Nats Chat

The Nats lost a heartbreaker 5-4 in Anaheim as they could not hold onto their late lead. Mark (Live from Angels Stadium) & Al recap the Mother's Day loss as Tanner Rainey inherited a 4-2 lead with three outs to go. All weekend the Nationals held the Angels stars in check; until the bottom of the 9th on Sunday.

(14:03) Erick Fedde gave Washington five scoreless innings despite issuing five walks in the process. The hosts discuss Fedde's performance through the first month of the season as his ERA is below the 4.00 threshold.

(26:07) Juan Soto's stat line is quite unusual this year as his RBI total barely is ahead of his HRs. Should he return to the #3 spot in the order?

(29:29) Quick update on the rehab for both Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross. Could they be in the rotation before the All Star break?

(31:56) Gerardo Parra is officially retiring and joining the Nationals Front Office as a special assistant to the GM. What is his "legacy"?

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The Nats beat the Angels 7-3 to end a three game losing streak. Tim Shovers & Mark (live from Anaheim) recap Josiah Gray's outing as he lasted into the sixth and did not give up a hit against Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, or Anthony Rendon. Was it a good start or a decent start for Gray?

(09:45) Rendon is 0 for 8 this series and is barely hitting over .200. Does he look uncomfortable at the plate? He did though make a vintage Rendon play in the field.

(15:25) Maikel Franco had a big night as he knocked in 3 runs and his OPS is above .700. Mark gives his opinion on Franco's play so far this season at 3B.

(18:20) Nelson Cruz struck out four times, but slugged his 3rd HR of the season and his 452nd of his career. Does he need to reach the magic number of 500 to make it into Cooperstown?

(23:15) Trivia Time... What stadium did the Angels play in during their first season in 1961?

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Th Nats were blanked 3-0 by the Angels as their road trip extended to a third city. Mark (Live from Anaheim) & Al open the discussion with Joan Adon's start as there was a lot to like despite the final result. The highlight of his outing were back to back strikeouts against Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

(13:06) It was the first time that Anthony Rendon faced his old team as he went 0 for 4 with 2 Ks. Mark explains what Anthony said to reporters pregame about playing against the Nationals. What's your favorite HR of his from October 2019?

(20:33) The offense only had four hits on Friday evening after scoring seven runs the previous day. Nelson Cruz went 1 for 4 and the hosts look at his troubling ground ball statistics so far this season. Plus, why give the hot hitting Yadiel Hernandez the night off?

(35:01) Our first listener submitted voice memo about the 2012 season, the first division title in team history. Send in yours to [email protected]

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The Nats were outslugged by the Rockies 9-7 as Coors Field lived up to its reputation. Mark (live from Denver) and Al recap the afternoon defeat where Alcides Escobar committed his third error in under 24 hours.

(10:01) Josh Rogers gave up a 3 run HR out of the bullpen as did starter Aaron Sanchez. What is Rogers' exact role on this team right now?

(19:25) Juan Soto was caught napping at 3rd base for a crucial out in the 5th inning. Mark explains the "Inside Baseball" that went into that play. However, he did homer in the 1st inning.

(23:31) Keibert Ruiz had a solid afternoon as he homered, doubled, and also threw out a runner trying to steal second base.

(30:07) Next up is a three game series in Anaheim. Shohei Ohtani pitched on Thursday and therefore the Nationals will only see him at the plate. Plus, believe it or not, it will be the first time that Anthony Rendon will face his old team.

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The Nats lost 5-2 in Colorado, but there were many positive vibes afterward as **PATRICK CORBIN THREW A COMPLETE GAME IN COORS FIELD** (No bottom of the 9th was played). Mark (from Denver) and Al rehash the left hander''s best start in years, despite the poor defensive play behind him. Davey Martinez thinks Corbin is "back", what say you? Plus, will Riley Adams become Corbin's personal catcher moving forward?

(14:40) Alcides Escobar had another bad game as he committed two errors and struck out three times. Have we reached a breaking point with Escobar playing SS this year? This leads to an updated version of the conversation about the potential for Luis Garcia to be called up.

(23:01) Yadiel Hernandez collected two hits while being slotted in at DH. Hernandez is batting .371 this season and it seems he is "locked in". The hosts look at his unsual situation in terms of a potential trade, because he still is under team control until the 2027 season.

(31:02) Sean Doolittle was moved to the 60 day IL. Will the southpaw need elbow surgery?

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The Nats trounced the Rockies 10-2 in Denver as they have won three of the past four games on the road trip. Al & Mark (Live from Coors Field) recap the victory as Erick Fedde became the first Nationals starter to last seven frames this season. Why has the team played so much better on the road than at home this year?

(10:52) Josh Bell had three hits, including a 3 run HR, as his OPS is above 1.000. This brings up a question we will ask many times this year.... sign him to an extension or trade him this summer?

(16:30) Juan Soto slugged a HR in the 5th, but in the 3rd inning he shocked everyone by attempting to lay down a bunt. Did Davey Martinez sign off on that?

(23:57) Nelson Cruz was lifted in the 7th due to a stiff back. The hosts discuss Cruz's performance so far in 2022 as he is hitting well below the "Mendoza Line".

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The Nats took the series in San Francisco as they won the rubber match 11-5 on Sunday afternoon. Mark (live from Oracle Park) and Al recap a very encouraging day for the organization's future as Josiah Gray only allowed one hit in six frames. Is your confidence growing that he can become a frontline starter? We have an extended discussion about the young right hander.

(13:35) Yadiel Hernandez had a huge day with 5 RBIs, including a 3 run double in the 8th to break the game open. Should Davey Martinez do whatever can to get Yadiel's bat in the lineup everyday? What would that mean for Nelson Cruz?

(22:14) Victor Robles had a monster weekend in California as he collected 8 hits, with 2 coming in the series finale. Is this a sign of a turnaround for him at the plate?

(30:20) The Nationals sent down two relievers as rosters need to be trimmed in early May. Hear what the bullpen complexion looks like as the road trip continues into Colorado.

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The Nats lost 9-3 in San Francisco as they scored as many runs as they committed errors. Mark (Live from Oracle Park) and Al rehash the subpar defensive effort, which included an E6 for Alcides Escobar.

(07:27) Speaking of Escobar, the Rochester Red Wings tweeted out a defensive highlight made by Luis Garcia on Saturday afternoon that raised our hosts eyebrows due to the way it was typed out. (Cade Cavalli also threw his best outing of the season)

(16:12) Victor Robles had six hits so far in this series. Could he be regaining his confidence at the plate?

(22:02) Josh Bell had two hits on Saturday and his average is up to .365. He has been one of the best hitters in the sport so far, which creates an interesting dynamic as he is a Free Agent after the season.

(34:01) Ryan Zimmerman's #11 was retired by the University of the Virginia Baseball program where he starred in the mid 2000s. The Governor as well proclaimed for April 30th to be named after him in the state for years to come.

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The Nats ended their 8 game losing streak in emphatic fashion as they crushed the Giants 14-4 to open their road trip. Al & Mark (Live from San Francisco) convened at 3:11 AM Eastern to discuss just exactly how the offense busted out in such a big way with 22 hits.

(06:31) Juan Soto began the evening with a 1st inning HR, but then a mini controversy developed in his next at-bat. His request for a timeout was not granted as Alex Wood was quick pitching and it resulted in a visibly upset Soto. Mark explains the sequence of events that unfolded.

(12:06) Victor Robles was part of a trio of Nationals to record four hits on Friday night. Josh Bell and Maikel Franco were the two others as Cesar Hernandez was not too far behind with three hits of his own.

(17:55) Keibert Ruiz did not join the hit parade as he was 0 for 6 from the plate. We discuss the young catcher's offensive struggles and what his workload is like so far this season.

(23:10) Aaron Sanchez earned the win as he made it through 5 IP. However, our guy Paolo Espino yet again was assigned mop-up duty in the 9th. In between, four other relievers took the mound to preserve the comfortable victory.

(31:04) We close the podcast with the Big Ten Network call of Maryland's Ryan Ramsey throwing a perfect game Friday night in College Park. It is the first time that feat has been accomplished by a Terp since 1959.

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The Nats have now lost 8 in a row as they were swept by Miami in the series finale 3-2. Al Galdi recaps another very disappointing performance by the offense. Nelson Cruz 's average currently sits at .160 to exemplify where things stand. Juan Soto drew a pair of walks, but otherwise was hit-less at the plate.

(07:38) Lucius Fox is still without a Major League hit, but did draw a walk. However, he was then promptly picked off. It was his second straight day starting at SS over Alcides Escobar.

(13:31) Patrick Corbin pitched well, but still was tagged with the loss. He lasted into the 7th inning, but a HBP ended his afternoon. Hear what Davey Martinez had to say afterwards and what it means for Corbin as the team heads West.

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