked in a trio of runs.

(12:45) Foster Griffin lasted six innings to help out the beleaguered bullpen. The lefty is 3-0 with 3.38 ERA through 5 starts this season.

(21:00) The bullpen did a solid job and Clayton Beeter struck out a pair in the top of the 9th.

(25:05) Zack Littell will take the mound on Wednesday night and is looking to bounce back after Friday night's bad outing vs. San Francisco.

(26:30) The Mets have lost 12 in a row and the Phillies are also well below .500. Believe it or not, the Nationals are tied for 2nd place in the NL East.

(31:10) An update from the Voice of the AA-Harrisburg Senators, Frankie Vernouski.  Hear the latest on Seaver King & Cayden Wallace. 

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The Nats led 3-2 entering the 6th on Monday night, but a series of Washington pitchers allowed five Atlanta runs to put the game out of reach.  Mark & Al sort through the 9-4 loss; which saw a lot of sloppy defense by the Nationals.

(05:45) Jake Irvin hit Ronald Acuna Jr. twice and the second one came in the top of the 6th. CJ Abrams then was the recipient of retaliation, but he kept his calm and went on to score a run.

(16:20) Daylen Lile homered in the 4th to briefly put the Nationals ahead 3-2.  The most noteworthy moment of the homer was Cionel Perez catching the fly ball in his hat while standing in the bullpen.

(22:00) The tp of the 6th was the pivotal inning of the night and this is when Jake Irvin was lifted after just 68 pitches. Hear how Butera explained the (pre- determined) decision to pull Irvin while going through the Braves lineup for a 3rd time.

(34:00) Josiah Gray will be sent for additional testing and he is currently not throwing. Gray has not pitched the Nationals since April of 2024. 

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The Nats blanked the Giants 3-0 on Sunday afternoon to avoid getting swept this weekend at home. Mark & Al analyze the surprising pitching effort by PJ Poulin, Miles Mikolas, and Andrew Alvarez. It was a whirlwind Sunday for Alvarez as he traveled from Rochester in the morning, and then earned the win on the mound in D.C. after taking over in the 5th.

(05:00) Mikolas was the bulk starter as he took over in the 1st for Poulin and lasted four frames. Mikolas allowed four hits and struck out four in his best outing of the young season.

(15:30) Alvarez was demoted back to AAA in the middle of our taping during our discussion on his future with the club. This is the 2nd pitcher this week to get sent back to Rochester after nailing down the final out in a victory (Orlando Ribalta).

(25:10) Curtis Mead hit a 2-run homer to go up 3-0 in the 5th. This was a nice bounce back for Mead, who made a pivotal base running mistake in the bottom of the 9th in Saturday's loss.

(29:00) The first run of the game came on a convoluted play that resulted in Nasim Nunez coming across to score.

(33:00) The home stand continues on Monday night as the Braves come to Navy Yard for four a four game series. 

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The Nats made too many mental mistakes to count in their 7-6 Saturday afternoon loss to the visiting Giants. Mark & Al examine the puzzling extra inning defeat where there were plenty of examples of terrible fundamentals.  The Nationals had poor base running, awful bunting, and overall came nowhere close to playing smart Baseball. Curtis Mead had a shockingly terrible base running mistake in the bottom of the 9th and Jorbit Vivas almost out did him in the 10th.

(13:40) James Wood homered again for the 7th time this season, tied for the 2nd most in the National League.  

(17:00) Cade Cavalli had another disappointing outing as he only lasted four innings despite being given an early four-run lead.  Cavalli was charged with three runs allowed after yielding seven San Francisco hits. Cavalli has only tossed 19.2 IP in five starts so far this season.

(24:00) Mitchell Parker lasted three innings in relief of Cavalli and gave up three runs in the process. The bullpen the rest of the way did a solid job, including two perfect innings by Richard Lovelady.

(26:30) Miles Mikolas will take the mound on Sunday as Washington looks to avoid getting swept. 

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The Nats were easily beaten 10-5 by the Giants on Friday night to open the home stand on a sour note. Al & Mark spend plenty of time on Zack Littell, who gave up six runs before the end of the 2nd inning. Littell wasn't signed until March was well underway and it seems like the late Spring start is still affecting him.

(10:30) Why do valued Free Agent pitchers have to wait until the middle of Spring Training to sign sometimes?

(13:45) Richard Lovelady pitched the 9th right after taking Oscar Ribalta's roster spot. Lovelady walked in a run with the bases loaded for San Francisco's final run. Ribalta notched the save on Thursday in Pittsburgh and was then demoted to AAA on Friday.

(18:05) James Wood crushed an opposite field homer 441 feet late in the contest.  Wood is now tied with Abrams for the team lead in homers with six.

(22:00) Daylen Lile hit his 1st homer of the year to bring up his OPS to .691. Lile has not yet tripled this season, after having 11 of them in his rookie year.

(26:30) The Nationals just went 5-2 on the road trip, but only have one home victory.

(28:45) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Saturday afternoon vs. San Francisco. Cavalli's ERA is 4.60 through four starts this season.

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The Nats split the series in Pittsburgh by emerging with a 8-7 extra-inning win on Thursday afternoon. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al run through the seesaw affair, that was scoreless after four innings of play.

(05:20) The offense scored eight runs despite going 1 for 14 w/ RISP. The Pirates were a big help in that department as they committed four errors, including some terrible defense in the Nationals four-run top of the 5th inning.  James Wood's RBI single in the top of the 10th to break the tie was the only RISP to come across the plate.

(10:00) CJ Abrams reached base four times for the second straight day.  This time he singled, walked twice, and was hit by a pitch in the victory.  Abrams OPS is now up to 1.191, the highest in the National League.

(13:40) Foster Griffin's outing was going well until he allowed four Pittsburgh runs in the bottom of the 5th.  Griffin struck out seven hitters on 89 pitches and is currently sporting a 3.05 ERA through four starts.

(16:45) Six relievers were needed to finish out the victory. Colin Beeter blew the save in the 9th, but Oscar Ribalta escaped the 10th inning jam to close it out.

(24:00) Reliever Richard Lovelady was recently acquired off of waivers from the Mets.  The lefty has been in the majors since 2019 and has a career ERA of 5.25.

(27:10) Washington went an impressive 5-2 on the road trip.  They open up a seven game home stand on Friday night vs. the Giants; with the Braves coming into D.C. on Monday. 

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The Nats were blanked for the first time this season on Jackie Robinson Day across MLB.  Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al discuss the 2-0 defeat, where the Pirates scored both of their runs in the bottom of the 1st.

(04:20) CJ Abrams reached base four times in a game with very few base runners. Abrams singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch on two separate occasions. Abrams' OPS so far is a staggering 1.175, which is the 2nd highest in the sport, only behind Yordan Alvarez.

(14:30) Irvin retired 13 of the final 16 batters he faced in the loss.  Irvin continues to get roughed up in the 1st inning and has allowed seven runs in that opening frame over the course of four starts.

(18:15) Brad Lord took over for Irvin and lasted for three innings on the mound.  Lord was the only reliever needed; giving the rest of the bullpen the day off during this endless stretch of games.

(24:00) Keibert Ruiz is struggling at the plate and has done a poor job of challenging ABS calls.

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The Nats bullpen inherited a lead and held on for good in Tuesday night's 5-4 win over the Pirates. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al begin with CJ Abrams, who continued his recent surge with a solo homer and two other hits.

(08:00) James Wood drew pair of walks out of the leadoff spot, but did strike out three times. Brady House came through with a single and a double in the victory.

(12:45) The offense is averaging 5.8 runs per game through 17 games.

(14:30) Miles Mikolas took over for the Opener PJ Poulin and lasted for three plus innings. Mikolas' ERA thus far is an astounding 11.49 in four appearances.

(19:00) Mitchell Parker had an excellent outing just hours after being activated to the Washington roster.  Parker tossed two shutout innings and struck out five Pirates in the process.

(26:30) The Nationals are 8-9 and will try and get to .500 on Wednesday evening.  Jake Irvin will take the mound in Pittsburgh.

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The Nats were crushed by the Pirates 16-5 on Monday night. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al run through Cade Cavalli's rough outing; as he was pulled in the bottom of the 2nd. Cavalli allowed four runs in the 2nd and was lifted in favor of Paxton Schultz.  Paul Skenes meanwhile lasted six frames and only allowed a CJ Abrams solo homer.

(10:00) The bullpen had an awful night as Pittsburgh scored ten runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Jackson Rutledge had the roughest evening of all relievers as he gave up seven runs in less than two innings of work and was sent back down to AAA after the loss.

(17:30) Cole Henry and Ken Waldichuk were each placed on the IL and Waldichuk might be facing Tommy John Surgery, pending a 2nd opinion.

(21:40) Abrams' OPS so far is 1.024 on the season and he is in the top 20 of MLB at the moment.

(23:00) Jacob Young went deep while hitting 5th in the lineup.

(26:10) Miles Mikolas is slated to start on Tuesday night, but we will see how long Blake Butera gives him the ball.

(29:30) An update from AAA by Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings. 

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The Nats pulled off their first series sweep in Milwaukee since 2006 on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al dissect the 8-6 victory that saw more production from James Wood at the plate.  Wood went deep for the 5th time this season and his OPS has shot up to 1.005. Wood also stole home as part of proper execution of "The Play".

(09:00) Jose Tena & Curtis Mead each came through with RBIs as pinch-hitters in the top of the 7th.

(14:10) Jacob Young had a single and double in the victory and his OPS is an encouraging .789.

(17:30) Zack Littell allowed three runs and all of them came off of solo homers in five innings of work.

(22:05) Ken Waldichuk left the mound while holding his pitching arm in pain.  Waldichuk had Tommy John surgery previously in 2023.

(27:40) Gus Varland notched the save and it seems like that position is still up for grabs.

(30:10) The Nationals move their road trip to Pittsburgh and the first game on Monday will feature Paul Skenes vs. Cade Cavalli. 

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The Nats won their second straight game in Milwaukee on Saturday night.. Al solo hosts after the 3-1 victory and begins with Foster Griffin's shutout effort that lasted into the bottom of the 6th. Griffin issued three walks but only allowed one hit on 80 pitches.

(06:00) Brad Lord relieved Griffin and struck out the side in the 7th. The Brewers didn't score until the 9th, but Clayton Better did just enough to record the final outs.

(10:40) The offense collected eight hits, and the biggest was James Wood's 2-run double in the top of the 5th to open the scoring.

(14:00) Washington made way too many outs on the bases, five into total, and three of them were due to pick-off throws.

(17:45) Tim is joined by the great Scott Jackson from Priority Lexus Sports Radio 94.1 in Virginia Beach. Nats Chat airs every Sunday morning on the station from 9-10AM. Hear about the unique sports market and how the locals feels about Ryan Zimmerman, who attended Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. 

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The Nats began their road trip with a 7-3 victory in Milwaukee on Friday night. Al & Mark have more praise for James Wood, who came through with four hits in the win.  Wood had a pair of singles and a couple of doubles to lift his OPS to .930.

(04:00) Washington used plenty of small ball including two RBI sacrifice bunts in the top of the 9th. The game was tied at 3 entering the final frame, but the Nationals scored four runs in the 9th.

(11:20) Brady House is showing more plate discipline so far this season. This leads to a conversation about new technology the organization is utilizing with their hitters.

(17:15) Jake Irvin had a mixed outing where he allowed three runs in the bottom of the 1st after inheriting a 2-0 lead.  Irvin then settled down and lasted five frames, with five strikeouts along the way.

(23:00) A strong night for the bullpen as four relievers each tossed a scoreless inning vs. the Brewers. Clayton Better took over in the bottom of the 9th after being given a four run lead. 

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The Nats ended a disappointing 1-5 home stand on Wednesday afternoon. Mark & Al analyze the 6-1 loss against the visiting Cardinals that meant the team has dropped seven of their past eight games.

(05:00) Miles Mikolas was pulled after the 3rd inning in favor of Brad Lord.  Blake Butera afterwards said he wanted Lord to get more work on the mound and that the plan was for Mikolas to face the St. Louis lineup just twice. Will the tandem type start become more normal for the franchise in the near future?

(13:10) Cionel Perez allowed a run in the top of the 7th and his ERA so far is up to 13.50.  The 'pen got beat up all series vs. the Cardinals and Wednesday was no different.

(17:20) The offense had a quiet game and the only run came from an early Luis Garcia Jr. RBI forceout. James Wood was the only player with multiple hits as he had a pair of doubles.

(22:00) Washington is off on Thursday and on Friday will begin their two-city road trip in Milwaukee.  They will face the Brewers this weekend and then open a four game series in Pittsburgh on Monday.

(25:30) Davey Lopes, who had a distinguished career in Baseball, passed away this week at age 80. Lopes stole a ton of bases as a player and later on had two stints as the Washington Nationals 1st Base Coach (2006, 2016, 2017). 

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The bullpen's shaky start to the season continued in Tuesday night's 7-6 extra inning loss vs. the visiting Cardinals.  Mark & Al discuss this continuing theme where the 'pen can hang onto the multi run lead it inherits in the middle of the game.

(06:00) Are there any answers for Blake Butera on how to handle this bullpen?

(12:40) Cade Cavalli had an inefficient start as he was lifted in the top of the 5th.  Cavalli issued four walks and allowed a pair of Cardinals runs in his 3rd outing of the season.

(17:10) James Wood homered for the 3rd straight games and his OPS has drastically changed in the past few days (.820).

(19:45) Curtis Mead went deep in the 5th to briefly put Washington ahead 3-2. Mead has hit well so far in a sample size; mostly against lefties.

(23:20) The offense has slugged 16 homers in 11 games, which is a far better pace than the past few seasons.

(26:30) Nasim Nunez stole his 7th base of the year and has not yet been thrown out.  The Nats swiped five bags on Tuesday night and are 14 of 16 thus far. 

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The Nats snapped their five game losing streak in exciting fashion on Monday evening in Navy Yard. Mark & Al recap the 9-6 come from behind victory over the Cardinals that was propelled by a trio of homers in the bottom of the 8th.  

(04:00) James Wood did it both with the glove and that bat in the victory.  Wood robbed a homer at the fence in the 4th and then his 3-run HR tied the affair in the 8th.

(12:30) Brady House continued his hot start with a huge performance at the plate on Monday night. House hit the go-ahead 2-run HR and also raked a pair of doubles vs. St. Louis pitching.  House's OPS so is a very impressive .983 thus far.

(16:25) CJ Abrams slugged the final homer in the pivotal six run bottom of the 8th. Abrams has 13 RBIs thus far and is tied for the MLB lead in that category.

(19:40) Is Nasim Nunez the permanent man at 2B?

(22:45) Zack Littell made his first start of the season (opener used the other day) and struck out six in five frames. Littell lasted only 70 pitches, indicating that he is likely not fully ready for the season.

(25:00) The bullpen had another tough night as they combined to allow five runs. Cionel Perez did come through with a scoreless top of the 9th in order to preserve the victory. Andre Granillo gave up a pair of runs in the 8th and was sent to AAA following the game. 

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The Nats were swept on Sunday afternoon as they could not protect their 6-1 lead in what ultimately ended being an 8-6 loss at the hands of the visiting Dodgers.  Al & Mark look at the bullpen faltering over the course of the final four innings after taking over for Foster Griffin.  Things went sideways in the top of the 8th as Cionel Perez allowed four runs that gave the Dodgers the lead for good.

(07:00) Blake Butera mentioned that L.A. was all over Perez and that he they noticed that he was tipping his pitches.

(13:10) Will there be personnel moves in the bullpen soon?

(16:45) James Wood connected on a 3-run HR to put Washington up by five runs.  Wood did strike out in the bottom of the 9th and he has at least one K in all nine games so far this season.

(23:30) Luis Garcia Jr. hit a 2-run HR for the early edge and his OPS so far is .883. Garcia has not 2B at all so far and has exclusively been slotted at either 1B or DH.

(28:10) Griffin pitched well and put the Nationals in a position to win before the bullpen blew it.  The Florida native pitched  the past three seasons in Japan and made his his MLB debut for the Royals in 2020.

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The Nats dropped their 4th straight on Saturday afternoon to the two-time defending champion Dodgers in a 10-5 loss. Al & Tim discuss Jake Irvin's rough outing where he allowed six runs in just four innings of work.  Irvin is coming off a poor 2025 season where his ERA finished at 5.70.

(07:30) Brad Lord gave up a 3-run homer to the red hot Andy Pages after entering the game for Irvin in the 5th.

(12:15) CJ Abrams homered for the 3rd time this season and  already has 12 RBIs.

(15:00) James Wood struck out twice and he has a K in every game so far this season.  Afterwards, Blake Butera acknowledged that Wood is not "in sync" and is constantly behind in counts.

(23:30) Tim shares his observations from Opening Day in this new era for the franchise.

(28:00) Will we have another 40K+ crowd on Sunday in the series finale vs. LA?

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The Nats were crushed 13-6 on Friday afternoon for Opening Day at Nationals Park.  Mark & Al focus on starter Miles Mikolas, who gave up a staggering 11 runs in just over four innings of work.  Mikolas has allowed 17 runs in just two starts this season and there are already questions about how long he will remain in Washington.

(20:30) Recap of the bullpen's so-so game.

(23:20) CJ Abrams launched a 3-run HR in the 1st inning to briefly put the Nats up 3-0 on LA.

(28:25) Blake Butera was very complimentary of the 41K+ crowd after his first home game as Skipper.

(31:00) Our first fan submitted shoutout of the season.  If you want one, please email natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

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The Nats had a gut punch extra-inning loss on Wednesday afternoon.  Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al react to the 6-5 defeat where the Nationals blew a 5-1 late inning lead.

(05:00) The bullpen did not get it done as four relievers gave up a run.  Cole Henry took the loss after giving up a RBI leadoff single in the bottom of the 10th.

(09:45) Could Brad Lord have taken the mound late in the game?

(12:40) CJ Abrams launched a 3-run HR to put Washington up 5-1 for his first of the season.

(13:30) Dissection of Daylen Lile getting thrown out on the bases in each of the final two innings.

(18:00) Cade Cavalli had a much better outing than Opening Day as he only allowed one run in six frames.

(22:05) Friday is the Nats home opener against the two-time defending World Series Champion Dodgers.  Who will get the nod on the mound and what will the attendance be?

(30:30) Tim is joined by Robert K. Fitts, award winning author, who has extensively written about Baseball in Japan.  Robert talks about just how big Shohei Ohtani actually is in his native country. 

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The Nats lost 3-2 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, but still are a game above .500. Mark (From Philly) & Al look react to James Wood's up and down start thus far, where he has contributed offensively, but also is tied for the MLB strikeout lead. Wood came through with a RBI double in the loss, but also had a pair of K's.

(13:40) Daylen Lile has carried over his impressive September into the beginning of this season.  Lile has been mostly been hitting cleanup and came through with a RBI single on Tuesday evening.

(17:00) Washington used an "Opener" to perfection as lefty reliever PJ Poulin set down the Phillies top of the lineup in order.  Zack Littell then entered the game and took the loss while giving up six hits in five innings of work.

(23:20) An evaluation of the starting rotation after the first time through all five guys.

(25:50) "ABS" (Automated Ball-Strike System) is here and has already made its presence felt across the sport.

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The Nats extended their strong start with a 13-2 victory in Philadelphia on Monday night.  Mark (From Citizens Bank Park) & Al note how this is the first time that the franchise has been two games over .500 since.... the summer of 2021!

(06:00) Joey Wiemer's streak of reaching base made it to ten consecutive plate appearances. Wiemer had two hits in the victory, part of the 17 hits that the offense collected.

(08:40) The Nationals properly pulled off the steal attempt in order to bring the runner home from 3rd (!)

(14:20) Seven Washington starters had multiple hits and Luis Garcia Jr. led the way with a trio of them.

(17:45) Foster Griffin impressed in his team debut on Monday night. Griffin allowed a pair of runs in five innings of work to earn the win.  The lefty spent the past few seasons in Japan after many different MLB stops to start his career.

(21:30) Brad Lord tossed three frames in the win and is establishing himself as potential force out of the 'pen.

(25:15) Mark's prediction was correct and the Nats will utilize an "Opener" on Tuesday night. PJ Poulin will start the game and it is possible that he will hand the ball off to Zack Littell. 

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The Nats beat the Cubs 6-3 on Sunday afternoon to take the series in Chicago.  Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al have a lot of praise for Joey Wiemer, who is having a dream start to the season.  Wiemer has homered in both games he has played so far and has reached base in all eight plate appearances. Wiemer bounced around a bit th roster transactions this offseason, but ultimately Washington claimed him off of waivers in early January.

(07:00) CJ Abrams was back in the lineup on Sunday after missing the previous game due a death in the family.

(12:05) This is the first series victory to to start the season since.... 2018!

(16:10) Keibert Ruiz showed rare power with a 2-run HR in the 8th for his first homer since the opening weekend of last season.

(18:20) Jake Irvin earned the victory in his season debut by lasting five innings. Irvin struck out seven Cubs and only issued one walk on Sunday afternoon.

(22:40) Clayton Beeter, notched the save after Cionel Perez pitched the 8th.  Are these sort of decisions made by the Front Office prior to the game?

(28:30) The Nats move their road to Philadelphia for a three game series with Foster Griffin take the mound on Monday.  Tuesday's starter is still TBD, will it be Zach Littell?

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The Nats were trounced 10-2 on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field for their first loss of the season. Mark (From Chicago) & Al discuss a sloppy affair for the visitors. One of the runs came courtesy of James Wood, after connecting on his first homer of the season, while hitting in the leadoff spot.

(10:15) Drew Millas was a very surprising choice to bat 2nd in the lineup.  It is expected that Millas and Ruiz will split catching duties to begin the year.

(14:00) Nasim Nunez made an incredible defensive play at SS late in the game.  Nunez got the nod due to a recent death in CJ Abrams' family and came through with a RBI single at the plate. Abrams also apologized to Blake Butera for the mental lapse on Opening Day.

(20:45) Miles Mikolas lasted five innings in his Nats debut, but allowed allowed six hits and four earned runs in the process. Mikolas was plagued with poor defense behind him in the pivotal bottom of the 2nd.

(29:05) The bullpen yielded four runs, but Cole Henry did retire the heart of the Cubs order in the bottom of the 8th.

(31:00) Washington acquired utility man Curtis Mead, who has previous big league experience. 

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The Nats began their season in style with a 10-4 road victory over the Cubs on a chilly Thursday afternoon. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al discuss the strong start for the offense, as a trio of Nationals went deep.  Joey Wiemer got things going with a solo shot in the 2nd while getting the nod in RF. The other homers came courtesy of Jacob Young and Brady House in the 9th for some welcomed insurance.

(12:00) The first lineup card under Blake Butera had a few surprises, including Andres Chpparo hitting 2nd.

(16:30) The bullpen had a busy and effective afternoon as four pitchers combined for just over five innings of work. Brad Lord earned the win as the versatile pitcher is beginning this season in relief. Veteran lefty Cionel Perez notched the save in his first appearance with Washington.

(22:05) Cade Cavalli's Opening Day start only lasted into the bottom of the 4th, but he did record five strikeouts along the way.  Cavalli tossed 75 pitches before handing it off the P.J. Poulin.

(25:40) CJ Abrams had a 2-run single in the 4th, but it also included a mental mistake.  Abrams admired his long hit, but it did not go over the fence and it resulted in him getting thrown at 2nd base.

(31:00) Update on Josiah Gray's latest trip to the 60-day IL. 

(35:30) Miles Mikolas will start on Saturday and Jake Irvin will take the mound in Chicago on Sunday.

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Al & Mark convene just a few days before the Nationals open the season at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon. There has been a flurry of roster activity in the past few days as Spring Training is finished and the Paul Toboni Era is underway.

(04:45) Josiah Gray was surprisingly placed on the 60- Day IL on Monday evening (Right flexor strain). Gray has not pitched for the Nats since April 2024 due to injury.

(14:35) Why was Dylan Crews demoted to AAA?  Crews was sent down on Friday afternoon to the surprise of many.

(28:30) Harry Ford, acquired from Seattle in exchange for Jose A. Ferrer, will also start his season in Rochester. A few months ago it was widely expected hat Ford would be starting catcher for the Nats on Opening Day.

(31:45) Robert Hassell III, who saw time in the majors last season, also will begin the year in AAA.

(35:10) Season predictions and potential areas of optimism. 

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