Nats Chat

The Nats 9th inning comeback came up short in Sunday's 11-9 loss to the Phillies. Al & Mark open with the performance of Dylan Crews who singled, doubled, and threw out a runner at the plate from RF. The offense collected 13 hits on a day when James Wood & Josh Bell were each given the day off.

(12:30) Mitchell Parker was awful again as he was pulled in the 2nd inning after giving up six runs.  Parker's ERA has ballooned to 5.83 and the question is whether or not he gets optioned to AAA.

(16:45) Jose Tena was sent down after the game and reportedly it will be Andres Chaparro taking his spot.  Chaparro was with Washington briefly earlier this season and he could see a lot of playing time at 1B. Paul DeJong made his first start at 1B on Sunday as the team is still searching for a new option after DFA'ing Nathaniel Lowe.

(24:00) The Nationals acquired reliever Julian Fernandez and assigned him to Rochester.  Fernandez came available after the Dodgers had a roster crunch on their 40-man. 

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The Nats had one of their best days in awhile in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the visiting Phillies. Mark & Al discuss the young building blocks that contributed to the win; headlined by Cade Cavalli, who tossed seven shutout frames.  Miguel Cairo showed trust in the young right-hander by allowing him to pitch the top of the 7th and last 90 pitches.

(12:15) Jose A. Ferrer handled the final two frames and needed 24 pitches in order to do it.  Ferrer notched his second save after taking over closer duties for the recently traded Kyle Finnegan.

(20:45) James Wood's 2-run double in the bottom of the 5th provided the only offensive production of the day. Josh Bell was the lone member of Washington's lineup to have multiple hits in the afternoon.

(29:00) Mitchell Parker will take the mound for Sunday's 11:35AM start time in the series finale. Aaron Nola will go for Philadelphia and it will be his first outing since he was placed on the IL in mid-May due to a sprained ankle.

(30:45) Mark has more information on Keibert Ruiz fielding grounders at 1B on Friday during pregame warmups.

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The Nats and Phillies were tied entering the 7th, but Kyle Schwarber & Bryce Harper went Back-to-Back to put Philadelphia up 6-2 for good. Mark & Al gather after a Friday night that  saw a repeat Opening Day pitching matchup between MacKenzie Gore & Zack Wheeler.

(06:10) Daylen Lile homered while getting the start in LF.  Lile is having a very good August as he is hitting .319 and has a .849 OPS.

(09:00) Brady House was not in the starting lineup in favor of Paul DeJong at 3B.  House has only played in two of the past five games and that is causing Al a lot of frustration.

(13:05) MacKenzie Gore immediately gave up two runs, but settled down from there. Gore struck out seven and his ERA dropped a bit to 4.04.

(19:00) Schwarber continued his MVP campaign as he hit his 43rd HR of the season and 5th this year vs. Washington. Mark points out just how costly his injury was back in July of 2021 while with the Nationals.

(24:10) Keibert Ruiz & Jose Tena were seen pregame working at 1B with Miguel Cairo. Is it a possibility that Ruiz will take reps at 1B after he eventually returns from the IL?

(30:15) What does it say about Mike DeBartolo after making a bold move like DFA'ing Nathaniel Lowe?

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The Nats topped the Phillies 3-2 on Thursday night to open a four game set in D.C. Al & Tim have a lot to get to as prior to the game Dylan Crews was not only activated, but the corresponding roster move likely raised a few eyebrows.  

(04:30) Crews returned from his minor league rehab assignment and made a diving catch in RF in his first fielding opportunity.  Crews also singled in his first Big League At-bat since May 20th.

(08:30) Jose Tena was not sent down and rewarded the Nationals with a go-ahead 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th for a 3-2 lead.  Tena has not played much since returning from AAA and many expected that he would be the odd man out when Crews returned.

(11:40) Another good outing for Brad Lord as he lasted six innings.  Lord has reached the back fringe of the crowded NL Rookie of the Year race with his solid season thus far.

(15:00) Miguel Cairo decided to use Jose A. Ferrer in the 8th against Philadelphia's heart of the order. This led to Cole Henry pitching the 9th to earn his first career save.

(22:40) Nathaniel Lowe, the highest paid player on the team, was designated for assignment to make room for Dylan Crews.  This surprised many, but if you listen to our episode recapping the win in Kansas City, Mark laid out why it was becoming increasingly unlikely that Lowe would be back in Washington in 2026. Lowe was acquired last December from Texas in exchange for reliever Robert Garcia.

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The Nats won a wild one on Wednesday afternoon as they prevailed 8-7 at the Royals to avoid the sweep. Mark (From KC) & Al convene after Washington immediately jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Kansas City tied it up in the bottom of the 8th.  Daylen Lile's RBI single scored Luis Garcia Jr. to take the lead for good in the top of the 9th.

(05:00) The Nationals are planning on activating Dylan Crews on Thursday night when their home stand begins vs. the Phillies.  Who will be the odd man out when Crews joins the roster?

(14:10) Nathaniel Lowe hit a Grand Slam in the top of the 1st and it was the first time they've had one since Jesse Winker did so last April. CJ Abrams also homered and Brady House collected a pair of hits.

(18:30) Lowe is the highest paid player on the team and the franchise has an option to tender him in the off-season.  There is a good chance that Lowe is not retained for 2026.

(20:45) The bullpen had a great day as they combined to only allow one run in five innings of work.  Clayton Beeter was surprisingly tabbed to pitch the bottom of the 8th before Jose A. Ferrer came in for a four-out Save.

(23:30) Jake Irvin did not pitch well after inheriting a five run lead.  Irvin's 1st inning struggles continued as he gave up two runs and his ERA in that frame is 10.08 for this season.

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The Nats fell 8-5 on Tuesday night in Kansas City in a game that saw a bizarre pitching line. Mark (From KC) & Al examine Mitchell Parker's outing where he only allowed two hits, but ultimately gave up five runs. It was Parker's 13th loss of the season and his WHIP is the worst among qualifying pitchers in all of MLB (1.46).

(06:00) James Wood continued his latest surge with a RBI double and a single.  The double had an exit velocity of 118MPH; one of the hardest hit balls in recorded team history.

(11:45) Dylan Crews is expected to come back within the next few days and that will require someone being sent down to Rochester.  Will Jacob Young's Bobblehead Night on Saturday play a factor in the decision?

(19:30) Comparing Riley Adams & Drew Millas as the pair have been the two catchers for over a month. Adams had two hits on Tuesday night and his OPS is at .608.

(25:00) Jake Irvin will take the mound on Wednesday to try and avoid the sweep. Will Brady House get his first start of the series?

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The Nats lost 7-4 on Monday night at Kansas City as they begin a new phase of the road trip.  Mark (From KC) & Al open with Cade Cavalli's first road outing where he allowed four runs in five plus innings of work.  Cavalli gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 6th to mar his pitching line.

(12:30) Josh Bell hit his 15th homer on the season early in the game for a 2-0 Washington lead. James Wood had his 4th consecutive  good game as he had a pair of singles and Paul DeJong also went deep while hitting 3rd in the order.

(17:15) Daylen Lile had a single and a double while playing RF in the defeat.  Lile is in danger of being sent back to AAA when Dylan Crews returns this month.

(21:35) Jackson Rutledge gave up the decisive 2-run HR to Kansas City's 9th hitter, Kyle Isbel.  Will Rutledge still be with the organization at Spring Training?

(27:00) MLB Pipeline came out with their new rankings and Eli Willits is atop the Nats list.  LHP Alex Clemmey was just promoted to AA-Harrisburg and is 5th on the list, behind Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana, and Luke Dickerson. 

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The Nats cruised past the Giants 8-0 on Sunday afternoon for their first series win since the trade deadline.  Mark (From San Francisco) & Al have another all positive set of topics to dissect as both James Wood & MacKenzie Gore had big days.

(04:10) James Wood continued his strong weekend from the lead-off spot as he had a pair of RBI doubles.  Wood however did strike out three times.

(07:30) MacKenzie Gore really bounced back from Tuesday's disastrous outing.  Gore struck out 10 in six innings of work and it was the first time he had threw double digits strikeouts since June 14th.

(11:05) The offense was very hot with 17 hits and Josh Bell collected three of them.  Bell this summer has elevated his OPS to .731, almost 100 points higher than it was at the end of June.

(16:15) Luis Garcia Jr. was out all weekend due to a back issue, but it remains to be seen if he is headed to the IL.

(20:00) Cade Cavalli will the take the mound on Monday in Kansas City.  It will be Cavalli's first ever start on the road in the Big Leagues. 

(21:45) Dylan Crews played all weekend in Nortfolk for Rochester and it is unclear in when he return to the Nationals. 

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The Nats hit three homers in Saturday afternoon's 4-2 victory at the Giants.  Mark (From San Francisco) & Al meet after James Wood leadoff the game with his first home run in a month.  Wood is now up to 25 homers on the season and also added a RBI double in the top of the 6th.

(07:00) Paul DeJong and Josh Bell went Back-To-Back in the top of the 3rd to put Washington up 3-0.  The offense totaled 11 hits in a rare successful game against a lefty starter (Carson Whisenhunt).

(11:15) Should Wood stay in the top spot of the lineup?  Shoehei Ohtani & Kyle Schwarber would be comparable examples of power hitting lead-off men.

(14:05) Brad Lord had another solid outing as he only allowed one run in six innings while striking out five Giants hitters.  Lord's ERA this year is 3.28 while flipping back and forth between being a reliever and a starter.

(21:15) Jose A. Ferrer recorded his first save of the season and second of his career.  Ferrer took over the closer role after Kyle Finnegan was dealt away and this was his first save opportunity after the trade deadline.

(28:30) MacKenzie Gore will take on Justin Verlander in Sunday afternoon's series rubber match.  Gore is coming off a terrible start vs. the Athletics where he gave up eight runs in just three innings on the mound. 

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The Nats were blanked for the second straight day in Friday night's 5-0 loss at the Giants.  Mark (From San Francisco) & Al examine the new look lineup that saw James Wood double out of the lead-off spot.

(06:45) Brady House went 0 for 4 while slotted 3rd in the lineup,  House has been up for nearly two months and his OPS so far is a disappointing .585.

(09:00) Dylan Crews is with Rochester this weekend as his rehab stint continues.  Will he join the Nats in Kansas City on Monday?

(12:10) Jake Irvin immediately fell behind 2-0 but settled down to allow three runs in just over five innings of work.  This leads to an examination of the potential Opening Day 2026 starting rotation.

(21:30) Shinnosuke Ogasawara recorded seven outs and lately Miguel Cairo has been using him in a long reliever role. 

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