Nats Chat

The Nats made it interesting at the Dodgers until the bullpen couldn't keep it competitive in a 9-3 loss. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al evaluate the 'pen that has taken major steps back in the month of May as opposed to how the season began. Should Davey Martinez have used Hunter Harvey when they only trailed by one run?

(13:20) Jake Irvin had a shaky outing as he allowed 8 hits and 4 runs in defeat. Irvin's ERA has ballooned to 5.67 after his recent struggles. Playing behind him in RF was Joey Meneses who was in the field for the first time this season.

(20:45) Lane Thomas continued his stellar play in May as he extended his hitting streak to 15 games and has now reached base in 26 straight games. On Tuesday, Thomas had a pair of hits and also threw out Freddie Freeman trying to extend a hit into a double.

(26:40) Washington looks to avoid being swept in LA and will send Patrick Corbin to the mound. The good news is that the "A" Bullpen is rested as they have not pitched since Saturday.

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The Nats lost 6-1 at the Dodgers on Memorial Day evening. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al put in perspective where the franchise stands after 54 games, the one-third point of the season. They are currently on pace for 69 victories; which would eclipse preseason expectations.

(06:00) Trevor Williams had an unusual pitching line as all six LA runs scored against him were considered unearned due to CJ Abrams botching a double play in the 5th inning. Williams unraveled after the error and it occurred while he was facing the Dodgers order for the 3rd time.

(13:40) Corey Dickerson was thrown out at home after Abrams' RBI single and it was not particularly close. Should Gary DiSarcina have sent him? Lane Thomas singled to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and he has reached base in 25 straight games.

(17:50) An update on Victor Robles who has been on the IL for three weeks due to what was originally labeled "back spasms". Mark relays what he observed from Robles in the clubhouse on Monday.

(23:40) Jake Irvin takes the mound on Tuesday night and he has had a stretch of unimpressive performances. Is his starting rotation job on the line based upon this outing?

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The Nationals missed a chance to sweep in Kansas City as they instead lost 3-2 on a walk-off single by Michael Massey. Mark (Live from KC) & Al delve into Davey Martinez's decision to give Chad Kuhl the final two innings of work to try and protect the lead handed off by MacKenzie Gore. Were Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey available?

(05:45) Martinez was openly critical of Lane Thomas' decision to not dive for the line drive on what ultimately was the final at bat of the game. The bottom of the 9th was a poor one defensively for Washington as Dom Smith had a critical routine error that began the Royals rally.

(15:50) Gore set a career high with 11Ks in 7 IP to shake off some recent mediocre outings. The hosts discuss how good the lefty looked on Sunday and what to make of such a strong start.

(25:40) The Nationals promoted James Wood to AA- Harrisburg and he already singled in his first at bat with the Senators. Mark assesses what the chances are that Wood could make his MLB debut in 2023. As Wood leaves High-A Wilmington, Sean Doolittle joins the Delaware based affiliate as he moves into the next phase of his rehab.

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The Nats scored all their runs in the 6th inning in a 4-2 Saturday afternoon victory in Kansas City. Al & Mark (Live from KC) run through the big inning that saw RBI hits from Corey Dickerson, Keibert Ruiz, and CJ Abrams. Dickerson's double gave him 1,000 career hits for his career. It was another game without a homer for the offense that has been racking up the hits lately.

(14:00) Josiah Gray only lasted four innings on the mound while throwing 91 pitches. It is the 3rd outing this month that Gray did not make it into the 6th inning. His current ERA is 2.77, but Al raises red flags in light of that.

(19:50) The bullpen, which has been fatigued due to the busy stretch, stepped up for the final five frames after Gray's exit. Hats off to Mason Thompson for throwing two scoreless frames despite recent struggles. Kyle Finnegan was given the save opportunity and delivered.

(27:50) MacKenzie Gore faces the Royals on Sunday as Washington seeks its first three game sweep since June of 2021. Gore has not pitched well recently as he has given up a combined seven runs in his past starts.

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The Nats prevailed 12-10 in Kansas City in a wild Friday night affair. Mark (Live from Kauffman Stadium) & Al recap the busy night for the offense that saw fifteen hits. Luis Garcia led the way with six hits to tie the franchise record (Anthony Rendon 2017). Garcia dramatically raised his average on Friday from .262 to .288.

(11:00) Joey "Four Bags" earned the moniker in terms of amount times reaching base. Meneses' three hits put his average above the .300 threshold for the season so far. Lane Thomas homered in the first inning (his 8th HR of the month) and Al wonders if he might make the All Star Game this summer?

(21:00) Davey Martinez was limited in his pitching options as many members of the bullpen were not available. Patrick Corbin was given a big lead, but was pushed to the limit and the Royals clawed their way back into the game. Evidence of how short handed Washington was in the bullpen.... Chad Kuhl recorded a five out save.

(27:45) James Wood continues to impress at High-A Wilmington and it leads to conjecture on what his organizational timetable looks like. Wood is currently the #7 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

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The Nats staged an impressive 7th inning rally, but it was all for naught after Rougned Odor's 2 out HR in the 9th inning off of Hunter Harvey to give San Diego the 8-6 victory. Al & Tim look at the tenuous closer situation as Harvey blew his 4th save of the season. Davey Martinez opted to pitch Kyle Finnegan in the 8th against the bottom of the Padres order.

(08:45) Washington trailed trailing 5-1 entering the bottom of the 7th but seven consecutive hits later they led 6-5. The inning ended on a bang/bang play at the plate as Alex Call was barely tagged out at home after a wild pitch.

(16:30) Jake Irvin only lasted four innings and has not had a good outing since his best start out in San Francisco. Will he keep his spot in the rotation?

(24:45) The Nats begin a six game road trip Friday night in Kansas City and the Royals have the 2nd worst record in MLB. The probable starters are Patrick Corbin, Josiah Gray, and MacKenzie Gore.

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The Nats beat the Padres 5-3 on Wednesday night to even the series. Mark & Al recap the victory and point out how Washington and San Diego have similar records despite vastly different payrolls. Is the rebuild ahead or right on schedule? The Nationals jumped out early to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning; behind RBI hits from Keibert Ruiz and Alex Call.

(14:25) Lane Thomas had a RBI double to continue his strong performance in May. This month he is hitting .330 and is slugging .636.

(17:00) Trevor Williams earned the win in almost six innings of work while striking out five Padres. He currently has the lowest WHIP pf any team's starter at 1.24.

(23:35) The "Varsity Bullpen" recorded the final ten outs in scoreless fashion spread amongst three pitchers (Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Finnegan, and Hunter Harvey). Hear the hosts discuss how Davey Martinez arrives at his decision on when to use Finnegan or Harvey each night.

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Juan Soto returned for to D.C. for the 2nd time since being dealt last August. The Padres defeated the Nats 7-4 to open up the 3 game series as Soto homered and had three hits on the evening. Mark & Al discuss the warm reception by the crowd towards Soto and how his exit still feels fresh; unlike other former Washington stars that are playing elsewhere.

(8:50) MacKenzie Gore, part of last year's big trade, struggled against Soto and the San Diego lineup as he did not last five innings in the no decision. Gore threw a 99 MPH fastball to begin the game against his former team, but did issue four walks on the evening. Gore threw 103 pitches; which matches his pattern of high pitch counts so far this season.

(19:00) CJ Abrams, another player involved in the Soto trade, slugged his 5th homer of the season that brought the Nats back into the game.

(22:10) Davey Martinez gave the ball to Erasmo Ramirez instead of Mason Thompson with the game tied. It did not work out well as Ramirez allowed four runs and Mark explains what went into the decision. Chad Kuhl later came in for mop up duty, his first action since returning from the IL.

(30:00) Encouraging news from the Farm as Cole Henry will be promoted from Fredericksburg to Wilmington for his next start. Henry is trying to return from TOS, a similar operation that Stephen Strasburg had done.

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The Nats beat the Tigers 6-4 for their 20th victory of the season to take the series. Mark & Al recount the unusual game that saw Washington collect 18 hits and draw 0 walks in the process. Riley Adams homered and came a triple shy of the cycle in a rare start behind the plate.

(13:20) Ildemaro Vargas went deep while giving CJ Abrams a day off at short stop. He is hitting .333 in limited playing that time this season. Trade chip? Joey Meneses had 3 three as well on Sunday and his average up to .296.

(17:00) Josiah Gray earned the "Curly W" despite issuing six walks in five innings of work. Gray did though only allow one Detroit run.

(24:30) Kyle Finnegan was utilized in an unsual way on Sunday as he inherited a 6th inning jam. Mark explains all that went into Davey's decision to bring Finnegan in earlier than usual.

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The Nats ended their four game skid by topping Detroit 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in a game that lasted just a tad over two hours. Al praises the lineup for their five extra base hits in the victory and two of those came from the scorching bat of Jeimer Candelario.

(11:40) Patrick Corbin earned the victory and also reached the milestone of 1500 career strikeouts. Al points out that Corbin is likely in the midst of his best pitching stretch since 2020.

(17:10) Kyle Finnegan notched the save and Hunter Harvey came through with a scoreless 8th inning. Hear Davey Martinez explain how he decided on which one to use as the closer on Saturday.

(23:00) Larry from Rockville shares his favorite memory from October 2019. Send yours into [email protected].

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