A day after an easy win, the Nats were smashed by the visiting Braves 10-3 on Thursday evening. Al & Tim recap Jake Irvin's short outing that ended in the top of the 3rd. It matches his shortest start of the season when he also had 2.2 IP vs. Detroit back in May. (11:00) Cory "The Janitor" Abbott struck out 8 Atlanta hitters while throwing nearly 5 innings of mop-up duty. This comes on the 14th consecutive day of play for the Nationals as they have a very fatigued bullpen. (19:45) Alex Call ...
Sep 22, 2023•32 min•Ep. 497
The Nats pummeled the White Sox 13-3 for a rare easy victory on Wednesday afternoon. Mark & Al have plenty of fun items to discuss as the offense came through with a trio of homers and 14 hits. Lane Thomas grand slam broke the game open in the bottom of the 3rd to give Washington a comfortable 8-1 lead. CJ Abrams matched Thomas' feat of reaching base four times as he was able to draw a pair of walks in the win. (16:30) Dom Smith homered for the 5th time this month after only having 6 dingers...
Sep 21, 2023•36 min•Ep. 496
The Nats outlasted the White Sox 4-3 on a Tuesday evening with a lot to smile about. Mark & Al open with Jackson Rutledge's solid start after he had a disappointing debut last week. Rutledge only allowed a pair of solo homers and is the first Washington rookie pitcher to make it into the 7th of his home debut since Stephen Strasburg (2010). (10:45) Cade Cavalli talked to reporters pregame in D.C. and surprisingly revealed that he will be back on the mound in June. Mark relays his first hand ...
Sep 20, 2023•34 min•Ep. 495
The Nats began their final homestand with a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the White Sox on Monday night. Al & Tim wonder why Dom Smith & Mike Clevinger got into it in the moments after Smith's 9th inning solo HR that led to the benches briefly clearing. It was the only time that Clevinger was uncomfortable all evening; on his way to a complete game victory. (10:00) CJ Abrams was picked off and these sort of instances seem to be quite common. Is Eric Young JR. definitely returning as 1st Bas...
Sep 19, 2023•33 min•Ep. 494
The Nats ended their 5 game losing streak by edging Milwaukee 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in extra innings. Mark (From **Miller Park) & Tim begin with Michael Chavis, who spearheaded a game ending double play to escape a bases loaded jam. Chavis was not in the starting lineup, but stayed at 1B after pinch running for Dom Smith in the 9th inning. (09:20) The Brewers are on the verge of winning the NL Central, but the numbers suggest they have a similarly modest offense as the last place Nationals...
Sep 18, 2023•31 min•Ep. 493
The Nats lost again on their road trip, a 9-5 defeat on Saturday evening in Milwaukee. Mark (From Wisconsin) & Al explain how a game that seemed out of reach for awhile all of a sudden became a tied affair in the 8th inning. The Brewers struck back with a Grand Slam from Mark Canha in the bottom of the frame off of Kyle Finnegan. (04:15) Trevor Williams had an awful start and only made it 2 innings. Should Williams stay in the rotation for the final weeks? (23:00) Luis Garcia homered for the...
Sep 17, 2023•33 min•Ep. 492
The Nats lost 5-3 in Milwaukee on Friday night as they are now just 3-10 in September. Mark (From Wisconsin) & Al point out how the beleaguered lineup mightily struggled despite scoring 3 immediate runs off of Wade Miley. There was some brief confusion during a Miley vs. Lane Thomas at bat regarding pitch clock rules and Mark explains what the fuss was all about. (16:30) Thomas hit his 25th of the year and this includes not having any in April. The last time that a National hit 30+ homers in...
Sep 16, 2023•36 min•Ep. 491
The Nats were shutout Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh, but overall it was a good day for the organization. Al & Tim rehash Gray's sterling outing where he struck out 10 Pirates; serving as his season high for Ks. He potentially has 3 starts remaining and 2 of them might come against the division champion Braves. This was the quickest game of the season; clocking in at 1 hour and 50 minutes. (19:00) A veteran listener writes in to us his strong opinion as to why he is disappointed that Mike ...
Sep 15, 2023•30 min•Ep. 490
The Nats lost 7-6 in Pittsburgh, but on Wednesday morning the news became official that GM Mike Rizzo agreed to an extension with the franchise. Mark & Al spend plenty of time dissecting all facets to the news and what it means for the Rebuild. Hear what Rizzo had to say for the next phase, why Davey Martinez's deal got done first, and his commentary about the Lerner's. Is extending Rizzo the right call long-term? (29:00) The Nationals turned an early 7-2 deficit into 7-5 entering the top of...
Sep 14, 2023•42 min•Ep. 489
The Nats lost 5-1 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening for their 80th loss of the season. Mark & Al begin with the news that Jackson Rutledge, RHP selected in the 1st Round of the 2019 Draft, will make his MLB debut on Wednesday night. His ERA this season is 3.71 and it comes through stints at Harrisburg and Rochester. His road to "The Show" has been a bumpy one, but lets see how beautiful it turns out. (11:15) Joan Adon had another no so good outing as he allowed 4 runs in as many innings on 93...
Sep 13, 2023•31 min•Ep. 488
The Nationals began this week's road trip on the right foot with a 6-3 victory on Monday night in Pittsburgh. Al & Tim dive into CJ Abrams' big evening as he had his 1st multi HR game of his career. Abrams is 5th in the NL among shortstops with 18 career HRs. (15:00) Patrick Corbin took home the W for his 6.2 IP effort where he only allowed a pair of runs. Corbin leads the team with 158.1 IP, which is 17 innings more than Josiah Gray. (25:00) Al points out that the Nats have never had a clos...
Sep 12, 2023•32 min•Ep. 487
Amid yet another rain delay, the Nats lost 7-3 to the Dodgers on Sunday in the series rubber match. Al & Mark start with Trevor Williams. who had another poor outing in a season where his ERA sits at 5.44. Williams has given up 14 earned runs in just 2 September starts. (13:00) Joe LaSorsa performed yeoman's effort as he came up just shy of pitching all of the final 4 innings. LaSorsa joined the team on Friday after his recent stint in Rochester. (21:30) A check in on Carter Kieboom who has ...
Sep 11, 2023•28 min•Ep. 486
The Nats outlasted the 1st place Dodgers in extra innings for a 7-6 victory on Saturday afternoon following a 4+ hour rain delay. Mark & Al wonder if Jake Irvin is sneakily the best story of the franchise's season after he threw another solid outing on the mound. His ERA is at 4.20; which is a far improvement from when he last faced LA in late May (5.67 ERA). (13:40) Lane Thomas returned after sitting out all week due to an ailing back and homered for the fourth consecutive game that he's pl...
Sep 10, 2023•39 min•Ep. 485
The Nats lost 8-5 on Friday night vs. the visiting the Dodgers, but that was hardly top of mind locally. Mark & Al sift through all the busy back drop currently involving the organization as it seemed like there was an endless avalanche of news reports involving the Front Office during Thursday's day-off. (04:00) As for the game, MacKenzie Gore struggled and only lasted 4 IP as he returned from the Beareavment List. This is the 3rd consecutive outing that he did not exceed 5 innings of work ...
Sep 09, 2023•52 min•Ep. 484
The Nats ended their 6 game skid by edging past the Mets 3-2 in a Wednesday evening walk-off victory. Al & Mark start with Jacob Young's decisive single over New York as he owns an 8 game hitting streak; which commenced shortly after his MLB debut. (07:20) CJ Abrams swiped 2 more bases and joins rare franchise territory with 40+ stolen bases on the season (Trea Turner 2x, Alfonso Soriano). The most impressive part is his success rate as he only has been thrown out 3 times this season. (16:20...
Sep 07, 2023•41 min•Ep. 483
The Nats lost 11-5 to the visiting Mets on Tuesday; in a game in which they immediately trailed by 4 runs. Mark & Al sing a familiar song, which is recapping a rough outing by Patrick Corbin. He has now given up 30 homers this season and the only NL pitcher who has allowed more this season is his teammate Trevor Williams (33). (13:00) Andres Machado immediately gave up a homer to Pete Alonso upon taking the mound. Hear the jarring stat of how many times that has occurred among Washington rel...
Sep 06, 2023•35 min•Ep. 482
The Nats were swept for the third time this season by Miami and on Sunday they fell 6-4. Mark & Al note the 5th consecutive loss and that they finally will get an off-day on Monday. (04:00) Josiah Gray had a short outing and had a nightmarish opening inning. This included allowing a solo HR, issuing 3 straight walks, and jawing at Jacob Young at the end of the frame for misplaying a fly ball in the sun. He ultimately only lasted 4 IP and it casts doubt on when he next take the mound. (14:00)...
Sep 04, 2023•37 min•Ep. 481
The Nats rough stretch continued as they were flattened 11-5 by the Marlins on Saturday afternoon. They have dropped 6 of their past 7 and are a wretched 2-10 this season vs. the Marlins. Mark & Al though begin with the big organizational news that came pregame as Johnny DiPuglia, veteran Director of International Scouting since 2009, is resigning from his position. Is this related to the ongoing contractual negotiations between Mike Rizzo and the franchise? (17:00) Trevor Williams had an aw...
Sep 03, 2023•39 min•Ep. 480
The Nats lost 8-5 in extras on Friday night to visiting Miami for their 5th defeat in the past 6 games. Adding additional insult to the evening is that the Mets beat Seattle to move back in front of Washington by a half game. Al & Mark recap the 11 inning defeat; which required 6 IP by 6 different relievers. (17:15) The Nationals slugged 3 dingers on Friday and one of them came from Travis Blankenhorn in his first game since getting called up by Rochester. He hit 5th playing LF and this seas...
Sep 02, 2023•39 min•Ep. 479
The Nats successful August (17-11) came to anti climatic conclusion as they lost 6-1 on Thursday night in the series opener vs. the Marlins. Al & Tim discuss the struggling offense; which only scored 1 run in the past 2 games. The lineup was dealt a tough blow pregame as Lane Thomas was a late scratch due to back tightness. (14:10) Joan Adon allowed 5 runs in as many innings and gave up 9 hits along the way. Adon has been on opposite ends of the spectrum in his 5 Big League starts since bein...
Sep 01, 2023•32 min•Ep. 478
The Nats long winning road trip ended with a thud as they were shutout Wednesday afternoon in Toronto. Mark (From Canada) & Al note this end a string of 5 consecutive series victories. The offense was no match for Chris Bassit, who only allowed 3 hits in 8 IP. (08:00) CJ Abrams was 0 for 4 in the loss Al points out the surprisingly disappointing numbers for the young SS in August. His .229 average this month is far lower than when he hit .327 in July. (15:00) Patrick Corbin gave up 10 hits i...
Aug 31, 2023•31 min•Ep. 477
The Nats held off Toronto 5-4 for a dramatic win against the AL Wild Card contender. Mark (From Ontario) & Al begin with the bullpen that clung on to the lead, but allowed 3 runs in 4 IP. Kyle Finnegan loaded the bases with no outs while nursing a 2 run lead, but was able to emerge with his 25th save of the season. (12:30) The Nationals hit a pair of homers on Tuesday night for all of their offensive production. Carter Kieboom homered for the 3rd time since joining the team and Keibert Ruiz ...
Aug 30, 2023•37 min•Ep. 476
Josiah Gray's rough August continued as he only lasted 2 innings in Monday night's 6-3 loss at Toronto. Al & Mark (From Canada) recap Gray's gruesome start and what seems to be wrong with his pitching mechanics. This month in five starts, the right hander's ERA is at 8.84 with 17 walks issued. (17:30) CJ Abrams had a very electric evening (error aside) as he had a trio singles and also stole 3 bases. Abrams now has 37 stolen bases on the season and is seriously threatening Trea Turner's fran...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min•Ep. 475
The Nats came up short in their sweep attempt as they fell 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Miami. Al gets you up to speed on the catching situation as Riley Adams started every game this series while Keibert Ruiz has been out of the starting lineup since taking a foul ball to the mask on Wednesday in New York. It is important to note that Ruiz did pinch hit and minor league catcher Drew Millas will join the team on Monday in Toronto per Mark's report. (05:00) Trevor Williams had a solid outing, but t...
Aug 28, 2023•23 min•Ep. 474
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the top of the 9th, the Nats rallied to come away with a 3-2 win in Miami. Al, always a pragmatic one, wonders if a .500 season is in play, believe it or not. They would need to go 20-12 over the final stretch to meet the threshold. Washington is now two games ahead of the last place Mets. (07:30) Jacob Young pinch ran in his MLB debut and scored the tying run. Young was a 2nd round pick in the 2021 draft and played a portion of the season at four different levels. (14:00...
Aug 27, 2023•23 min•Ep. 473
The Nats beat the Marlins 7-4 and later on Friday night the Mets lost to lift Washington into solo possession of 4th place in the NL East. Al & Mark are astonished by yet another Joan Adon start that saw a No Hit bid make it into the 6th. (10:00) Carter Kieboom continues to take advantage of his opportunity as he homered for the 2nd time this week. This does to be his last chance to make it within the organization. (21:00) Alex Call had an eventful evening in Miami as he had an early game co...
Aug 26, 2023•40 min•Ep. 472
The Washington Post broke the news on Thursday that Stephen Strasburg will officially retire as opposed to waiting out the full duration of his 7 year deal. Mark (From The Bronx) & Al marvel at just how busy the Nats news cycle has been ever since heading to Williamsport. The Little League attention, Dylan Crews to AA, Davey Martinez extension, Stone Garrett injury, and now the Strasburg news in just the past 5 days. (10:00) The Nationals defeated the Yankees 6-5 in the matinee in order to c...
Aug 25, 2023•47 min•Ep. 471
The Nats were routed on Wednesday night 9-1 at Yankee Stadium in an affair where Aaron Judge hit a trio of homers. Mark (From the Bronx) & Al begin with Stone Garrett needing to be carted off the field after his leg ran into the outfield wall. Garrett was seen covering his face with a towel in the immediate aftermath. (14:40) MacKenzie Gore did not pitch well in this game and allowed 6 runs in just 4 IP. His defense behind him was not very good and the 2nd inning was the undoing as the Yanke...
Aug 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 470
The Nats began the 3 city road trip on the right foot as they edged the Yankees 2-1 on Tuesday evening for their 20th victory in the past 30 games. Mark (From the Bronx) & Al recap Josiah Gray's strong outing in Yankee Stadium that lasted 6 IP. It is by far his best start this month and his ERA currently sits at 3.82. (10:30) Hunter Harvey struck out both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton during his flawless bottom of the 8th. Harvey has not missed a beat since returning from the IL. (19:00)...
Aug 23, 2023•46 min•Ep. 469
Sunday was a special day in Nationals history and it was punctuated with a 4-3 victory over the Phillies at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA. Mark (From Historic Bowman Field) tells Al about the unique itinerary, which lasted the entire day and night. (07:10) The Nats jumped all over Zack Wheeler for 4 runs in the opening inning and then the bats went silent after that. Was Wheeler tipping his pitches? Mark points out why the lighting situation at the long time minor league stadium ...
Aug 21, 2023•40 min•Ep. 468
