Nats Chat

The Nats scorching start to September continued on Tuesday night as they held off the Marlins 7-5 for a 4th straight victory.  Mark (From South Florida) & Al take note that Washington is now within striking distance of both Atlanta & Miami in the NL East.  The Nationals are six wins behind the Marlins with 18 games remaining.

(06:30) Josh Bell crushed a 3-run HR in the top of the 1st for his 4th homer in the past three games.  Bell is now up to 20 HRs on the season and it is now plausible that he could be back in 2026.

(10:10) Daylen Lile also went deep and his past few months are becoming reminiscent of Joey Meneses back in 2022. Lile's OPS is now up .777 and he is just behind CJ Abrams in that category.

(14:40) The catching situation continues to have its obstacles as Riley Adams got hit in a tough spot.  He was replaced by Jorge Alfaro, who himself suffered a similar fate in the bottom of the 9th.  Alfaro stayed in the game, but Andres Chaparro was waiting in the wings as the team's emergency catcher.

(17:30) Mitchell Parker had a real solid outing as he pitched into the bottom of the 8th.  It is the longest the lefty lasted since all the way back to April 22nd.

(23:00) Washington led 7-2 entering the bottom of the 9th and the inning turned into a bit of a circus.  Jose A. Ferrer was needed to relieve Cole Henry for the final out as the Marlins unexpectedly brought the tying run to the plate.

(27:15) Sorting through reports about the Nationals search for a new Head of Baseball Operations. Carter Hawkins, Cubs GM,  is among those who apparently have interviewed for the position.

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The Nats hot start to September continued on Monday night in their 15-7 pasting of the Marlins.  Mark (From Miami) & Al have four Nationals homers (two by Josh Bell) to sort through as the team has won six of their past seven games.

(05:00) Dylan Crews hit his first homer since May 20th, which came just before he landed on the IL all summer.  Crews had a big game on Monday night as he had three hits and knocked in four runs.

(10:15) Luis Garcia Jr. began the scoring barrage with a solo homer into the empty second deck at LoanDepot Park. This leads to a discussion on if his bat might merit a move to 1B for next season.

(16:30) Cade Cavalli the past few years has joined the team in Miami in the clubhouse, but this time he got to take the mound in South Florida.  Cavalli lasted five innings and earned the win despite only recording one strikeout.

(25:40) Keibert Ruiz is experiencing a re-occurrence of mild headaches after taking a foul ball to the face mask in a recent rehab assignment with AA-Harrisburg.  Ruiz will next meet with the team's doctors and it is unlikely for him to return to the field this season.

(31:30) MacKenzie Gore will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and that is a very encouraging sign. The lefty was placed on the 15-Day IL on August 30th due to shoulder inflammation. 

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The Nats trailed the Cubs 3-1 entering the 9th inning, but a couple of homers later, they emerged victorious by a score of 6-3 Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Tim recap the Nationals 5th win in the past six games to take their second straight series.

(03:00) Josh Bell's gave Washington the lead for good with a pinch-hit 3-run home run in the 9th.  Bell was given was the day off, but hit for Riley Adams in the 3rd spot in the order.  Robert Hassell III began the rally with a solo homer and the Nats ended up scoring five runs in the final frame.

(05:45) Daylen Lile singled, tripled, and scored a pair of runs in the win.  Lile impressed the Chicago crowd by tripling three times over the weekend and his OPS is now up to .770 in his rookie season.

(08:15) Brady House started all weekend at 3B and came through on Sunday with a pair of sacrifice flies.  Paul DeJong meanwhile did not play at all in the series.

(14:00) Andrew Alvarez lasted just under five innings in his 2nd career start. The lefty made two starts this past week and is expected to take the mound this upcoming Friday vs. Pittsburgh.

(17:45) The bullpen came through again and only allowed one run in just over four innings of work.  Clayton Beeter recorded the first four outs and he has been a success for Washington since they acquired him in the Amed Rosario trade with the Yankees in late July.

(20:30) The Cubs used lefty Drew Pomeranz as an Opener on Sunday in the top of the 1st.  Will the Nats give this a shot this month in a different game?

(23:10) Josiah Gray made his rehab stint of the season with High-A Wilmington on Sunday.  Gray lasted just over an inning and threw 34 pitches for the Blue Rocks. 

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We learned on Saturday morning that Davey Johnson, the Manager of the Nationals when they won their first NL East title in 2012, peacefully passed away the previous day at age 82. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al note that some of Johnson's managerial traits were utilized by Miguel Cairo in the Nationals 2-1 afternoon victory over the Cubs.

(05:00) Jose A Ferrer continued his brilliant stretch in tossing a perfect bottom of the 8th.  Ferrer has struck out 16 batters in his last 15.1 IP. Cole Henry came in behind him to notch his 2nd career save.

(12:15) Brad Lord almost lasted six innings in earning the victory in Chicago.  Lord bounced back after having three consecutive shaky outings in August.

(16:10) Jorge Alfaro was surprisingly hitting 3rd and came through with a RBI single in the top of the 1st.  Alfaro was out of the majors for over two years until the Nationals acquired the veteran catcher earlier this week.

(18:30) Daylen Lile continued his red hot surge with a solo homer to take the lead for good in the top of the 4th. Lile's OPS is up to .758 this season and he quietly has entered the crowded race for NL Rookie of the Year.

(22:05) Mark explains how Davey Johnson took over the Nationals in the summer of 2011 after the stunning resignation of Jim Riggleman.

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The Nats three game win streak came to an abrupt halt during Friday afternoon's 11-5 loss to the Cubs. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al convene after the Chicago warm wind was flying out towards the lake; leading to four Cubs home runs.

(04:45) Jake Irvin gave up two of those homers and allowed seven runs in his brief outing.  Irvin's ceded five runs in the bottom of the 1st and his first inning ERA this season is at a woeful 11.17; the worst in Baseball.  Why does the team never experiment using an Opener for Irvin?

(18:30) Daylen Lile tripled twice while hitting out of the cleanup spot.  Lile is only the 6th player in franchise history to pull off the feat and he is hitting 7 for 15 so far in September.

(22:05) James Wood struck out twice on Friday and he leads MLB with 190Ks, fourteen more than Detroit's Riley Greene.

(24:30) Jarlin Susana has right lat strain, just a few days after landing on the 7-Day IL with AA-Harrisburg.

(27:45) Josiah Gray will pitch two innings on Sunday for High-A Wilmington.  This will be the first competitive baseball game Gray has pitched in since June 30th, 2024. 

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The Nats turned an eight game skid into a three game sweep of the visiting Marlins.  Al & Mark convene after the Nationals pulled off their 2nd sweep of the season and just like the one in Baltimore back in May, there were major contributions by Nasim Nuñez.

(04:00) Nuñez entered the day with zero career MLB homers and shocked everyone by going deep twice on Wednesday afternoon. Nunez got the start at SS and also added a RBI single to round out his career day. Nuñez was a September roster addition after spending the past few months with AAA-Rochester.

(12:30) Brady House not only got the start over Paul DeJong at 3B, but he came through with his 3rd HR of the season.  The two previous bombs that House hit both came in Milwaukee back in July.

(14:05) Jorge Alfaro got the start behind the plate just one day after being acquired from AAA-Nashville.  The veteran catcher collected a RBI double in his first Big League at-bat since July 31st, 2023.

(17:30) The bullpen yet again stepped up as they did not allow a run in just over four innings of work.  PJ Poulin continues to pitch well as he recorded four outs and saw his ERA drop to 1.59.

(20:30) Mitchell Parker's outing began on the right foot, but it unraveled in the top of the 5th.  Parker gave up four runs that frame and was unable to earn the victory as he could not get the final out in the 5th.

(23:25) Luis Garcia Jr. committed his 10th error of the season at 2B and his defense has regressed this season.  What is the future for Garcia in the field?

(26:00) Danny Haas, who has served as the team's VP of amateur scouting for the past few years, is going back to the Orioles front office.  Haas came to Washington from Baltimore previously and his new role with the O's has not yet been announced.

(33:40) The attendance was small at Nationals Park on Wednesday (11,190), but not the lowest ever.

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Make it two straight victories for the Nats over Miami after Tuesday's 5-2 triumph.  Mark & Al discuss Cade Cavalli's successful outing on the heels of getting hit hard at Yankee Stadium last week. Cavalli struck out six Marlins and this was his sixth start since getting called up from AAA last month.

(12:00) The bullpen continued their strong run as of late as five arms combined for four scoreless frames.  Jackson Rutledge was used to escape an 8th inning jam and Jose A. Ferrer notched his 6th save since taking over the role for Kyle Finnegan.

(18:30) James Wood went opposite field for his 27th homer of the season in the bottom of the 4th.  Wood surprisingly only has hit three homers since the return from the All-Star Break.

(25:15) A lot of housekeeping at the catcher position on Tuesday.  Riley Adams got the start and came through with a RBI double.  Meanwhile CJ Stubbs was sent back to Rochester just one day after catching Monday's victory because the team signed veteran Jorge Alfaro from the Brewers AAA affiliate in Nashville.  Lastly, Keibert Ruiz had a rehab assignment with AA-Harrisburg.

(32:05) Josiah Gray threw 30 pitches in a live BP session in West Palm.  Will Gray pitch for the Nats by the end of September? 

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The Nats 8-game losing streak ended on Labor Day as Andrew Alvarez tossed five shutout innings in his MLB debut in Navy Yard.  Mark & Al throw plenty of flowers to the lefty who earned the 2-0 victory over Miami. Alvarez was called up from AAA-Rochester and was drafted out of Cal Poly in the 12th Round of the 2021 Draft.

(08:45) Alvarez's battery mate was also making his MLB Debut in catcher C.J Stubbs, who was teammates with him as recently as last week in Rochester. Stubbs was promoted after Drew Millas landed on the IL.

(14:10) The bullpen stepped up again as four arms combined for four scoreless frames. Clayton Beeter struck out a pair of Marlins and has registered eight Ks in his past five appearances.

(18:00) James Wood went 0 for 4 in the leadoff spot and struck out three times.  He leads Baseball with 185 strikeouts and continues to approach Mark Reynolds' dubious 2009 record of 223Ks in a single season.

(22:10) CJ Abrams committed his 17th error of the season, which equals his total from last year.  Is it possible his true role is at 2B instead of SS?

(28:05) Nasim Nunez was also called up from AAA as roster sizes increase to 28 in September. Nunez was sent down on June 10th and stole 16 bases in August for the Red Wings. 

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August concluded at Nationals Park with a Rays sweep and an 8th consecutive loss for the home team.  Mark & Al spend plenty of time sorting through another awful month and what this means big picture for the organization. If you've taken some time off from the podcast due to the rough state of affairs, this is a good one chance to check back in.

(08:00) Jarlin Susana was removed from his AA-Harrisburg outing on Saturday due to right triceps soreness.  What does that mean for the righty?

(12:10) When will the decision be made on who is in charge of Baseball Operations on a permanent basis?

(21:45) Washington has not held a lead since the top of the 3rd on Monday in Yankee Stadium.  James Wood struck out three times and will enter September with 182 strikeouts; 12 more than Detroit's Riley Greene.

(30:00) Brad Lord has his 3rd straight bad start and only lasted three innings. Lord gave up seven runs including a Grand Slam by Brandon Lowe to make it 6-0 Tampa Bay.

(36:15) Andrew Alvarez will make his MLB debut on Monday afternoon vs. Miami on Labor Day.  Alvarez has been with AAA-Rochester this season and was Organizational Pitcher of the Year in 2023 while with Wilmington & Harrisburg. 

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It was a not so fun Saturday in Navy Yard as the Nats dropped their 7th consecutive game. Mark & Al react to the 4-1 loss to the visiting Rays that bizarrely saw multiple instances of fans running onto the field during play.

(05:30) MacKenzie Gore was placed on the 15-Day IL prior to the game due to left shoulder inflammation.  Gore told reporters that he is aiming to return to the mound in mid or late September.

(13:40) Another putrid performance by the offense as they only scored one run for the second straight day. James Wood had the lone RBI and his OPS this month is at .738, which is much better than his July.

(18:45) WHY IS PAUL DeJONG STILL PLAYING INSTEAD OF BRADY HOUSE?!

(22:50) Jake Irvin continued to struggle in the 1st inning, but the team's pitching was outstanding afterwards. Washington retired 24 of their final 25 batters faced despite never really being in the game.

(31:15) Who will pitch on Monday vs. Miami instead of Gore?

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