The Nationals opened up camp this week in Florida as Davey Martinez begins his 8th season at the helm. Mark (Live from West Palm) & Al open with how 2025 might have elevated pressure for Martinez compared to recent seasons. (05:40) CJ Abrams reported early to camp after his 2024 ended on a very sour note. Abrams was demoted to AAA the final week of the season after being out late at a Chicago casino just a few hours before an afternoon game. Abrams made the All-Star Game last summer and led ...
Feb 14, 2025•43 min•Ep. 677
Al & Mark convene during the early January snow storm to discuss the roster moves that were made in late December. The Nationals recently acquired 1B Nathaniel Lowe from Texas in exchange for Robert Garcia and also signed Josh Bell. Will there be more moves to address offense for the 2025 season? Bell was previously with Washington and was part of the Juan Soto trade to San Diego in 2022. (14:50) The Nats inked a pair of pitchers in Trevor Williams & Mike Soroka. Williams returns for his...
Jan 06, 2025•38 min•Ep. 676
The MLB Winter Meetings just wrapped up in Texas and the Nationals have not yet made an offseason splash. Mark & Al begin with the pleasant surprise that Washington won the lottery and will have the top pick in next summer's Draft. (05:30) Mike Rizzo said on TV that it is time "hit the gas" despite the team not signing anyone thus far. Is it too early to panic and think it will be another quiet winter? (09:00) Juan Soto signed a massive contract with the Mets, but it seems like the Nationals...
Dec 12, 2024•52 min•Ep. 675
The World Series is now behind us and Juan Soto's Free Agency has arrived. Mark & Al begin with a nod to Nationals October legend Daniel Hudson, who announced his retirement shortly after the Dodgers won the title, Hudson was warming up in the bullpen when Walker Buehler closed out Game 5. (05:00) Will the Nats be active on the Free Agency market for the first time in awhile? Will it be a Buyer's Market for the non elite players? (14:10) We give an early handicap of the Soto Sweepstakes now ...
Nov 02, 2024•47 min•Ep. 674
The Nats lost 6-3 on Sunday afternoon to the Phillies to finish the season at 71-91 overall. Mark & Al bridge the end of 2024 to the outlook of the 2025 season. (16:10) Dylan Crews closed out his season on a high note with a triple, two singles, and a stolen base. Crews ended up with 119 Big League at-bats after getting called up in late August. (19:30) Luis Garcia Jr. homered on Sunday to fittingly wrap-up his best season so far. Al points out that he was Washington's best 2B this year sinc...
Sep 30, 2024•40 min•Ep. 673
The Nats topped the Phillies 6-3 on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd for their 71st victory; tying last year's total. Mark & Al recap MacKenzie Gore's stellar final outing of the season where he tossed six shutout frames. Gore's season ends with a 3.90 ERA, a stark improvement from where he began September (4.45). It is the best end of season ERA for a Nats starter with 20+ starts since... 2019. (16:45) James Wood had a big day as he tripled and homered in the win. Wood has nin...
Sep 29, 2024•41 min•Ep. 672
The Nats clubbed the Phillies 9-1 on Friday night to end their four game skid. Mark & Al recap Stone Garrett's "too good to be true" evening as he fell a triple shy of the cycle in his first Big League game since August of last season. Garrett broke his leg last year and spent the bulk of this season with AAA-Rochester. (13:30) Trevor Williams tossed five shutout innings in his 2nd start since returning from the IL. The hosts look at what the chances are that he is back in the team's rotatio...
Sep 28, 2024•36 min•Ep. 671
The Nats were swept on Thursday afternoon by the Royals in a 7-4 loss. Al hosts solo to send off Patrick Corbin after his final start in a Washington uniform. Corbin gave up four runs, but did retire the final 10 batters he faced before Davey Martinez lifted him in the top of the 6th. The crowd applauded and Corbin tipped his cap back as a way to wrap up his six year tenure in D.C. (16:00) Kyle Finnegan took the loss after allowing three runs in the top of the 9th. Al looks back at the recent de...
Sep 27, 2024•24 min•Ep. 670
For the third straight game the Nationals couldn't plate a run in their 3-0 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday night. Mark & Al dive into the continuing offensive ineptitude as the team is now 8-14 in September. (07:00) The lack of runs leads to re-visiting the conversation about the decision in August to bring back the entire coaching staff in 2025. (14:10) DJ Herz only allowed one run in his start of the season. Herz was called up in early June to replace the injured Trevor Williams and ende...
Sep 26, 2024•34 min•Ep. 669
The Nats rough September continued on Tuesday night as they were blanked 1-0 by the visiting Royals in extra innings. Mark & Al convene after back to back shutout defeats and the team has now lost seven of their past eight games. (07:10) Dylan Crews went 0 for 4 and struck out 3 times. Crews' average is now down to .196 after his first month in the majors. (15:30) Stone Garrett was called up from Rochester to replace Andres Chaparro, who was placed on the Paternity List. Over a year ago Garr...
Sep 25, 2024•34 min•Ep. 668
Following a two hour rain delay, the Nats were blanked 5-0 on Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Before we get into the show, we are excited to announce that WE WILL BE RETURNING FOR A 5TH SEASON AT NATS CHAT in 2025. (06:00) Jake Irvin allowed a trio of early Cubs homers and he has now given up 29 of them this season. Irvin is now at 10-13 with an ERA at 4.22 and afterwards was critical of how mentally handled the delay start to the game. (16:30) The offense outhit Chicago, but yet again did not scor...
Sep 23, 2024•26 min•Ep. 667
The Nats ended their five game skid on Saturday afternoon, but the major news of the day came beforehand. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al dive into the shocking news that CJ Abrams was optioned to the minors and will not play the rest of the season. There were reports that Abrams was out at a Chicago casino until 8AM on Friday morning, just a handful hours prior to 1st Pitch. Abrams will spend the next week at the team's facility in West Palm Beach since AAA-Rochester's season ends on Sunday....
Sep 22, 2024•34 min•Ep. 666
The Nats lost their fifth in a row on Friday afternoon, but there were positive items to focus on amid defeat. Mark (From Chicago) & Al gather after the Nationals 3-1 loss at Wrigley Field that keeps the team stuck at 68 wins. Trevor Williams had a solid outing after returning from a long stint on the IL; he only allowed one run in five frames in his first appearance since May 30th. Williams has one start remaining and these outings might serve as a de facto tryout for 2025. (17:00) The only...
Sep 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 665
The Nats lost 7-6 on Thursday night in Chicago for their 4th consecutive defeat. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al react to Washington falling to 17 games below .500 for the first time this season. (05:00) CJ Abrams had a magnificent game as he had four hits, two of which were doubles, and a pair of stolen bases. (12:45) Darren Baker got his first career start at a stadium that he grew up at and he responded with a trio of hits. Baker sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at The Friendly Confines...
Sep 20, 2024•34 min•Ep. 664
The Nats were pummeled 10-0 on Wednesday night to conclude the sweep at the hands of the Mets. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al convene after Washington finished a paltry 2-11 vs. New York this season and the Mets maintain a two game lead over the Braves from the NL's Wild Card spot. The Nationals remain stuck at 68 wins and need to go 4-6 the rest of the way to exceed last season's win total. (14:00) DJ Herz was cruising through the initial innings, but the wheels came off in the bottom of the 4...
Sep 19, 2024•33 min•Ep. 663
The Nats were blown out 10-1 on Tuesday night at the Mets. Mark (From NYC) & Al react to Mitchell Parker's rough outing, that saw him allow five runs in under four innings of work and make yet another mental error in the field. Parker did not properly cover 1st base on a grounder to the right side and Mark explains the severity of this deficiency for Parker's long term career outlook. Parker's ERA is up to 4.44 after making 28 starts in his rookie season. (16:00) Zach Brzykcy was one of the ...
Sep 18, 2024•30 min•Ep. 662
The Nats lost 2-1 at the Mets in ten innings on Monday evening to begin their final road trip of the season. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al react to the splendid start by Jake Irvin, who brought a shutout into the bottom of the 8th. Irvin made a spectacular defensive play to end the 4th inning and had a memorable reaction afterwards. (13:10) Kyle Finnegan was not used, but did warm up in the bullpen in case the Nationals took the lead in top of the 10th. Why didn't he pitch the bottom of the 10...
Sep 17, 2024•33 min•Ep. 661
The Nats held off the Marlins 4-3 on Sunday afternoon to close the season series with a dominant 11-2 record against Miami. Al & Tim put in perspective how many positives emerged from the victory; that showed the potential for the near future. (04:00) James Wood crushed a pair of homers and now has seven in his rookie season. Both of the blasts had exit velocities that exceeded 100 MPH. (12:10) CJ Abrams missed a third straight game due to a shoulder impingement. Nasim Nunez got the start ag...
Sep 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 660
The Nats beat the Marlins 4-1 for the second consecutive day and they have now beaten Miami in ten out of twelve meetings this season. Mark & Al recap the 67th win of the year; and Washington needs to go at least 5-9 down the stretch to exceed last season's win total of 71. (06:00) Keibert Ruiz has another good game this month as he had a RBI single, double, and a stolen base. Ruiz is the only player on the team to steal third base twice this season and both of them have come recently. (10:1...
Sep 15, 2024•34 min•Ep. 659
The Nats defeated Miami 4-1 on Friday night for their 66th win of the season. Mark & Al recap DJ Herz's solid outing, which dropped his ERA to 3.70. Herz only threw 87 pitches and struck out five Marlins in five innings of work. (13:30) Dylan Crews had an impactful opening inning with both his glove and his speed. Crews made a spectacular catch for the second consecutive game, beat out a routine grounder for an infield single, and stole two bases. (18:45) Luis Garcia Jr. hit his 16th homer o...
Sep 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 658
The Nats led early but faltered 6-3 on Thursday evening against the visiting Marlins. Mark & Al run through the sloppy totals that saw no base runners in the later portion of the game and the defense commit a trio of errors. Jose Tena was charged with his 9th error in just the past 25 games and it seems clear that he is not a long term option at 3B. The bullpen did not get the benefit of the doubt from the defense behind him, but allowed four Miami runs in the final couple of innings. (17:30...
Sep 13, 2024•34 min•Ep. 657
The Nats beat the Braves 5-1 on Wednesday to give them their 65th victory of the season, with 17 games remaining. Al & Mark convene after the Nationals finish the successful season series against Atlanta, winning eight out of thirteen meetings. (04:00) Jake Irvin took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and only allowed one run during the evening. Irvin faced the Braves four times this season and only gave three earned runs in those match-ups. Irvin has thrown over 172 innings this season and mi...
Sep 12, 2024•40 min•Ep. 656
The Nats were clobbered and shutout 12-0 on Tuesday night vs. visiting Atlanta. Mark & Al have an ugly evening to recap as the Braves are desperately vying for Wild Card contention this week in the two game series. (04:00) MacKenzie Gore was awful and allowed seven runs in under four innings on the mound. This start was a setback for the young lefty, who was coming off of three consecutive solid outings. The hosts look big picture at the situation moving forward with Gore as confidence in hi...
Sep 11, 2024•33 min•Ep. 655
The Nats lost 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh to finish their two city road trip. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al leadoff with CJ Abrams, who returned to the top spot in the order and promptly homered to begin the game. Abrams is up to 19 home runs this season, surpassing last year's total. (07:30) Keibert Ruiz doubled on Sunday and his September is off to a scorching start. Ruiz is coming off a decent August, where his OPS was at .662. (14:00) Andres Chaparro doubled in the 9th and has nine...
Sep 09, 2024•28 min•Ep. 654
The Nats took both ends of the day/night twinbill in Pittsburgh to lift their win total to 64, which is just seven fewer than last season. Mark (From PNC Park & Al begin with DJ Herz, who tossed five no hit innings during Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. Mark explains the thinking behind removing Herz after only 87 pitches. (09:00) Dylan Crews filled the box score with a homer, double, walk, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases. Crews already has three homers in under two weeks...
Sep 08, 2024•37 min•Ep. 653
The Nats squandered an early lead and lost 9-4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night and now are season worst 16 games below .500. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al examine Jake Irvin's disappointing outing that saw him allow six runs in only five innings of work. This is the second straight start that Irvin was done in by the big inning (vs. the Cubs over the weekend) and continues his recent downward trend on the mound. This leads to a discussion on who might get the nod to start on Opening Day. (15:30)...
Sep 06, 2024•37 min•Ep. 652
The Nats lost to the Marlins for the first time this season on Wednesday evening. Al & Tim recap the 4-3 loss that ended on a walk-off Miami single by Xavier Edwards in the bottom of the 10th. Washington's bullpen could not hang onto the 3-2 lead they inherited in the 8th inning and they allowed three runs in nearly four innings of work. (08:00) MacKenzie Gore was dominant and took a Perfect Game bid into the 6th. Gore struck out nine Marlins and only issued one walk in the outing. This is G...
Sep 05, 2024•29 min•Ep. 651
The Nats started their road trip on the right note with a 6-2 victory in Miami on Tuesday night. Mark & Al open with Keibert Ruiz, who was a triple shy of the cycle in the win. Ruiz hit his 13th homer of the season in the top of the 6th to give Washington a four run lead. (12:00) Jacob Young reached base four times and he has raised his OPS by 54 points in less than a month. (19:15) Joey Gallo slugged a 3-run HR to put the Nationals on top 4-0. It was Gallo's first time going deep since June...
Sep 04, 2024•41 min•Ep. 650
The Nats were blown out on Sunday afternoon 14-1 by the Cubs to complete the three game sweep. Al & Mark discuss the poor defense, that saw three more errors (two by Jose Tena). The Nationals have 61 wins and need 11 more to improve on their win total from last season and there are 25 games remaining. (07:00) Washington was charged with three errors and it easily could have been five. Davey Martinez expressed his displeasure at the poor team defense afterwards. (14:10) Mitchell Parker commit...
Sep 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 649
The Nats fell 5-3 on Saturday afternoon against the Cubs to conclude August at 61-75 overall. Mark & Al recap DJ Herz's outing against his former organization, who traded him to the Nationals last summer in exchange for Jeimer Candelario. Herz was outstanding in the opening four frames, but the wheels came off in the top of 5th, where he allowed four Chicago runs. (09:00) Drew Millas committed a crucial error in the top of the 7th in a rare start behind the plate. Millas did well offensively...
Sep 01, 2024•39 min•Ep. 648
