Nats Chat

The Nats perplexing inability to beat Miami continued on Monday as they lost 3-2 in extras on July 4th. Al & Mark note how the Nationals are 1-12 this year vs. the Marlins among other troubling trends. Tanner Rainey again gave up a late crucial HR, this one being a 2 run shot to break the tie in the top of the 10th.

(12:54) Patrick Corbin had another strong start as he lasted seven frames and only allowed one run. Are we allowed to get excited after how the past the two outings have gone?

(17:10) Juan Soto pinch hit and walked in the 8th; one day after leaving the game early due to a calf issue. Mark explains what Soto had to say about his calf before the game.

(22:30) Jackson Tetreault was placed on IL with a stress fracture in his shoulder. What's the next step to fill out the rotation?

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The Nats continue to be tormented by the Marlins as they fell 7-4 in extras. Mark & Al recap a hectic final few innings that saw the lead change hands multiple times in the final few innings. Tanner Rainey was one pitch away from the save, but instead his struggles continued as he gave up a lead changing 2 run HR. Is the 9th inning not for him?

(16:20) The narrative of this game changed shape many times as Washington was being no hit by Pablo Lopez until Josh Bell got a hit in the 7th inning. This leads to a discussion on the pros and cons of trading Bell before the deadline.

(26:52) Erick Fedde had a solid start as he lasted six frames, putting his ERA at 4.29. The hosts wonder if there will be a contender interested in Fedde's services before the deadline. How many trades will Mike Rizzo make?

(34:20) Juan Soto left the game in the 5th due to left calf tightness and will get a MRI. How concerning is this? Should we expect him to miss the late morning July 4th game?

(37:30) On July 3rd, 2021 the plan for postgame fireworks turned into a dud. We replay a portion from our podcast from a year ago and will continue to do so all month long.

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The Nats lost 5-3 Saturday to Miami for a 3rd straight defeat. Mark & Al begin with the pregame news that GM Mike Rizzo and Manager Davey Martinez had their 2023 options picked up. Was this news surprising or largely expected? The hosts explain why this was done in midseason.

(20:54) Jackson Tetreault was not able to make it a third consecutive solid start as he issued five walks in four innings.

(26:24) Tres Barrera had a RBI double in his first Big League plate appearance for the season. Mark & Al bring you up to speed on the catcher that has been down in Rochester this season.

(35:10) We continue our series of looking back at July 2021 when everything changed for the Nationals. One year ago, Kyle Schwarber was injured in what ultimately was his final game in a Washington uniform.

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The Nats lost 6-3 to Miami to open up a four game series on a holiday weekend in D.C. Al gives kudos to Mark for his pinch hit performance on Friday night as he filled in as color commentator on MASN. They then evaluate Josiah Gray's outing; where he allowed six runs in just under six frames. How much time off should he have between starts?

(12:10) Keibert Ruiz had an impressive game both with the bat and the glove. In the top of the 6th he yet another pickoff play at 1st base and then in the bottom of the 6th he crushed a 2 run HR. Will opposing runners start adapting to this new knack of his?

(21:30) Riley Adams was sent down to AAA in a mild surprise and was replaced by Tres Barrera. Will he return next month at 1B if Josh Bell is traded?

(31:45) Thursday saw a lot of traffic about Juan Soto's contractual situation after a report surfaced from a Dominican based MLB Insider. It leads to a conversation of whether or not Soto would be open to signing an extension as opposed to waiting for Free Agency. How important is the ownership situation?

(42:01) We begin our series of looking back at the unparalleled month in Nationals history (July 2021) with the evening that Alex Avila played 2B in a loss to the Dodgers. July last year began with the Nats over .500 and it ended with them becoming sellers at the trade deadline.

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The Nats missed a rare opportunity for a sweep as they lost 8-7 to the Pirates in a game that saw a very bizarre play to conclude the top of the 5th. Mark & Al try to unravel all that went into the decision to grant Pittsburgh a run despite the Nationals turning a double play with one out. Did the umps get it right? They certainly took their time in making their decision,

(13:09) The bottom of the 5th was also notable in a negative way for Washington as they made yet another out at home plate. This was due to Keibert Ruiz not knowing that there were two outs and not running on contact.

(18:24) The offense produced 16 hits, but left ten men on base. Josh Bell did his part though as he reached base five times, including three hits. His average is up to .319 on the season, one of the best in the National League.

(25:20) The run of great pitching came to a halt on Wednesday as Paolo Espino and the bullpen all struggled during the afternoon. Paolo immediately gave up two runs and was lifted in the 5th inning. Two members of the "A" bullpen also had forgettable days, in Carl Edwards Jr. and Kyle Finnegan.

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The Nats beat the Pirates 3-1 for their third straight win and their sixth victory in the past eight games. Mark & Al this time have plenty of good things to say about Patrick Corbin as he struck out a dozen Pirates in eight innings of work. It ties a career high for Corbin in terms of strikeouts, the last time he whiffed that many was back in the 2019 NLCS.

(13:32) Tanner Rainey ran into some trouble, but ultimately earned his 11th save of the season. Who do you currently trust more... Rainey or Finnegan?

(21:05) Yadiel Hernandez came off the bench for the game winning hit in the bottom of the 8th. It is two straight days that Washington could only bring in a runner in scoring position in the penultimate inning. Mark explains how Ehire Adrianza's presence led to the decision to have Yadiel pinch hit.

(29:07) The Nationals had two minor league starts of import on Tuesday evening. Anibal Sanchez made a brief rehab start in Rochester and former 1st round pick Jackson Rutledge tossed eight Ks in Fredericksburg. Al wonders how much of a chance Anibal will have to enter the Major League rotation.

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The Nats came back on the Pirates 3-2 as Maikel Franco hit a game winning 2 run HR in the bottom of the 8th. Al discusses how they struggled with runners in scoring position all night until Franco came through late as the Nats have now won five of their past seven games. The boys ultimately stranded ten runners on base in the victory.

(11:20) Erick Fedde allowed two runs in five frames, keeping the team in it despite exiting with a 2-0 deficit. It goes down as a quality start, which the staff has recorded in seven of the past eight games. The bullpen stepped up with four scoreless innings, including the notable decision to pitch Kyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 9th as opposed to Tanner Rainey.

(23:10) Davey Martinez was named to the coaching staff for next month's All Star Game. This seems like a gesture from Atlanta's Brian Snitker to recognize Martinez for having missed the opportunity to manage the 2020 affair.

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The Nats hung on 6-4 in Texas to win a weekend series for the fourth time in five attempts. Al & Mark (Live From Globe Life Field) begin with praise for Jackson Tetreault who only allowed one run in the victory. The Nationals have had a quality start in six of the past seven games and have gone 4-3 in that stretch.

(09:45) Tanner Rainey came in to get the Save as a 6-1 lead in the 9th was trimmed to a slight two run edge after Francisco Perez struggled mightily. Mark explains why Perez was tabbed to start the 9th despite not having appeared on the mound in over a week.

(15:05) Juan Soto reached base five times on Sunday, four of which came via walk. Soto is now up to a MLB leading 61 walks on the season, 13 more than second place.

(23:40) Nelson Cruz had a busy weekend and in the finale he had two hits and three RBIs. A Dallas based reporter tweeted out on Sunday that the controversial call from Saturday involving Cruz was mishandled by MLB. How could such a mistake occur?

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The Nats lost a heartbreaker to the Rangers 3-2 as Adolis Garcia hit a walk-off HR against Kyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 9th. Mark (Live from Texas) and Al take a glass half full approach to Saturday as Josiah Gray struck out nine in seven innings, only allowing four hits in the process. Does it seem like he's elevated his game this past month?

(11:30) Finnegan got the nod in the 9th instead of Tanner Rainey. Is he taking Rainey's spot as the ace reliever on the staff?

(16:30) Washington was on the wrong end of a controversial call in the top of the 8th that potentially cost them the go ahead run. Why wasn't Nelson Cruz's hit reviewable? Mark relays what the team was feeling about the play afterwards.

(24:15) Juan Soto doubled, but also immediately hit into a 5-6-3 double play. We revisit our ongoing conversation about Soto's struggles so far this season. He is shocking 7 for 56 with runners in scoring position this year.

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The Nats topped the Rangers 2-1 in their first ever trip to Globe Life Field. Mark (Live from Texas) & Al tip their caps to Paolo Espino, who had another solid outing, as he didn't allow a run until the 6th inning. Why exactly was Paolo buried on the pitching depth chart for so long?

(10:35) Josh Bell collected three hits in the return to his hometown, including the go ahead RBI single in the 8th inning. Bell's average is up to .302, one of only ten players in the NL above the desired threshold. Vote Bell for the All Star Game Early & Often!

(17:30) The Nationals committed another out at home on Friday, for a staggering 11th time this season. This brings attention to new 3rd Base Coach Gary DiSarcina, who has many questionable calls so far this year.

(34:01) GM Mike Rizzo spoke with Mark and the other beat reporters before the game and had updates on Stephen Strasburg, Brady House, Cole Henry, and Cade Cavalli.

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