Nats Chat

The Nats beat the Tigers 7-5 on Wednesday evening for their fifth win in a row, their longest win streak in three years. Washington is currently just one game back in a crowded NL wildcard race. Mark (From Detroit) & Al examine another solid outing by Jake Irvin as he only allowed one run in six innings of work.

(08:00) A hat tip to Keibert Ruiz for being part of the success of the pitching staff so far this season while serving as catcher.

(16:00) CJ Abrams doubled and homered in the victory. His OPS for the month of June is at .882, much higher than what he had in May (.520).

(19:00) Jesse Winker reached base four times and currently has the 11th highest on base percentage in all of baseball for this season.

(26:00) The Nationals tallied their 100th stolen base of the season as a team on Tuesday. Jacob Young currently leads the squad with 17 stolen bases and five players have reached double figures already.

(30:00) Joey Meneses started at 1B after Joey Gallo was moved to the IL. Trey Lipscomb was the player called up from AAA-Rochester to take Gallo's spot. This is Lipscomb's third stint at the majors this year and Al discusses why he hopes that he stays at this level for the rest of the season.

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The Nats won 5-4 in ten innings on Tuesday night in Detroit for their fourth consecutive victory. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al begin with the clutch bullpen effort that combined for over five innings of shutout work. Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan were responsible for the final nine outs.

(06:30) Mitchell Parker might have had his worst start yet as he was removed in the 5th inning. Parker did himself no favors as he committed a simple error that precipitated four unearned Tigers runs. Emblematic of Parker's difficult start was that his first "swing & miss" pitch did not come until the 4th inning.

(15:00) It was a quirky night for the offense as they scored five runs off just five hits, but went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. CJ Abrams tripled and then scored on a foul ball for a sacrifice fly, one of two sacrifice flies that Lane Thomas had on Tuesday night.

(19:00) Joey Gallo left the game early due to hurting his left hamstring. There is a good chance that he lands on the IL and an infielder might be called up from AAA-Rochester to take his roster spot.

(24:00) Joey Meneses has quietly not been in the lineup a lot lately and only started in three games during the homestand. Al points out his lower usage as the team figures out what to do with the Gallo injury at 1B.

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The Nats topped the Braves 8-5 on Sunday afternoon to end the weekend with three consecutive victories. Mark & Al discuss the Nationals second series win over Atlanta in just the past few weeks.

(05:00) Keibert Ruiz had a big day as he hit a 3 run homer and knocked in four runs. Ruiz's home run was part of a seven run inning for Washington in the bottom of the 4th while facing a rookie pitcher (Hurston Waldrep).

(16:00) DJ Herz had a short outing and Mark analyzes what he has seen from the lefty so far. Before the game it was announced that Patrick Corbin's next start was pushed back a few days and won't pitch in Detroit. Is this a sign that he is on way from being out of the rotation?

(23:00) Kyle Finnegan was unexpectedly needed to record the final three outs as Jordan Weems struggled with a six run lead in the final inning. Weems had a bad homestand and his ERA for the year is at 7.13.

(29:00) Sean Doolittle was elevated for the weekend as the pitching coach Jim Hickey was away. Will the positive press that Doolittle is garnering lead to him getting other job offers after the season?

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The Nats defeated the Braves 7-3 on Saturday afternoon in D.C. for their second straight win. Mark & Al have a dozen hits to sort through as the offense scored in five of the initial six frames on Saturday. It was the second time in the past few weeks that the Nationals handed a loss to Atlanta starter Charlie Morton.

(07:00) Nick Senzel had a pair of doubles and hit a late homer to give Washington a comfortable lead. Al points out how Senzel's offensive production has floated below the radar this season.

(17:00) MacKenzie Gore earned the win but it was another inefficient outing in terms of pitches thrown. Gore was charged with two runs in five innings of work and was replaced after his 99th pitch in the top of the 6th. Mark explains whether or not Gore is on a pitch count for this season.

(24:00) Kyle Finnegan was not used and three relievers combined to record the final twelve outs. Dylan Floro threw a scoreless 8th and his ERA is at 1.15.

(29:45) The horse co owned by Jayson Werth won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday (Dornoch) despite being listed at 17-1 before the race.

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The Nats beat the Braves 2-1 on Friday to end their four game losing streak. Al & Tim recap Jake Irvin's six shutout innings that came on 96 pitches. Irvin's ERA is at 3.12 and he has put himself into contention to make next month's All Star game.

(10:00) The bullpen held onto the lead despite a few sloppy mistakes late in the game. Hunter Harvey returned to the mound just one day after giving up a trio of runs against Atlanta. Kyle Finnegan notched his 17th save of the season, which ranks fourth in MLB. Nick Senzel helped turn a pivotal double play to keep the lead intact for Finnegan in the final frame.

(17:00) Both of the Nationals runs came in the bottom of the 4th and it was propelled by the running game. That element was prevalent for Washington early in the season, but has tapered off in the past month, as evidenced by CJ Abrams getting his first stolen base on Friday night since May 4th.

(25:00) A wide angle lens view of the season so far that leads an examination of Keibert Ruiz's contract.

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The Nats scored first but ultimately fell 5-2 on Thursday night vs. the visiting Braves for their fourth straight defeat. Mark & Al have another mediocre showing from the offense to parse through as the only production came from Back to Back homers in the bottom of the 6th (CJ Abrams & Lane Thomas). Jesse Winker was the only member of the lineup to come through with multiple hits as the team collected just six in total.

(09:00) Jacob Young made a great sliding catch in the middle of the game. It was additionally noteworthy as Victor Robles dropped a routine fly ball in his second game with the Mariners on Thursday.

(14:00) Mitchell Parker was facing Atlanta for the second time this summer and had a no hitter going until the top of the 6th. Parker then gave up a pair of runs after Adam Duvall homered off of him to tie the game in the 7th. Parker has made ten starts so far this year and has not allowed more than three runs in any outing.

(19:00) The game was tied 2-2 after entering the top of the 8th and Hunter Harvey had a rare bad outing that let the Braves pull away. It is the first appearance that Harvey allowed multiple runs in since April 23rd.

(24:00) How much heat is there now on hitting coach Darnell Coles? The organization has not made a mid season change in that role since July of 2013 when Rick Eckstein was removed.

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The Nats were clobbered 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon for a third consecutive loss to the visiting Mets. Al & Mark begin with Davey Martinez being openly critical of CJ Abrams and his role as the team's leadoff hitter. Abrams went 1 for 7 this series and his OPS is .739 on the season. Abrams also denied the opportunity to speak with the media after the game.

(14:00) The offense was only able to muster one run and that came via "Small Ball" late in a rout. There were also two more outs made on the bases as Jesse Winker was caught stealing and Luis Garcia Jr. had bad luck on a hard liner.

(17:00) It was another bad Patrick Corbin outing as he was charged with six runs. What are the chances he loses his rotation spot this summer?

(27:00) No off day for Washington as the Braves come to town on Thursday for a four game set. They have not a day off since Thursday May 23rd and will have to wait for this upcoming Monday to rest.

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The Nats lost 6-3 to the Mets on Tuesday night in D.C. for their fourth loss in the past five game. Mark & Al evaluate the news that Trevor Williams is headed to the 15-day IL due to a right flexor muscle strain (same injury as Josiah Gray). Williams' ERA so far this season is just 2.22 in 11 starts.

(06:00) The nod instead went to DJ Herz, a lefty that was called up from AAA Rochester. Washington acquired Herz last summer as part of the Jeimer Candelario trade with the Cubs. Herz pitched into the the 5th and allowed four runs in his debut. The hosts look into why Herz is ahead of Jackson Rutledge in the pecking order.

(14:00) Quick update on Josiah Gray as he threw a simulated game on Tuesday. Gray has been on the IL since April 9th.

(17:00) Kyle Finnegan surprisingly pitched the top of the 9th as the Nationals were trailing 5-2 and allowed a run. Why did he appear in the game in that sort of situation as opposed to Tanner Rainey?

(21:00) CJ Abrams and Jacob Young were each back in the lineup on Tuesday evening. Young had a an excellent game at the plate as he reached base four times and knocked in a pair of runs. This segment leads to an extended conversation on the state of the team's offense.

(34:00) The Nats look to avoid getting swept on Wednesday afternoon as Patrick Corbin will take the mound, but there is rain the forecast.

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The Nats opened the homestand with a 8-7 loss on Monday night to the Mets. Al & Mark recap the game that felt like it was from Pre Pitch Clock era as it lasted almost three and a half hours. MacKenzie Gore's pitching didn't help as he allowed six runs in just over four innings of work. It was first the bad start that Gore has had since May 5th, when he also gave up six runs.

(09:00) The bullpen also struggled in the series opener as Dylan Floro and Jacob Barnes each gave up a run. Tanner Rainey pitched the 9th and it was his first appearance on the mound since May 21st.

(17:00) CJ Abrams and Jacob Young were both out of the lineup and at least one of them might have to head to the IL in the near future. The offense collected 11 hits without them and it included a Joey Gallo HR.

(20:00) Lane Thomas played CF again and had his fourth outfield assist of the season. Is he the best outfield arm that the franchise has ever had?

(27:00) Drew Millas got the start behind the plate but went 0 for 4 and made the final out in the process. Millas came to bat in the bottom of the 9th and strick out with the tying runner standing at 3B.

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The Nats avoided the sweep with a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland to conclude a winning road trip. Mark (From Progressive Field) & Al have another very good Jake Irvin outing to discuss as the young right-hander lasted six innings and threw 98 pitches. Irvin has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts.

(05:00) Mark gives the latest on CJ Abrams and Jacob Young, both of which did not play on Sunday. Abrams hurt his shoulder on Friday night and Young exited Saturday with a swollen hand after being hit by a pitch.

(12:00) The bullpen used three arms to finish off the win and the hosts note that there has less relief pitcher usage recently. This is a difficult stretch as the next scheduled off day is not until June 10th.

(16:00) The offense came through with an early four run in the top of the 2nd. Joey Meneses had a RBI double and Ildemaro Vargas, in the lineup for Abrams, collected a RBI single. Lane Thomas had a good afternoon while playing CF as he had two RBIs.

(20:00) Nick Senzel was picked off and the Nationals have now been picked off eight times in the past ten games!

(23:30) Drew Millas and Riley Adams swapped roster spots on Sunday. Adams had a bad game on Saturday behind the plate and the stated reason for the demotion is to get him more at bats and to get work at 1B.

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