Nats Chat

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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