Nats Chat

The Nats losing streak was extended to six after Friday night's 4-1 defeat by the visiting Rays. Al & Tim begin with the offense going 0 for 12 w/ RISP and not taking advantage of opportunities to score.  The two worst offenders were Riley Adams (0 for 4) & Robert Hassell III (0 for 3).

(06:25) Chris Johnson, Assistant Hitting Coach, was surprisingly ejected for barking at the umpire following an early crucial CJ Abrams strikeout to end a rally.  

(11:15) Drew Millas had season ending surgery (finger) on the same day that the organization announced that Keibert Ruiz will begin a minor league rehab assignment. Ruiz hasn't played since July 5th and has been on the 7-Day IL for a concussion ever since.

(16:00) Mitchell Parker had one of his better outings in awhile.  Parker allowed two homers and three runs in just over six innings of work.  It is the deepest that Parker has pitched since all the way back on April 22nd.

(24:05) Reading a recent email that reminds us just how disappointing this season has been.  Send in your thoughts to [email protected]

(30:15) Weekly update from Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the AAA-Rochester Red Wings. 

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The losing streak is extended to five after the Nats were crushed 11-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. New York hit six homers in the series finale and out-homered Washington 10-2 in the three game series.

(06:30) Cade Cavalli fell apart in the bottom of the 3rd as he gave up a trio of homers and seven earned runs in his outing.  The Yanks scored nine runs in that frame, which is more than the Nationals scored all series.

(11:15) Drew Millas fractured a finger mid-game and Riley Adams had to move from DH to behind the plate.  This led to Shinnosuke Ogasawara batting for himself and keeping the bat on his shoulder for three straight pitches.

(20:00) Despite Thursday being a day off, the next two starters will be Mitchell Parker & Jake Irvin this weekend vs. Tampa Bay.

(26:25) Miguel Cairo was asked point blank if the team has hit "rock bottom". 

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The Nats dropped their 4th straight on Tuesday night in New York.  Mark & Al have even more instances of poor base running decisions by Washington in their 5-1 defeat.  James Wood didn't strike out in the affair, but he was egregiously thrown out at the plate in the top of the 5th inning.

(10:20) The coaching staff will likely almost completely turn over after the season.  Will that apply to franchise legend/ 1B Coach Gerardo Parra?

(15:10) MacKenzie Gore threw 99 pitches and gave up all three runs on a bases clearing double by Giancarlo Stanton in the bottom of the 5th.  Gore lasted five frames and his ERA slightly rose to 4.15.

(25:00) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon at 1pm as Washington looks to avoid being swept.

(27:30) Daylen Lile missed his 3rd straight game due to illness.  Lile's absence has been felt during this losing streak, but it is unlikely he will start anyhow on Wednesday against the lefty Max Fried.

(28:45) Caleb Lomavita, the catcher drafted in the 2nd round last summer, was promoted to AA-Harrisburg. 

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The recent three game Nats win streak has morphed into a three game losing streak after Monday night's 10-5 defeat in Yankee Stadium. Al & Mark begin with Jacob Young's eventful evening that saw him get picked off and also hit a 9th inning Grand Slam.

(06:15) Young getting picked continues a recent pattern for him.  His base running deficiencies are additionally magnified due to his poor bat (.584 OPS). What does his future hold?

(14:00) The bad base running continued into the next inning as Josh Bell botched a designed play to bring in CJ Abrams from 3rd with runners on the corners.  Why even try it in the first place when only down 2-0? Why do it with Bell?

(18:30) Brad Lord allowed six earned runs in just four innings on the mound. It was an uncharacteristic outing for Lord as it was his worst start since mid April vs. Pittsburgh.

(23:15) The Yankees have hit 218 homers this season, far more than the Nats' 125 homers.  This is reflected in the fact that Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham each surprisingly have 25 taters this year.

(28:00) MacKenzie Gore is starting on Tuesday night vs. Luis Gil, who won the AL Rookie of the Year last season. Gore is looking to bounce back as he has pitched poorly in five of his past seven outings. 

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The Nats held another late rally that came up short on Sunday afternoon on Broad Street. Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al note how the team continues to lose when either Jake Irvin or Mitchell Parker take the mound.

(05:10) James Wood went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and hit into a costly double play in the top of the 8th.  Wood has astonishingly struck out 35 times this month while only drawing six walks.

(11:05) Riley Adams hit 3rd and went 1 for 4 in the 3-2 loss. His OPS for the month of August is .856, much higher than his season's total of .638.

(16:45) Jake Irvin was yanked in the bottom of the 3rd after giving up three Phillies runs.  He was replaced by Shinnosue Ogasawara  as Miguel Cairo showed a short leash for his struggling right-handed starter. Irvin's ERA this month is 9.55 through five starts and his season total sits at 5.40.

(21:15) The bullpen is...... good right now?!? The 'pen was unscathed in over five innings of work between five relievers. Konnor Pilkington struck out the side while tossing the bottom of the 7th.

(27:00) Washington's top three pitchers take the mound this week at Yankee Stadium.  New York is surprisingly in 3rd place in the AL East and are fighting for a playoff spot. 

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The win streak ends at three as the Nats lost 6-4 on Saturday night in Philly.  Mark (From Philadelphia) & Al have another busy top of the 9th to discuss, but this time Washington's rally came up short.  There were runners on the corners with one out, but both James Wood & CJ Abrams could not come through.

(07:45) James Wood struck only three times in Saturday night's loss.  Wood leads MLB with 171Ks and Mark Reynolds record 223 whiffs feels relevant with 33 games remaining.

(10:45) Luis Garcia Jr. took grounders at 1B in pregame before getting a trio of hits.  Could he switch from 2B to 1B at some point?

(16:00) Mitchell Parker's evening started off on the right foot through three innings.  The wheels came off in the bottom of the 4th as he gave up five runs in that frame.  Parker has allowed 28 earned runs in five outings this month.

(25:45) James Wood, CJ Abrams, & Drew Millas teamed up for a great relay play to throw out Alec Bohm out at the plate in the bottom of the 8th. Abrams was the middle man in the encounter and made a perfect throw to the plate in order to beat Bohm home. 

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The Nats won their 3rd in a row on Friday night in Philadelphia.  Mark (From Philly) & Al speak after the 5-4 victory that saw Washington score a pair of runs in the top of the 9th.

(03:30) Dylan Crews had a pair of hits and scored the tying run on a tight play at the plate. The team has a winning record this year with Crews in the lineup at 27-26.

(10:15) Daylen Lile knocked in Crews and then scored via nifty base running for the go-ahead run.  Lile's stolen base attempt drew a poor throw by JT Realmuto down the 3rd base line that brought Lile home.

(13:30) Riley Adams crushed a 3-run HR in the top of the 1st out of the cleanup spot. Adams' OPS for August is a scorching .884 with two homers.

(20:00) Cade Cavalli tossed a quality start that ended on a downer as he gave up a 2-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 6th.  Cavalli has made four starts this month and his ERA is at 2.82.

(25:00) PJ Poulin retired the final six Phillies batters to earn his first career win. Poulin remarkably was in the Tigers minor league system a few weeks ago and one of the reason Detroits let him go was due to their acquisition of Kyle Finnegan.

(31:25) The win streak is in jeopardy on Saturday as the scuffling Mitchell Parker takes the mound.

(35:05) A first-hand account of Eli Willits debut on Thursday night with the Low-A FredNats. 

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The Nats overcame an early 3-0 deficit for a 9-3 victory over the Mets in Thursday's series rubber match. Al & Tim gather after Washington completed a winning home stand against the top two teams in the NL East. It was a costly defeat for New York as they lead Cincinnati by only half a game for the final NL Wildcard spot.

(05:30) James Wood had a bad day at the plate until his 3-run HR in the bottom of the 8th to put the game out of reach. Wood struck out three times and has the most Ks in all of Baseball (167).

(08:30) Brady House was not only back in the lineup, but he came through with a trio of hits while getting the start at 3B.

(12:45) Riley Adams 2-run single gave the Nationals the lead for the first time in the bottom of the 5th. The hosts handicap the latest on the catching situation within the organization.

(17:05) The bullpen came through again by combining to toss just over four scoreless frames.  Jose A. Ferrer notched his 4th save of the season and is continuing to be a late season bright spot.

(22:25) MacKenzie Gore had another poor outing for the 5th time in his past seven starts. Gore gave up a pair of homers, issued four walks, and only lasted 4.1 IP.

(28:15) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives his weekly update from AAA. 

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The Nats held off the Mets 5-4 on Wednesday night as the bullpen stepped up for 3+ frames.  Mark & Al open with Miguel Cairo's curious ejection that came within a blink of an eye while he was still in the dugout.  Bench Coach Henry Blanco took over skipper duties after Cairo's ejection for the final few innings.

(07:00) The offense jumped all over New York's starter Kodai Sega for five runs in as many innings.  Drew Millas had a RBI triple and Josh Bell crushed his 16th homer of the season.

(12:05) Brad Lord's solid outing fell apart in the top of the 6th as he gave up three Mets runs.  Lord earned the win and has Cole Henry to thank for keeping the lead intact by escaping a jam in the pivotal 6th.

(16:00) Shinnousuke Ogasawara, Clayton Beeter, and Jose A. Ferrer all pitched scoreless innings to protect the 5-4 lead.  Ogasawara has looked encouraging out of the bullpen after not pitching well as a starter.

(22:40) Paul DeJong got the start over Brady House again at 3B as House has missed four recent games. House has really struggled against lefties and his overall OPS is only .561.

(28:30) Eli Willits is getting promoted to the Low-A FredNats.  Willits went to West Palm Beach for a few weeks after being drafted #1 overall this summer.

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The Nats were pounded 8-1 on Tuesday night as Jake Irvin was no match for the Mets. Mark & Al contrast that with New York starter David Peterson, who continued his dominance  vs. Washington. Peterson didn't allow a run until the 8th, after throwing a complete game shutout against the Nats earlier this summer.

(08:45) Andres Chaparro collected two hits while getting the start at 1B.  Chaparro was activated on Tuesday after Jose Tena was sent down to AAA-Rochester.

(14:00) Jake Irvin had another bad outing by giving up six runs in as many innings.  Irvin emerged unscathed from the top of the 1st, but then the Mets clobbered him for five runs in the the 3rd. Irvin's ERA is now up to 5.30, after finishing May with a 3.93 ERA.

(23:00) Jackson Rutledge gave up his 14th homer of the season and it is becoming more and more likely that he won't be back with the organization next year.

(25:10) An update on Josiah Gray as he has been cleared to face live hitters. 

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