Nats Chat - podcast cover

Nats Chat

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wirewww.bluewirepods.com
A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.
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Episodes

Swept in Philly

The Nats lost 11-5 on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia for their fifth consecutive defeat. Mark (From Philly) & Al discuss the Nationals being on the wrong end of a sweep and a disappointing 2-7 road trip. (05:00) One positive of the day was that the offense ended their almost week long homer drought as Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker each cleared the fences. The team has left the yard very few times in the past couple of weeks, but Rosario has nonetheless done so five times. (12:00) Lane Tho...

May 19, 202435 minEp. 557

One Out Away But a Loss in Extras

The Nats led 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th but ultimately lost 4-3 in ten innings in Philadelphia on Saturday evening. Mark (From Philly) & Al examine the final two frames that saw Kyle Finnegan blow the save in the 9th and take the loss in the 10th. Finnegan retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 9th, but then gave up a game tying solo homer to Kody Clemens (yes, he is Roger Clemens' son). (07:00) The game ended on a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th . There we...

May 19, 202435 minEp. 556

Nats Drop Their 3rd Straight

The Nats fell 4-2 in Philadelphia on Friday night and have dropped three straight games on the road trip. Mark (From Citizen's Bank Park) & Al yet again go over a struggling offense that only collected four hits. Oddly enough, all four hits were doubles. One of them came from Joey Gallo, who was just called up from AAA following his rehab stint. (12:30) Trey Lipscomb was the player sent down to AAA make room for Gallo on Friday afternoon. It is the second time this season that Lipscomb has d...

May 18, 202437 minEp. 555

Blanked Again by the White Sox

The Nats dropped the rubber match in Chicago as they were shutout for the second straight game in a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday afternoon. Mark (From the South Side) & Al discuss the batting order, which did not include many regulars and had Ildemaro Vargas hitting 3rd. Among those not in the starting lineup were CJ Abrams, Jesse Winker, Luis Garcia Jr., and Eddie Rosario. (06:00) Keibert Ruiz went 0 for 4 and struck three times. This season has been a rough one for Ruiz and his OPS is at a star...

May 16, 202434 minEp. 554

Fedde Shutout Caps the Doubleheader Split

The Nats and White Sox split their doubleheader on Tuesday in Chicago. Mark (From the South Side) & Al begin with Game 2, where former National Erick Fedde threw seven scoreless innings in the 4-0 shutout vs. his old team. Fedde pitched in South Korea in 2023 and was non tendered by Washington in November of 2022. (07:00) The Nats registered ten hits in their 6-3 victory in Game 1 as Joey Meneses had four of them. The last time he had that many hits in a game was September 1st, 2022 when he ...

May 15, 202438 minEp. 553

Robles' Miscues Lowlight the Loss

The Nats lost 3-2 in Boston on Sunday afternoon to lose the weekend series. Al & Tim scratch their heads at the mistakes made by Victor Robles as he dropped a routine fly ball and the next inning had inexplicable base running that led to a crucial out. Davey Martinez noted afterwards that he considered removing Robles from the game. (13:00) Robles was not the only cuprit on the bases as the Nats made multiple outs that way on Sunday. Nick Senzel was picked off in the top of 7th and Jacob You...

May 13, 202433 minEp. 552

A Loss in Boston but Impressive Outing by Irvin

The Nats lost 4-2 in Boston on Saturday afternoon to return to .500 through 38 games. Al begins with Davey Martinez's decision to pitch Robert Garcia for the entirety of the bottom 8th as a tied game became 4-2 before the end of the frame. (05:00) Jake Irvin lasted a career high seven innings and exited the game when it was tied 2-2. Irvin struck out six and threw 103 pitches in the outing. Al notes how big it is that it seems that Irvin can be a long term rotation piece as it shows the improvem...

May 12, 202423 minEp. 551

Corbin Earns the Win in Fenway

The Nats are back above .500 as they began their road trip with a 5-1 victory in Boston on Friday night. Al & Mark have a Patrick Corbin vwon to open with as he only allowed one run five innings of work. Corbin gave up seven hits, but was the beneficiary of great defense by Victor Robles early in the affair. (10:00) It was another busy night for the bullpen as five arms came on in relief to toss four shutout frames. Harvey made his 19th appearance of the season, which is more than half of th...

May 11, 202434 minEp. 550

Outlasted in Extras

The Nats rallied in the bottom of the 9th and 11th, but came up short on Wednesday night in a 7-6 loss to the Orioles in 12 innings. Al & Mark catch their breath after one of the best ever "Battle of the Beltways" as the Nationals held their own this week against the top record in the American League. (08:00) Eddie Rosario homered in the 9th and had two hits in the loss. Rosario only had three hits in all of April, but already has six hits thus far in May. (16:00) Keibert Ruiz has been scuff...

May 09, 202436 minEp. 549

Over .500 in Shutout Fashion

For the first time in almost three years, the Nationals are over .500 on the season as they now are 18-17 after shutting out the visiting Orioles 3-0 on Tuesday night. Mark & Al put in perspective just how long it has been since the team has had a winning record, which is all the way back in early July 2021. (05:10) Trevor Williams continued his excellent start to the season as he struck out eight O's in his 5 IP. His ERA is 1.96 after seven starts in 2024 and Williams has not surrendered a ...

May 08, 202430 minEp. 548

Nats Overcome an Early Five Run Deficit

The Nats beat the Blue Jays 11-8 in a wild affair to capture the weekend series on a Sunday afternoon in Navy Yard after trailing 6-1 early in the game. Mark & Al have a lot to get to, but begin with Luis Garcia who had three crucial hits and knocked in four runs. Garcia homered twice in the series and is now hitting .337 so far this season. (12:00) Jesse Winker slugged a 3 run HR to put Washington ahead 7-6 in the bottom of the 4th. Winker also doubled on Sunday for his first multi hit game...

May 06, 202437 minEp. 547

Sloppy Defense in Loss to the Jays

The Nats lost 6-3 to visiting Toronto on a soggy Saturday afternoon. Al recaps the defeat as the Nationals yet again miss an opportunity to move above .500. The defense was bad as they committed four errors and all four runs that Jake Irvin allowed were unearned. Nick Senzel had two throwing errors in the loss and Trey Lipscomb also struggled at 1B. (10:00) Tanner Rainey tossed a scoreless top of the 9th inning. It ends a string of three consecutive outings of giving up at least one run. (13:10)...

May 05, 202419 minEp. 546

A Rally Turns Into a Rout

The Nats beat the visiting Blue Jays 9-3 on Friday night after initially trailing 3-0 in the 2nd inning. Al & Mark begin with Luis Garcia Jr., who did not start but flipped the game with a pinch hit 3 run HR in the bottom of the 7th to grab the lead. Garcia has been platooned as of late, but he is hitting .300 on the season. (13:30) Jacob Young exited the evening early due to back spasms. Young hit lead-off as Davey Martinez decided to tinker the lineup after the series loss in Texas. (18:45...

May 04, 202437 minEp. 545

Blanked in Texas

The Nats were shutout 6-0 in Thursday afternoon's rubber match in Arlington to return to a game under .500. Mark (From Texas) & Al discuss the Nationals bats staying cold as they only scored two runs in the entire series. The offense collected just four hits in the loss and Eddie Rosario (.086) was one of the starters that did not get one. (17:00) Mitchell Parker took his first MLB loss as he gave up three runs off of six hits in 5.1 IP. Mark explains that Parker did not get all the help pos...

May 03, 202434 minEp. 544

Williams & 'Pen Shutout the Rangers

The Nats blanked the Rangers 1-0 on Tuesday night to return to .500 through 30 games. Mark (Live from Texas) & Al start with Trevor Williams, who is now 3-0 on the season in six outings. Williams lasted 5 IP and did not allow a run despite loading the bases in multiple innings. (12:30) The bullpen tossed four scoreless innings and it included Dylan Floro taking the mound in the 7th. Is he the new 7th inning guy in the "A Bullpen?". Kyle Finnegan notched his tenth save of the season, which is...

May 02, 202432 minEp. 543

Only 3 Hits in Defeat to Close Out April

The Nats four game win streak came to a halt on Tuesday night in Arlington as they fell 7-1 at the Rangers. Mark (From Texas) & Al begin with the slumping Eddie Rosario, who went 0 for 3 in the loss and is hitting just .088 so far this season. Rosario was signed during Spring Training to a minor league deal after playing the past few years in Atlanta. (9:30) Keibert Ruiz also went 0 for 3 and is hitting .143 so far. Ruiz does not have a hit since returning the lineup last Thursday vs. the Do...

May 01, 202435 minEp. 542

Nats At .500 After the Sweep

The Nats beat the Marlins 7-2 on Monday night to complete the four game sweep on the road and they are now exactly at .500 for the season. Mark and Al begin with CJ Abrams who slugged his 7th homer of the year, rare territory for this franchise. This leads to a conversation on whether or not a long term extension with the shortstop is in the works. (15:30) The Nats had a trio of doubles and Nick Senzel was one of them as he continued his scorching stretch. He came very close to going deep again ...

Apr 30, 202436 minEp. 541

Senzel Homers Twice in the Comeback Win

The Nats beat the Marlins 12-9 on Sunday afternoon after falling behind 6-0 in the 1st inning. Al & Tim recap the big comeback on what is fittingly the ninth anniversary of the famous "Dan Uggla Game", one of the more memorable rallies in team history. It was the Nationals third straight victory and they go for the sweep on Monday night. (05:00) The scoring for Washington began in the 4th and that is when Nick Senzel hit the first of his two homers in the game. Senzel has homered four times ...

Apr 29, 202433 minEp. 540

Nats Slam the Marlins

The Nats trounced Miami 11-4 on Saturday afternoon for their second consecutive win over the Marlins. Al recaps the easy road victory as the offense totaled 11 hits and slugged a trio of homers. (03:00) Jesse Winker hit a grand slam that gave Washington a 6-1 edge in the middle of the game. He also had an infield single that brought in Jacob Young, who scored four runs on Saturday while also stealing a pair of bases. (11:00) Mitchell Parker had a short outing as he only lasted four frames. He ga...

Apr 28, 202433 minEp. 539

Meneses Drives in All 3 Runs in the Win

The Nats beat the Marlins 3-1 on Friday night in Miami to end their three game skid. Al & Mark have another episode of praise for Trevor Williams as he only allowed one run in five innings of work. He has not had a bad outing in his five starts so far this season. (11:40) The bullpen used three pitchers and threw four shutout frames while issuing zero walks. Derek Law did the bulk of the work as he tossed a pair of innings and came away with the win. (15:45) All eight of the Nationals hits w...

Apr 27, 202435 minEp. 538

Yamamoto Outduels Gore to Sweep the Nats

The Nats were swept by the visiting Dodgers on Thursday afternoon as they came up on the wrong side of a pitcher's duel. Mark & Al begin with MacKenzie Gore's noble effort in defeat as his only blemish was allowing an early Solo HR. Gore also threw over 100 pitches, a rarity for him thus far. L.A.'s starter however, the highly paid Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed six shutout frames. (12:00) The offense could only muster one run and it came on a Joey Meneses RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Amo...

Apr 26, 202429 minEp. 537

Routed by L.A.

The Nats were clobbered 11-2 by the visiting Dodgers on Wednesday evening. Mark & Al examine the rough start by Jake Irvin as he allowed a dozen hits and six runs in 4.2 IP. This came a week after he tossed six shutout frames against this same lineup at Dodger Stadium. (11:00) It was another night that needed five bullpen arms and the final two did not perform well. Tanner Rainey and Jacob Barnes combined to give up five runs in the final two innings to put the game completely out of reach. ...

Apr 25, 202435 minEp. 536

Bullpen Struggles in Loss to the Dodgers

The Nats lost 4-1 to the Dodgers on Tuesday night in D.C. Al & Mark open with the multiple costly base running miscues that Washington committed, especially the instance that came in the bottom of the 9th. Did third base coach Ricky Gutierrez throw up the "stop sign" too late for Luis Garcia Jr.? (09:00) Lane Thomas injured his leg on a stolen base attempt in the bottom of the 5th. He initially stayed in the game and a few innings he was removed. Thomas will get a MRI on Wednesday morning......

Apr 24, 202433 minEp. 535

Parker Blanks the Astros

The Nats shutout Houston 6-0 on Sunday afternoon to capture the series. Mark & Al sing the praises of Mitchell Parker, who tossed seven shutout frames in just his 2nd career start. Have they found a "Diamond in the Rough"? (15:30) The offense came through with 11 hits and immediately scored three runs off of Hunter Brown. Luis Garcia Jr. continued his strong April as he had a trio of hits and knocked in two runs. (20:40) Keibert Ruiz will likely make a rehab appearance with AA Harrisburg on ...

Apr 22, 202433 minEp. 534

Meneses Walk Off Single in Extras Caps the Comeback

The Nats topped the Astros 5-4 in 10 innings on Saturday afternoon in D.C.. Mark relays to Al what the atmosphere was like at Nationals Park as this was centerpiece of the 2019 World Series Anniversary Weekend. (05:00) Joey Meneses had three hits and most importantly came through with a RBI single to end the game while DHing. His batting average went up from .182 to .217 due to Saturday's performance. (10:30) Jesse Winker tied up the game with a 2 run single in the bottom of the 9th. One of the ...

Apr 21, 202434 minEp. 533

Short Outing for Gore vs. the Astros

The Nats lost 5-3 to the Astros on Friday evening in D.C. Al & Tim discuss MacKenzie Gore only lasting four innings as he needed thirty-seven pitches to get out of the top of the 2nd. (09:00) Riley Adams homered and has continued to produce at the plate while Keibert Ruiz has been out due to the flu. Will Adams see more time at DH when Ruiz returns? (14:30) Davey Martinez was ejected in after the 8th inning following Ildemaro Vargas getting caught stealing. Martinez felt there was obstructio...

Apr 20, 202436 minEp. 532

Irvin & 'Pen Shutout the Dodgers

The Nats blanked the Dodgers 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon to finish their road trip out West with a winning record. Mark (From LA) & Al recap Jake Irvin's excellent outing as he tossed six shutout frames in the victory. One lingering question after his start though was should he have returned for the 7th, given that he only threw 73 pitches? (10:00) Three members of the bullpen combined to preserve the shutout. Kyle Finnegan notched his 7th save of the season while throwing a 1-2-3 bottom of t...

Apr 18, 202432 minEp. 531

Betts Goes 5 for 5 in Win Over the Nats

The Nats lost 6-2 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium as Mookie Betts went 5 for 5 against Patrick Corbin and the bullpen. Mark (From LA) & Al discuss Corbin starting the season at 0-3 as he gave up nine hits and five runs in 6.1 IP. This leads to a discussion on the chances of Corbin losing his rotation spot at some point during the season. (10:30) The only runs Washington scored came off of Jesse Winker's 2 run HR. Winker is currently 3rd in the NL in OPS, only trailing Betts and Atlanta's ...

Apr 17, 202435 minEp. 530

Mitchell Parker Earns the Win in His Debut

The Nats bounced back with a 6-4 series opening victory on Monday night at Dodger Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day. Mark (From LA) & Al begin with praise for Mitchell Parker, who won his MLB debut while facing the loaded Dodgers lineup. It is shockingly the first Nationals pitcher to win his debut since Stephen Strasburg back in 2010. Mark runs through the laundry list of past pitchers who could not pull off the feat in the past 14 years. (09:00) Four bullpen arms were used and no walks were i...

Apr 16, 202434 minEp. 529

Big Lead Squandered in Oakland

The Nats led 6-1 in Oakland but it all fell apart in the 6th inning and they ultimately lost 7-6. Mark (Live from the Oakland Coliseum) & Al recap the disappointing series finale. (04:36) Derek Law gave up four runs despite retiring the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 6th. This blighted Trevor Williams' final line as two of the three runs he ceded came with Law on the mound. This was another game with many bullpen arms used, as the team sent out 13 relievers collectively over the ...

Apr 15, 202428 minEp. 528
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