**Late Saturday night the Nats traded Curtis Mead to Boston in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Connelly Early.  Tim gives a very brief update in the lead-off spot.

The Nats moved back above .500 with a 5-3 win over Arizona on Saturday afternoon.  Mark & Al hold a lengthy discussion about the unusual situation the franchise finds itself in with Foster Griffin, who earned his 12th victory of the season. Griffin is a Free Agent at the end of the year and it is still possible that he is dealt before the August 3rd Trade Deadline. Is it possible that the team and Griffin could reach an extension in the middle of the season?

(12:00) Griffin pitched into the 7th and allowed three runs along the way.  His ERA now sits at 2.76, the 9th lowest among qualifying NL starting pitchers.

(19:00) CJ Abrams drove in three runs as he now leads all of MLB with 79 RBIs. Abrams tied the game in the 3rd with a 2-run double and then later slugged his 25th homer of the season. Abrams' OPS is now up to .924 and the only NL hitters ahead of him are Juan Soto, James Wood, and Pete Crow- Armstrong.

(25:00) Daylen Lile's 2-run triple put Washington ahead for good in the bottom of the 3rd.  Dylan Crews hit a few spots ahead of Lile in the lineup and drew three walks in the win.  This follows an encouraging trend as Crews drew five walks on the six game road trip.

(28:00) Miles Mikolas will take the mound at some point in Sunday's rubber match. The Nationals currently trail Arizona by two games for the final wild card spot. 

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