Nats Chat

The Nats lost 9-4 to the Mets, but the big news of the day came during pregame as Keibert Ruiz will make his Washington debut behind the plate on Monday night. Al & Tim react to the mildly surprising news that Ruiz will get called up before the calendar flips to September. Was this decision made for baseball reasons, box office reasons, or both?

(16:20) Victor Robles yet again was not in the starting lineup,, are they giving up on him? Luis Garcia has struggled at the plate, can you count on him to be in the 2022 Opening Day lineup?

(24:51) Erick Fedde had a mediocre start that ended on a sour note. Do we know how to properly handicap Fedde and where should he be slotted in a typical rotation?

(37:12) Josh Bell homered twice on Sunday and leads the team with 23 on the season. Where does he fit into future plans for the organization?

(43:05) Listener submitted email asking should we move to an eight man lineup; which would eliminate pitchers hitting/ DHs? Very intriguing question.

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The Nats lost 5-3 to the Mets as the bullpen relinquished the lead in the 7th. Al & Mark recap the solid start by Sean Nolin, who lasted until the sixth inning before the hosts dive into the pen. What to make of Nolin after he pitched well and lasted more than five frames?

(14:32) Lane Thomas got the nod in CF over Victor Robles and had a pair of doubles while hitting leadoff. Do we have ourselves a "developing situation" long term in CF?

(19:55) Alcides Escobar reminded New Yorkers of another recent SS as he dazzled both with his glove and bat on Saturday night. Does he fit into the Nationals 2022 plans at all?

(30:51) Cade Cavalli only lasted three innings in his AAA debut with Rochester. He had a hot start, but all five runs he allowed came in the third inning. Mark explains why this was an important outing for him in the long run.

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The Nats won 2-1 in New York to open a three game series. Mark & Al have plenty of praise to heap on the five pitchers who took the mound for Washington and they begin with closer Kyle Finnegan. 

(10:27) Paolo Espino struck out seven, singled, scored a run, and earned the win while pitching five innings. Why does he seem to have so much success against the Mets? Should he have come back out to pitch the sixth?

(19:43) The Nationals struggled at the plate as they struck out seventeen times. Why was 41 year old Rich Hill so effective against them?

(30:00) The Nats confirmed reports that all full-time employees are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Astros also announced a similar measure.

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The Nats lost 7-5 in Miami as Patrick Corbin only lasted three innings. Mark & Al dissect the latest with the southpaw, who took a major step back after pitching so well in Milwaukee last weekend. What are the Nats options on what to do with Corbin? Could they send him down to AAA for a few outings?

(16:12) Patrick Murphy struck out a pair in his Nationals debut. Hear what Mark thought of his "stuff".

(20:01) Juan Soto drew his 100th walk of the season and crushed a 2 run HR. Listen to how impressive his stats have been since the 2019 season.

(24:43) After not being in the lineup for four games, Victor Robles hit leadoff and played CF. Do we have an update on how Martinez will handle Robles/Thomas the rest of the way?

(35:35) Washington has been unable all month to throw out base stealers. Why so much trouble at stopping the opponents running game?

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The Nats lost 4-3 in Miami in ten innings despite briefly holding the lead in the 7th. Mark & Al recap the stud pitching match-up between Josiah Gray & Edward Cabrera, both of which are top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline. Gray was solid yet again for Washington, as he has been so far in all five starts since the trade.

(10:33) Keibert Ruiz has hit four homers in his past two games for AAA Rochester. Will the promotion of Cade Cavalli to Rochester delay Ruiz getting called up to Washington?

(20:11) Carter Kieboom had a rough end of the game on Wednesday evening as he made a poor defensive play in the 9th and was surprisingly thrown out at home in the 10th. Is it too early to discuss whether or not the Nationals should try him at a new position?

(28:53) Lane Thomas was hitting leadoff and playing CF for the fourth consecutive game. What exactly is happening in CF, as it relates to Victor Robles?

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The Nats beat the Marlins 5-1 as Erick Fedde struck out a career high ten batters. Al & Mark evaluate Fedde's big evening and find out how Sam Clay of all people played a big role in the successful start. Should we be excited about the outing or affix an asterisk to it because it was against last place Miami?

(10:31) The bullpen saw a flurry of roster moves including Patrick Murphy & Clay being called up and Gabe Klobosits being sent down to AAA Rochester. Hear what there is too look for from Murphy, who was picked up off waivers from Toronto earlier this season.

(17:05) Tres Barrera had three hits including a homer while getting the start behind the plate. The hosts marvel at how much the catching situation has changed in the organization in the past month. Plus, Lane Thomas had another impressive showing with both his bat and glove.

(32:01) Preview of Wednesday's intriguing pitching matchup between two stud prospects both ranked in the top 100 per MLB Pipeline (Josiah Gray vs. Edward Cabrera).

(33:46) Cade Cavalli was promoted to AAA Rochester. What does this mean in terms of his timetable for pitching for Washington? Listen why it might not be so simple for him to be on the 2022 Opening Day roster.

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The Nats lost 7-3 in Milwaukee in another game that had a glacial pace of play. Mark & Al continue to praise Lane Thomas as he had another impressive game while patrolling CF and hitting leadoff. Carter Kieboom also had a solid Sunday, including on the defensive end.

(19:30) Sean Nolin and the bullpen tied a franchise record by issuing 11 walks as the pitching was very difficult to watch this weekend. Austin Voth returned to pitch a scoreless frame, where does he fit into the new bullpen hierarchy?

(29:50) Monday is the ten year anniversary of when D.C. experienced an earthquake as the Nats played Arizona later that night at home. Mark recalls how hectic and unforgettable that time was for him and his family.

**Audio Courtesy of ABC News

(39:27) We close with another listener submitted voice memo recalling October 2019.

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The Nationals lost 9-6 in Milwaukee to halt the three game win streak. Al laments how the game took four hours and eighteen minutes. What can be done to avoid interminable games like this one?

(5:20) Lane Thomas was given a prominent role in the lineup card as the leadoff hitter in CF. He backed up the assignment by impressing with his bat, speed, and arm. A few other young guys made contributions as well on Saturday.

(14:57) The bullpen had two disastrous innings in the 5th & the 8th. Al explains what went wrong on a very shallow sacrifice fly that made the Nats defense look amateurish. Javy Guerra then authored an inning to forget as the Brewers broke the game open.

(24:45) Juan Soto reached base four times as he leads the Majors with a .449 On Base Percentage and is now ahead of Joey Gallo by five walks for the most in MLB.

(30:02) Listener submitted email and we close with another voice memo recalling October 2019. Send in yours to [email protected]

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The Nats won 4-1 in Milwaukee for their third consecutive victory. Al & Mark finally have an opportunity to praise Patrick Corbin, who was fantastic against the first place Brewers. How did the Nationals possibly "fix his glitch"?

(10:24) The bullpen had a good evening from three different relievers. Is it OK to start feeling good about this young 'pen?

(16:28) Many young guys stepped up Friday night including Riley Adams and Lane Thomas, who combined for 3 RBIs. It was Adams' fourth straight start behind the plate and Mark explains how the current catching situation is shaping up.

(21:09) Josh Bell was crucial in both ends of the 9th inning, but not how you would naturally assume. He drew a RBI walk for a much needed insurance run and then made a great play defensively after Kyle Finnegan had a poor throw towards first base.

(30:32) MLB Pipeline has updated their prospect rankings and the Nationals have four players in the top 100. Washington fans should be encouraged at the lofty ranking already for Brady House.

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The Nats topped the Blue Jays 8-5 to complete the two game sweep. Al & Mark assess Josiah Gray's solid outing that lasted six innings. The only blemish on Gray's resume so far has been giving up solo HRs, of which he allowed two more on Wednesday. Gray did more than just pitch well as he had his first career hit and also made a nice play on a bunt attempt that led to a double play.

(9:29) The bullpen for the most part had a good game except for Ryne Harper who very quickly gave up the lead, costing Josiah Gray any chance of first career victory. Was this his one chance to pitch in a high leverage spot? Kyle Finnegan stepped up as he escaped an 8th inning jam and recorded a four out save.

(17:50) Brad Hand had an outing that Nationals fans are familiar with as he gave away the lead immediately upon entering the game in the 7th. Carter Kieboom slugged one of the HRs off of Hand and the hosts discuss where his situation currently stands as he has been playing every day.

(25:07) Juan Soto had a Barry Bonds type stat line Wednesday as we explain in the podcast. Should he continue to take so many pitches or should he start swinging more?

(36:13) What is the timetable on the Nats rebuild? Are they aiming to be competitive come next season or do they have a more long term vision?

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