Nats Chat

The Nats were blanked 6-0 on Thursday afternoon by the Athletics to end a dismal 1-5 homestand. Al & Tim convene to marvel at how bad Washington has been in day games this year; a starling 14-34 thus far.

(06:30) James Wood struck out twice and went 0 for 4 in the loss.  Wood only gathered two hits all homestand and his OPS this season has dipped to .832.

(14:05) Mitchell Parker gave up four runs in just five innings of work.  Parker's ERA is an alarming 5.43 and his 1.48 WHIP is the worst in the majors among all qualified pitchers in the majors.  Should the Nationals send Parker down to Rochester?

(24:20) We respond to listener emails.  Please send your thoughts to [email protected] if you would like for us to read it on air.

(33:45) It is unclear when Dylan Crews will end his rehab stint in AAA, but there is a decent chance it could come during the upcoming two city/ six game road trip. 

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The Nats got a much needed feel-good win on Wednesday to snap their six game skid. Al & Mark gather after the 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics where Cade Cavalli took the Navy Yard mound for the first time in almost three years. Cavalli did not allow a run in just over four innings of work where he struck out six batters.

(11:00) Jose A. Ferrer pitched the top of the 9th and after the game Miguel Cairo declared him the closer for the rest of the season.

(16:15) CJ Abrams committed a throwing error, but came through with a walk-off single to score Robert Hassell III.  The ball beat Hassell home, but was misplayed by the Athletics catcher Tyler Soderstrom.  Mark had the perfect vantage for the final sequence and gives his opinion on the decision by Ricky Gutierrez to send Hassell in to score.

(22:45) Riley Adams homered in the bottom of the 6th to break up Jeffrey Springs' Perfect Game bid.  The conversation leads to Keibert Ruiz, who has been on the Concussion IL since for over a month now.

(28:00) We had a successful Nats Chat Hangout at Walter's prior the game.  Stay tuned for info on the End of Season Party in October.

(30:30) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of Rochester, gives his weekly update from AAA.  Dylan Crews is currently rehabbing with the Red Wings.

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The Nats were crushed by the visiting Athletics 16-7 on Tuesday night for their 6th consecutive defeat.  Mark & Al run through all the awful totals as the Nationals were routed by the last place team in the AL West.

(03:20) MacKenzie Gore had a nightmarish start that only lasted three innings.  Gore immediately fell behind 5-0 in the top of 1st and ended up giving up eight runs.  Gore's ERA is now 4.29 and he did not record any strikeouts in the outings. The lefty's ERA was at 2.89 back on June 15th when he was on his way towards the All-Star Game.

(16:00) The bullpen had to go six innings and allowed eight runs in the process. Andry Lara had a brutal outing as he allowed six runs in his two innings of work. The 'pen has an unthinkable 5.98 for ERA this season.

(21:05) The offense has been outscored 54-20 in this homestand.  Eleven of those 20 runs have come in the bottom of the 9th when the game is already well out of hand; including four in the bottom of the 9th on Tuesday.  James Wood had another game without a hit, but did not strikeout in the loss.

(22:45) Cade Cavalli will return to the Navy Yard for the first time in three years on Wednesday evening.  Cavalli has struggled mightily in Rochester, but there are not seemingly any better options. Cavalli's only Nats start came in August 2022 before he got hurt for the rest of the season.

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The Nats were clobbered by the Brewers 14-3 on Sunday afternoon for their 5th straight loss. Mark & Al point out that Milwaukee is an organization worth emulating as they continue to win every year despite not having a high payroll.

(09:00) What is the bigger need for the organization? Pitch depth or offensive firepower?

(13:30) James Wood's summer swoon continued as he went 0 for 3 w/ 2 Ks while in the DH spot. Wood's slugging percentage has now dipped below .500 for the season.

(16:05) Brad Lord gave up three runs in just five innings of work. Lord lasted 92 pitches and his ERA this season now sits at 3.42.

(19:20) The bullpen was torched, including allowing seven runs in the top of the 7th.  Zach Brzykcy was responsible for six of them and Ryan Loutos after the game was sent down to AAA.

(27:45) Who will start for the Nats on Tuesday vs. the Athletics?  Could it be Cade Cavalli? 

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The Nats lost 8-2 to the visiting Brewers for their fourth consecutive defeat. Al & Tim dig into another rough start for Jake Irvin where he allowed five runs in four innings.  Irvin immediately allowed three runs; continuing his recent trend of not pitching well in the top of the 1st.

(08:30) Shinnosuke Ogasawara tossed three scorless innings before giving up a pair of runs in the top of the 8th. It is unclear if the lefty will stay in the bullpen or move into the starting rotation.

(11:45) Robert Hassell III got the start in CF and promptly homered to cut the early deficit to 5-2.  Hassell spent the past month and a half in AAA-Rochester.

(15:00) Wood went 0 for 4 with a pair of controversial strikeouts in the loss. Wood had a brutal July as he struck out in 46% of his at-bats last month with only two homers.

(24:05) We read your emails, please send your thoughts to [email protected].

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The day after the Trade Deadline did not go well for the Nats in their 16-9 loss vs. visiting Milwaukee. Mark & Al discuss the rough start to August as Washington gave up a franchise most 25 hits on Friday against the Brewers.

(5:30) Mitchell Parker was hammered in allowing eight runs off of 12 hits.  Parker's ERA has now moved up to 5.35 in what is increasingly becoming a rough year for the lefty.

(16:45) Shinnosuke Ogasawara was called up on Friday and is currently part of the bullpen.  Will the open spot in the rotation go to him or the struggling Cade Cavalli, who has a ERA of 6.09 in AAA.

(22:00 Robert Hassell III is back in the Big Leagues and came through with a pair of hits after replacing Jacob Young mid-game.

(26:10) James Wood entered Friday night 1 for his last 42 against non fastballs. Is the Home Run Derby a culprit in all of this?

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The Nats made a few more trades in the closing hours of the MLB Trade Deadline on Thursday.  Mark & Al convene after the Nationals made five trades in total and three in the final 24 hours. They in total shipped away six players and five of them were on expiring contracts (all but Alex Call).

(04:45) MacKenzie Gore was not traded away and will remain with the Nationals.  Did Mike DeBartolo have full authority to deal away the lefty from ownership?

(08:00) Michael Soroka was dealt to the Cubs on Wednesday in exchange for two prospects.  Soroka was working off of a 1- year $9 million deal.

(09:10) DeBartolo came off very crafty in the Alex Call deal with the Dodgers.  L.A. sent back two top 20 prospects in exchange for Call who was battling for playing time in crowded and young outfield.

(15:45) Kyle Finnegan was traded just before the deadline unlike last summer.  Finnegan was the longest tenured National and now will pitch for the first place Tigers.

(19:00) Who will be the new closer?  Could it be Konnor Pilkington?

(22:05) Josh Bell was not moved and Al wonders if Bell will continue to get DH at-bats at the expense of younger players in the final two months.

(25:45) Mike DeBartolo had a very busy July after taking over as the Interim GM. Will he get the job permanently? 

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The Nats were crushed 9-1 by the Astros on Wednesday afternoon to end their road trip at 3-3. Mark (From Houston) & Al start with the trade that was made prior to the game which sent relievers Andrew Chafin & Luis Garcia to the Angels.  Washington in return received a pair of prospects in 1B Sam Brown and LHP Jake Eder. 

(06:00) A discussion about the crowded outfield entering the final hours of the MLB Trade Deadline.  As Dylan Crews is expected to return in August, could Jacob Young or Alex Call get traded?

(09:45) MacKenzie Gore had an awful outing as the sport was very much paying attention to the lefty on Wednesday afternoon. Gore has not pitched well since the All-Star Break and is his last three starts he only has a combined 10 strikeouts.

(13:20) Miguel Cairo was ejected after standing up for his departing starting pitcher.  It was the first time he was tossed since taking over interim Manager.

(17:30) Josh Bell reached base three times and two of them were infield singles.  This could be the fourth year in a row that the Bell might be dealt at the deadline.

(22:45) Cole Henry has regressed recently as he allowed a three-run homer in the loss that moved his ERA to 5.40.

(26:30) **Special Nats Chat episode will be out Friday morning to cover whatever comes the final day of the MLB Trade Deadline.  The deadline is at 6PM Eastern on Thursday July 31st.

(30:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, provides his weekly update from AAA.

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The Nationals three game win streak was snapped in Tuesday night's 7-4 loss at the Astros. Mark (From Houston) & Al open with Michael Soroka's likely final outing in a Washington uniform.  Soroka allowed a pair of runs in under four innings of work as many expect him to be moved ahead of Thursday's deadline.

(12:00) Stunningly, yet again there was a runner's interference call along the 1B line during a Nats/Astros game in Houston.  This came during Andry Lara's brief but rough relief outing as he allowed four runs. Most importantly, for the first time the call went in Washington's favor.

(19:00) The offense struck out 14 times and they have done so an astonishing 33 times in just the past two games.  The slumping James Wood had a single and Luis Garcia Jr. clubbed his 9th homer of the year.

(21:45) Dylan Crews began his rehab stint in AAA-Rochester.  When Crews returns to Washington, what will the corresponding move be in the outfield?

(25:30) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale as all eyes across the Baseball world will be tilted towards the lefty just one day of the deadline. 

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The Nats won their third straight on Monday, but pregame were dealt tough organizational news.  Mark (From Houston) & Al begin with injury news as the Nationals highest rated pitching prospect Travis Sykora is likely out for 2026 due to Tommy John Surgery.  Sykora was promoted to Harrisburg last month and only made a pair of starts in AA before getting hurt.

(13:30) Brad Lord had a solid start in Washington 2-1 victory on Monday night.  Lord only need 59 pitches to toss just over five innings of work vs. the Astros.

(18:00) Konnor Pilkington picked up the win in another impressive outing out of the bullpen.  Kyle Finnegan notched his 20th Save of the season as Thursday's Trade Deadline approaches.

(20:30) James Wood was given the day off as Miguel Cairo noted that he could use some extra rest after a busy All-Star Break. Wood has been mightily slumping recently as he struck out ten times in Minnesota.

(21:15) The Nats struck out 19 times as a team yet came out on top. The offense though did come up with major moments as a Nathaniel Lowe double scored Josh Bell from 1st and later Riley Adams hit the go-ahead solo homer in the 7th.

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