Nats Chat

The Nats blanked Colorado 8-0 on Wednesday afternoon for a rare shutout in Coors Field.  Mark (From Denver) & Al convene following another road series win by Washington to finish their West Coast road trip at 4-2.

(04:00) Cade Cavalli tossed six shutout frames to drop his ERA to 3.58 for the season. Cavalli struck out eight Rockies and he has the 7th most Ks in the National League (127).

(12:10) Eddie Yean & Max Kranik combined to pitch the final three innings in the victory.  This was Yean's first appearance since getting called back up from Rochester.

(17:30) The Nationals broke the game wide open with six runs in the top of the 7th.  It was nightmare inning for the Rockies defense as they committed three errors in the frame.

(19:00) CJ Abrams gathered four hits to conclude his red hot road trip. Abrams is one of only six NL hitters with an OPS above .900.

(22:30) Luis Garcia Jr. homered for the 21st time to put the team up 5-0.  Al points out the unusual contractual quandary that Garcia Jr. is in as he is due to be a Free Agent following the 2027 season.

(28:00) Washington welcomes in Arizona on Friday evening to begin their six game home stand. The Diamondbacks are a game and a half ahead of the Nats for the final wild card slot. 

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The Nats were upended 8-7 by the Rockies on Tuesday night.  Mark (From Coors Field) & Al examine the seesaw affair that was tipped for good by Hunter Goodman's solo homer in the bottom of the 8th.

(03:00) Carson Palmquist tossed a scoreless 1st but allowed four runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

(05:00) Miles Mikolas immediately inherited a jam and ultimately gave up three runs in almost four innings of work. Mikolas' ERA is now up to 5.60 and his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy as Jake Irvin rehabs his return.

(14:00) Clayton Beeter gave up the decisive homer in the bottom of the 8th.  Goodman is now up to 31 homers which is the 3rd most in the majors.

(16:10) Eddie Yean has been promoted from AAA and the initial expectation is that his stay in the Big Leagues will much longer this time.

(18:30) CJ Abrams homered twice and now is up to 24 homers for the season.  Abrams is tied for the most RBI in the majors with 76 through 102 games.

(22:15) Breaking down the failed contact plays that led to missed opportunities for the offense.

(28:00) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon as the team sits at .500. Washington is a game and a half behind Pittsburgh (and a slew of other teams) for the final wild card spot.

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The Nats are back above .500 after Monday night's 7-3 win in Colorado. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al tip their caps to an unlikely bullpen trio that tossed almost five scoreless innings in the victory.  Riley Cornelio took over for Andrew Alvarez in the 5th, Matt Krook grabbed the baton in the 7th, and Tom Cosgrove notched a very efficient six-out save to close it out.

(09:30) Andres Chaparro homered for the third time on the road trip to put Washington up 3-0.  Chaparro later found himself in the middle of a silly brawl after Rockies starter Kyle Freeland took issue with how Chaparro returned to the dugout after flying out.

(16:15) Jacob Young went deep to put the Nationals up for good in the top of the 6th. CJ Abrams then homered in the next frame to give Washington some breathing room and a 6-3 lead.

(18:00) Curtis Mead recorded three hits and his OPS is up to .870.  How much does he factor into the organization's long-term plans?

(26:40) Andrew Alvarez allowed three runs off of six hits in his Monday night start.  Alvarez's ERA is at 4.22 through 14 appearances and his job is in jeopardy when Jake Irvin returns from the IL.  Irvin threw a scoreless rehab start for AA-Harrisburg on Sunday.

(30:00) Background on PJ Poulin's injury.

(33:00) Trevor Williams gave up three runs in Sunday's rehab start with High-A Wilmington. 

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The Nats beat the A's 5-2 on Sunday afternoon to capture weekend series in Sacramento.  Al & Tim open with Foster Griffin's 11th victory of the season as he only gave up one run in seven innings of work.  Griffin has not allowed multiple runs in eight consecutive outings and his ERA is now down to 2.68 this season.

(07:00) The Trade Deadline is Monday August 3rd at 6PM Eastern.

(12:45) Griffin's next start will come over the weekend at home vs. Arizona.

(18:00) PJ Poulin was placed on the 15-Day IL due to a left flexor strain; joining Brad Lord on that list.  

(24:00) Nasim Nuñez stole a pair of bases amid manufacturing the opening run of the game.  Nuñez comfortably leads the rest of Baseball with 37 stolen bases this season.

(26:00) Washington went back-to-back in the top of the 5th to break the game open (Abrams & Crews).

(28:00) The Nats look to go above .500 this week in Colorado with a three game series that begins on Monday night. 

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The Nats were pummeled 15-1 by the Athletics on Saturday night in Sacramento.  Al & Mark dig into offense not showing up just one day after scoring 23 runs.  They were being no-hit by J.T. Ginn until Keibert Ruiz broke up the bid with a single in the top of the 7th.

(08:00) The lineup was not identical to Friday night's offensive eruption.  Jose Tena went 0 for 3 as the DH in the 3rd spot in the order, but Andres Chaparro did not play after driving in eight runs in Friday's win. 

(12:00) Zack Littell started and it did not go well.  The Nats were immediately down 5-0 and Littell ultimately allowed eight runs in the loss. His ERA currently sits at 5.34 through 20 outings.

(18:20) Max Kranik's Nationals debut was a rough one as he gave up five runs in less than an inning of work.  Jorbit Vivas shockingly took the mound for the 2nd straight evening as both games this series have been blowouts.

(23:00) The series rubber match will be Sunday afternoon as Foster Griffin is next up in the rotation. 

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The Nats trampled the Athletics 23-4 on Friday night in Sacramento to open the 2nd Half of the season.  Mark & Al discuss the easy victory that saw Washington return its record to an even .500.

(07:00) Andres Chaparro drove in eight runs as part of his two homer evening.  Chaparro only had seven RBIs so far this season until gathering four hits on Friday night.

(12:00) Harry Ford homered in his Nationals debut. Ford was called up this week from AAA after fellow catcher Drew Millas was placed on the IL.  Ford came over to the organization after being traded for Jose A. Ferrer in the offseason.

(20:45) Daylen Lile went deep in the 9th to give the Nationals 23 runs.

(22:00) Curtis Mead doubled three times as part of his four-hit Friday night.  Mead's OPS now is up to an impressive .865.

(25:00) Cade Cavalli took the mound on Friday after closing out the 1st Half on Sunday. Cavalli struck out nine over the course of six innings of work.

(29:15) Riley Cornelio tossed two shutout innings and struck out five Athletics hitters.

(32:00) Robert Hassell III is now in the Pirates organization after being traded this week for cash considerations.

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The Nats limped their way into the All-Star Break with a 5-3 loss to the visiting Yankees on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al convene after the New York sweep that put Washington a game below .500 through 97 games. All three losses included the Nationals fumbling away a lead that they took in the 7th inning stretch.

(08:00) Any chance the organization "rents" a reliever at the Trade Deadline?

(12:00) Analyzing if Dylan Crews could have made the catch when Ben Rice tripled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 8th off of Andrew Alvarez.

(17:30) Cade Cavalli returned from suspension and only allowed two runs in six innings of work Cavalli struck out five Yankees and he will enter the All-Star Break with a 3.83 ERA.

(21:20) James Wood led off the game yet again with a homer for the 10th time this season.  Wood is now up to 28 homers and last year he did not reach that stage until September 23rd.  Wood is ahead of Juan Soto for the highest OPS in the NL (.985).

(27:00) Abimelec Ortiz was called from AAA on Sunday and doubled while hitting in the 3rd spot. Ortiz was sent back down to Rochester after the game because the pitching staff was one man down on Sunday due to the impending pause in the schedule.  Ortiz was one of the players acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade with Texas.

(29:15) James Wood will not participate in Monday's Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.  The Nationals resume play on Friday in Sacramento against the Athletics.

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The Nats coughed up another lead on Saturday due to the continued ineptitude of the bullpen. Mark & Al dig into the 4-2 loss to the visiting Yankees that served as the team's 27th blown save this season.  Washington led 2-0 entering the top of the 8th, but three Yankee homers later they trailed by two runs entering the bottom of the frame.

(07:00) The Nationals are now back at .500 after dropping these two games vs. New York.  What would the record be with a halfway decent bullpen?

(10:30) Blake Butera went with righty relievers this time against the lefty Yankee lineup and it not work out at all.  Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter combined to allow four decisive runs in the 8th.

(22:00) PJ Poulin served as the Opener and pitched into the top of the 2nd.  Miles Mikolas then took over and tossed four shutout innings.  Mikolas' appeal has been heard and he will begin his five game suspension on Sunday afternoon.

(25:00) The offense slugged a pair of homers off of CY Young candidate Cam Schlittler.  James Wood homered on the first pitch he saw and Curtis Mead also went deep early in the affair.  Wood is now up to 27 homers on the year and nine of them have come in the lead-off spot.

(29:00) Sunday is the final game before the All-Star Break and it also will decide which side of .500 the Nats find themselves. Cade Cavalli is expected to take the mound fresh off of serving a five game suspension.

(31:00) Foster Griffin was a late addition to the NL Roster on Saturday evening.  Griffin's recognition is well deserved as his ERA is sub 3.00.

(33:30) Learn about Chris Hacopian, who the Nats selected at #11 overall from Texas A&M.  Hacopian grew up locally as a diehard Nationals fan before playing at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.

(36:00) Checking in on last year's #1 pick Eli Willits.  He is currently in High-A Wilmington and is the 3rd ranked Prospect in the MLB Pipeline.  Willits is still only 18 year old and his stated goal is to be in the Big Leagues by the age of 20. 

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The Nats suffered a familiar gut punch on Friday night as the Yankes rallied with three runs in the top of the 9th.  Mark & Al examine the 5-3 defeat that was highlighted by a questionable pitching decision by first year Manager Blake Butera.

(05:00) Diving into the choice to replace Clayton Better with LHP Matt Krook in the 9th inning. It was only the 15th career appearance for Krook and his career ERA is a astronomical 16.62 with saves.

(08:00) Beeter retired the only batter he faced in the 8th after inheriting a jam. His ERA this season is just 2.96 and he has notched seven saves thus far.

(12:00) It is a new process in charting pitching matchups and scenarios for the organization.

(15:30) Why Krook instead of fellow southpaw PJ Poulin?

(22:00) Carson Palmquist was the Opener but stayed on the mound for three innings of work.  Littell then took the baton and struck out five Yankee hitters as he lasted for four innings.

(24:30) Keibert Ruiz and James Wood went back-to-back in the bottom of the 7th to take a 3-2 lead.  Wood now has 26 homers on the season and his OPS currently sits at .962.

(26:00) Brad Lord has been placed on the 15-Day IL due to left side tightness.

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The Nats took care of the Astros 8-2 in Wednesday night's rubber match. Mark & Al open with Foster Griffin's excellent outing where he only allowed one run while striking out nine Houston hitters in seven innings of work.  Griffin's All-Star snub is growing more stark as he will head into the break with 10 wins and a sub 3.00 ERA (2.77).

(07:30) The case for signing Griffin to an extension in the middle of the season before he reaches Free Agency.

(11:15) Luis Garcia Jr. & CJ Abrams each launched their 20th homer of the season in the win.  Garcia Jr. only had four homers at the end of May, then slugged 11 in June, and already has hit four home runs this month.

(16:00) The offense stunningly has three players with 20+ homers and 60+ RBIs (Abrams, Garcia Jr., & Wood).

(21:20) Daylen Lile had a RBI double and he has over 20 doubles this season with an OPS at .713.  How to evaluate his season thus far?

(24:00) The Nationals host the Yankees this weekend in a three game series. New York is eight games over .500, but is in 2nd place behind Tampa Bay.

(28:10) Jake Irvin is on track to make a few rehab starts as he works his back from the IL. 

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