Nats Chat

The Nats came out on top in a seesaw affair as they walked off the Mets 5-4; snapping New York's seven game winning streak. Al & Tim have plenty to recap from the exciting evening in DC, including the Nationals pulling off a triple play for the first time in Navy Yard.

(05:45) CJ Abrams scored the winning run in dramatic fashion as he came around all the way from first base on a James Wood single.  Abrams also tripled earlier in the game; his first hit since returning form the IL.

(08:05) Dylan Crews had one of his best games yet as he scored three runs in the win.  Crews manufactured an early run by capitalizing on a mental mistake by Brandon Nimmo that unexpectedly put him in scoring position. Crews also tripled in the 9th as Juan Soto was unable to make the play in RF.

(13:45) Jake Irvin was excellent as he pitched into the top of the 8th and did not allow a run through the initial seven innings. Irvin had a slow start to the season and has been able to drop his ERA down to 3.19.

(18:00) Jose A. Ferrar allowed three runs after taking over for Irvin in the top of the 8th.  Kyle Finnegan gave up the big hit of the inning as Crews could not make a diving grab that led to a bases clearing triple by Mark Vientos.

(26:00) Brady House hit his 4th homer of the AAA season and his OPS is at .877.

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The Nats lost 2-1 to the Orioles on Thursday to stymie their attempt at a series sweep. Al & Mark convene to discuss the disappointing offensive performance as they only mustered five hits and one drawn walk.  James Wood & Dylan Crews each were 0 for 3 in the defeat.

(04:00) CJ Abrams returned from the IL and went 0 for 4 after resuming his leadoff role.  Will he stay there or will James Wood get another chance at the top of the order?

(11:15) It was hard luck loss for MacKenzie Gore as he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work.  Gore struck out eight Orioles and moved ahead of Zack Wheeler for the MLB lead in that category.

(15:30) Washington had a solid performance by their bullpen.  Cole Henry handled the final two innings and continued his stretch of not having yet given up a run.  Henry was formerly a promising starter in the organization before needing thoracic outlet surgery (TOS) a few years back.

(23:10) Juan Soto and the Mets come to DC for a four game series beginning Friday night.  New York has won seven consecutive games and have the best record in baseball.

(26:00) An update on Paul DeJong, who will have surgery on his broken nose.  DeJong was hit in the face last week in Pittsburgh and has been on the IL since.

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The Nats topped the Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth win in the past five games.  Mark & Al leadoff with James Wood, who immediately hit his 8th homer of the season, tying him for the NL lead.  It was the hardest hit homer by a National in Navy Yard in the Statecast Era (2015-present).

(07:20) CJ Abrams played all nine innings on Wednesday in his second rehab start in Harrisburg.  There is a chance that he will return to Washington's lineup in Thursday's series finale.  Hear what Davey Martinez's reply was to Mark's question about which lefty bat will be in the leadoff spot when Abrams is back.

(11:15) Josh Bell also homered in the 1st inning, his 4th of the year.  Bell is still struggling at the plate as his OPS sits at a disappointing .577.

(15:00) Trevor Williams only gave up one run in five innings of work. Williams has made five starts thus far and after a slow start, he has thrown back to back solid outings.

(19:45) Four relievers combined to take over after Williams departed.  They inherited a 3-1 lead and the O's tied up it in the top of the 8th before Luis Garcia Jr.s go ahead sacrifice fly.  Kyle Finnegan then completed the save, he is nine for nine this year and leads the NL.

(26:30) Andrew McCutchen recently tweeted that he knows Jorge Lopez was not intentionally throwing at him last week in Pittsburgh.  So why were Davey and Lopez each suspended?

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Tuesday was a fun one in Navy Yard as the Nats blanked the Orioles 7-0 to open the three game series.  Al & Mark heap plenty of praise upon Mitchell Parker, who  lasted eight frames for the first time in his career, and retired the final 17 Baltimore hitters he faced. Parker's ERA sits at 1.73 through five starts this season.

(12:30) The offense broke out with 10 extra base hits and 14 hits overall.  Nathaniel Lowe & Dylan Crews each went deep and three players each had a trio of hits in the victory (James Wood, Keibert Ruiz, and Jose Tena). The team so far has hit 25 homers in 23 games, a more prolific pace than in years past.

(18:30) Tena's big night leads to a discussion on the status of Brady House, who is playing 3B in AAA. House was the team's 1st Round Pick in 2021.

(23:00) A brief recap of CJ Abrams' rehab assignment in Harrisburg on Tuesday night.

(25:10) Colin Poche only faced the minimum three Orioles hitters even though he was pitching with a seven run lead.  Poche walked the first two batters he saw and that immediately forced Cole Henry to get up and ready in the bullpen.  Poche's ERA is currently at a staggering 15.00.

(31:15) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, shares the latest from AAA.  Hear about lefty reliever Konnor Pilkington, who is having a good start to 2025. 

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The Nats split their doubleheader on Sunday after winning Game 1 by a score of 3-2 before losing the nightcap 3-1. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al start with the offense, which only mustered four runs in 18 innings of action. Dylan Crews though continued his hot weekend by getting a hit in each game, manufacturing a run in Game 1 and by stealing his 6th base of the season in Game 2.

(08:45) We point out Luis Garcia Jr.'s struggles this far as his OPS is at .569. He only has one homer in 2025 and his batting average sits at .209.

(13:15) Jake Irvin pitched well in the victory as he struck out nine in just over six innings of work.  Brad Lord started Game 2 and lasted four frames while only surrendering a pair of runs to keep Washington in it.

(17:20) The bullpen certainly had a much better day on Sunday than on Saturday.  The highlight came in Game 1 as Jose A. Ferrer & Kyle Finnegan combined for the final eight outs.  Finnegan is 8 for 8 on saves this season and at 96 career saves; he is 2nd all time in Nationals history behind Chad Cordero.

(27:00) The Nats open a seven game home stand on Tuesday when the Orioles come to Navy Yard for three games.  CJ Abrams has been on the IL since April 12th and there is a chance he could return to the lineup vs. Baltimore at some point.

INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS THIS WEDNESDAY AT 5PM PRIOR TO NATS/O'S

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The Nats emerged victorious on Saturday in Colorado, but a 12-2 lead turned into a 12-11 escape act. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al run through the dizzying afternoon that saw four Washington homers, a dominant outing by MacKenzie Gore, and the bullpen allowing eight Rockies runs in the bottom of the 7th.

(05:30) Dylan Crews had his best game yet in the majors as he went deep twice and snagged a great catch in the bottom of the 8th. Crews knocked in four runs, which is thus far a career high.

(07:35) James Wood slugged his 7th homer of the season out of the leadoff spot.  Wood is currently tied for the NL lead in homers with four others players including Kyle Schwarber. Wood was lifted in the middle of the game for Alex Call for defensive reasons and Al vehemently explains why he disagrees with this decision by the manager.

(17:00) It got lost in the shuffle of the late game dramatics, but MacKenzie Gore was fantastic on Saturday afternoon.  Gore tied a career high with 13 Ks on 104 pitches in six frames and now leads the majors with 45 strikeouts this year.

(22:30) The bullpen inherited a 12-2 lead entering the bottom of the 7th and an inning later Colorado was now behind 12-10.  Lucas Sims only recorded one out yet gave up four runs and his ERA this season is up to 15.26.  It still is better than Colin Poche's 19.29, this after he surrendered a pair of runs while also only securing one out. What can be done to fix this?

(37:10) Jorge Lopez's suspension was reduced from three to two games.  He will be eligible for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.

(40:00) INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 23RD AT 5PM UNTIL FIRST PITCH AGAINST THE ORIOLES.

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The Nats were dealt a curve ball Thursday morning when they learned shortly before the matinee that Davey Martinez was immediately suspended for one game as a result of Jorge Lopez throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen on Wednesday night (Lopez appealed his three game suspension). Mark (Live from Pittsburgh) & Al discuss how curious of a decision MLB made in opting to suspend Davey. All of this began with Paul DeJong getting hit in the face on Tuesday night, which resulted in him landing on the IL with a fractured nose. 

(14:00) The offense was quite anemic in 1-0 loss on Thursday afternoon. Nathaniel Lowe was the only member of the lineup to have multiple hits. Washington only scored four total runs in the final three game of this series in Pittsburgh. 

(17:30) Trevor Williams' best outing of the season was wasted as he only allowed one run in his five innings of work. The bullpen for only the 3rd time this season was not charged with a run. Lucas Sims had an encouraging appearance as he tossed a scoreless bottom of the 6th. 

(23:40) The final leg of the road trip moves to Colorado for a three game series. The weather forecast calls for potentially three inches of snow in Denver on Friday, so a doubleheader this weekend is possible. 

(26:00) Terry Byrom, Voice of the Harrisburg Senators, provides an update on the Nats AA affiliate. Hear the latest on prospects such as Daylen Lile, Yohandy Morales, and Jarlin Susana.

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The Nats lost 6-1 on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) & Al recap the hectic bottom of the 7th that saw the benches & bullpens clear shortly before an Oneil Cruz Grand Slam broke the game open.  Jorge Lopez was ejected after throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen and that was presumed to be retaliation for Paul DeJong getting hit by a pitch in the face on Tuesday night.

(13:10) The Cruz Grand Slam came against Eduardo Salazar who relieved  the ejected Lopez.  Salazar has had a bad series and his ERA this season is a staggering 7.56.  Salazar has options remaining and is a candidate to be demoted in the near future.

(17:00) Mitchell Parker had a fourth straight quality start to begin his 2025.  The lefty only allowed one run in six innings of work on Wednesday.  Parker's ERA is an extremely impressive 1.85 and has been the team's best pitcher so far.

(20:10) Davey Martinez confirmed that DJ Herz has undergone Tommy John surgery and is out for the year.  Herz was placed on the IL just a few days prior to Opening Day.

(23:00) The hosts reset the ever increasing increasing amount of injuries within the organization. 

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The Nats ended their three game skid with dominant pitching in Tuesday night's 3-0 victory in Pittsburgh. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al have plenty of praise for Jake Irvin, who lasted seven frames and only allowed three hits. This was Irvin's 4th outing of the season and by far his best.

(07:00) Following a pregame meeting, the bullpen responded with two scoreless innings by Jose A.Ferrar & Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is 6 for 6 in save opportunities and trails only San Diego's Robert Suarez for the league lead.

(12:45) James Wood led the game off with a towering 445 foot home run. Wood has six homers already this season and is tied for the 2nd most in the majors, trailing Tyler Soderstorm of the Athletics who has hit eight home runs.

(17:00) Dylan Crews went 1 for 3 while hitting 7th and playing RF. Alex Call was the odd man out of the lineup as Jacob Young got the nod in CF.

(22:05) Nasim Nunez continued to do a solid job filling in for the injured CJ Abrams at SS. Nunez gave Washington insurance with a 2-run single in the top of the 6th at the end of a 10 pitch plate appearance.

(24:30) Paul DeJong exited the game early after getting hit in the face during an at-bat. He was sent for a CT scan and it is unclear whether or not he is headed to the IL.

(28:00) A quick update on Andres Chaparo, who was placed on the IL the day before Opening Day due to an oblique strain.

(31:45) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, provides an update from the Nats AAA affiliate. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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The Nats dropped their third game in a row as they were routed 10-3 on Monday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) and Al run through the woeful bullpen totals, which is becoming a theme to the season. Colin Poche was the first pitcher to emerge from the 'pen, but allowed a pair of runs to lift his ERA to an eye-popping 16.62. Jackson Rutledge & Eduardo Salazar then later combined to give up five runs. It should be noted that the bullpen received zero help from the defense behind them. 

(15:20) Brad Lord made his 2nd start since being moved out of the bullpen. Lord only lasted 57 pitches and allowed four runs in under five innings of work. 

(19:00) An update on Cade Cavalli after he appeared with the team in Miami over the weekend. Cavalli is currently rehabbing at the team;' facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

(20:10) Paul Skenes only lasted six frames vs. Washington and gave up a pair of runs. The Nats did not draw any walks on Monday night after gaining a ton of free passes in the Miami series. Nasim Nunez, who got the start at SS, doubled and it was the team's only extra base hit. What kind of playing time does Nunez get while Abrams in on the IL? 

(25:15) Dylan Crews had a bit of a spotlight on him because he was facing the only man drafted ahead of him in the 2023 Draft (Skenes). Crews went 0 for 4 after missing the past two games due to Alex Call taking his spot in the lineup.

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