Nats Chat

The Nats lost 4-1 on Friday night to the Mets, but the major news of the day came during pregame.  Mark (From New York) & Al dive into the fact that CJ Abrams will soon see time at 2B. Abrams leads all of MLB with 19 errors committed at SS.

(05:00) Blake Butera and CJ Abrams seemed to be on different pages in terms of the shift to 2B.

(08:00) This announcement comes one month after Abrams started for the National League in the All-Star Game at SS.

(12:30) Did the Nationals newfound organizational depth at SS play a...

The Nats avoided the sweep on Thursday afternoon as they shutout the Cubs 7-0. Mark & Al have plenty of flowers to throw at Cade Cavalli as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. Cavalli ultimately pitched eight innings and struck out ten along the way.  Cavalli is now up to 151 strikeouts on the season, which is the 7th highest in the NL.

(10:00) Blake Butera says he will not stand in the way of a no-hitter unless the pitch count situation is egregious.

(14:00) Cavalli is sporting a 3.36 ERA for this season and has improved mightily s...

The Nats were beaten 12-6 by the Cubs on Wednesday night to drop to four games below .500. Al & Tim dig into the defeat that saw Alex Bregman go deep three times against three different relief pitchers.

(05:00) Jackson Kent made his MLB debut as he was called up from AAA. Kent struck out six Cubs, but issued five walks as he pitched into the top of the 5th.

(08:30) Four relievers were need to pick up the slack, but no one fared that well.  Trevor Williams ate up the final three innings to avoid having to pitch a...

The Nats lost 8-6 on Tuesday night against the visiting Cubs.  Mark begins by relaying to Al that he saw Miles Mikolas saying goodbye to teammates in the clubhouse following the defeat and likely will be released in the near future. Mikolas pitched the final three innings in Tuesday's loss and his ERA is at 5.82 for the season. Jackson Kent is expected to get called up from AAA and make his MLB debut on Wednesday evening.

(07:30) Will Brad Lord get moved back to the starting rotation?

(14:00) Jake Irvin struggled as he gave up five runs i...

The Nats swept the Reds on Sunday afternoon with a 7-1 win in the series finale.  Al & Mark recap the unusual victory that was led by the bullpen for all 27 outs. Brad Lord pitched into the 3rd before handing the ball off to the recently acquired Will Dion. The pitching was good all weekend as Cincinnati only scored six combined runs in the three games.

(09:00) Trevor Williams recorded seven outs and has been impressive in his five appearances since being activated off of the IL.

(14:00) Andres Chaparro continued his hot stretch with a 2-run double t...

The Nats topped the Reds 8-2 on Saturday night for their second straight win.  Mark & Al begin with the offense getting to Chase Burns this time, unlike when they faced him three months ago. Washington tagged Burns with five runs and knocked him out during their rally in the bottom of the 6th.

(07:00) Andres Chaparro pinch-hit for DH Josh Tena with the bases loaded and delivered.  Chaparro's 2-run double in the 6th made it 5-2 Nationals and he later added a RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Blake Butera got the better of Reds Manager Te...

The Nats opened the homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Reds on Friday night.  Tim & Al begin by wondering if the team is still considered part of playoff contention as they trail the Phillies by 5.5 games for the final wildcard spot.

(06:00) Cade Cavalli struck out out eight Reds and pitched into the 7th inning.  Cavalli is up to 141 strikeouts for the season and the question will be how many starts does he get down the stretch. He did struggle a bit though as he gave up seven hits and three of them were solo Cincinnati homers.

The Nats ended their difficult road trip with a whimper as they fell 7-3 in Philadelphia on Thursday night.  Mark (From Philly) & Al convene after the 1-7 trip that saw the season's fortunes change significantly for the worse.  

(03:00) Miles Mikolas reached ten years of MLB service time with the start on Thursday, but allowed twelve hits during the outing. Mikolas is in jeopardy of being DFA'd in the near future just like Zack Littell was on Wednesday. Mikolas' numbers are quite grisly as his ERA sits at 5.89 in 24 appearances.

(07:00) Connelly Early has forearm tightness after fa...

The Nats ended their seven game losing streak with a hard fought 10-4 victory over the Phillies in extras on Wednesday night.  Mark (From Philly) & Al begin with the very unusual moment in the top of the 11th when Miles Mikolas of all people laid down a RBI single to give the team a 3-run lead. The offense erupted in the 11th with six runs off the back-end of the Philadelphia bullpen.  Washington lost the DH when Andres Chaparro took over at 1B for Abimelec Ortiz.

(07:00) CJ Abrams 2-run triple began the rally in 11th, which led to...

The Nats' losing steak is now up a to season worst seven games after getting shutout 5-0 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.  Mark (From Philly) & Al immediately address the sorry state of affairs as just one week ago they were two games above .500 and very much in the wildcard hunt.

(06:30) Prior to the game James Wood was placed on the 10-Day IL due to a left oblique strain.  Wood exited Monday's game shortly after he injured his side on a swing in the top of the 6th.

(11:00) The offense was 0 for 11 w/ runners in scoring po...

It was a long Monday for the Nationals in Philadelphia as the Trade Deadline elapsed less than an hour before losing 6-3 for a a 6th consecutive defeat.  Mark (From Philly) & Al start with Blake Butera getting ejected for the first time as a major league Manager. It came in the 7th inning after Nasim Nunez made an out on the bases.

(06:00) The Nats made a pair of trades on Monday, but certainly of different magnitudes.  All - Star starting pitcher Foster Griffin was sent to Cleveland in exchange for four players and AAA outfielder Christian Franklin wa...

The Nats lost 4-2 on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta for their 5th straight defeat at an inopportune time.  Mark (From ATL) & Al begin the show with real time reaction to the news that Luis Garcia Jr. has been traded to the Yankees.

(10:00) Garcia made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Nationals and his career in Washington included multiple position changes. He is headed to the American League now, but Garcia's .560 slugging percentage is the best in all of the National League so far this season.

(17:00) Discussion regarding the four pitchers coming over from New York t...

The Nats lost 8-3 in Atlanta on Saturday for their 4th straight defeat,  Mark (From Truist Park)  & Al update the latest Trade Deadline scenarios as they are now two games below .500 with just one game left before Monday's deadline.

(11:00) Martin Perez was a late replacement for Reynaldo Lopez as the Braves starting pitcher.  The news came out an hour before 1st Pitch and it was a switch from a righty to a lefty pitcher.  The Nats ended up not getting their first hit until a Brady House 7th inning double to break up Perez's No-Hit bid.

(1...

The Nats lost their 3rd straight on Friday night in Atlanta.  Mark (From Truist Park) & Al recap the 6-2 loss that drops Washington to one game below .500 with just two games remaining before Monday's Trade Deadline.

(04:00) Luis Garcia Jr. was removed from the game and that raised plenty of eyebrows as the Deadline looms.  However, Garcia Jr. was pulled due to right knee soreness, not because of any trade.

(09:30) Foster Griffin had his worst outing in over two months as he allowed six runs off nine hits.  This was Griffin's final start prior to the Dea...

The Nats lost 5-4 on Thursday night in Atlanta to open their eight game road trip. Mark (From Truist Park) & Al focus on the offense's inability to knock in any runner in scoring position.  Washington went 0 for 9 in such instances and most of their runs came off solo homers.

(06:30) Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile teamed up to go deep three times against Braves starter Grant Holmes.  Garcia ultimately fell a single short of the cycle and Lile hit two homers in the loss. Garcia is up to 23 homers, but questions remain about his status for the Tr...

The Nats fell 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon to lose the series with the visiting Blue Jays.  Mark & Al convene after the Nationals missed an opportunity to gain ground in the standings while facing a below .500 team.  They conclude their homestand at 3-3 and are headed to a pivotal eight game road trip in Atlanta & Philadelphia.

(06:00) Do the win and losses this week affect Paul Toboni's approach at the Trade Deadline?

(08:00) Washington only scored one run in the bottom of the 8th and it was a major missed opportunity.  James Wood led-off with a double, Luis Gar...

The Nats beat visiting Toronto 8-6 on Tuesday night to even the series.  Al & Tim dig into Washington tying a franchise mark with six walks drawn in the bottom of the 1st.  It was a nightmare outing for Shane Bieber; who issued three RBI walks along the way.

(08:10) Luis Garcia Jr. slugged his 22nd homer of the season off of a lefty. Garcia Jr. is a Free Agent after the 2027 season and therefore he is very much a candidate to be dealt away before this Trade Deadline.

(14:30) Dylan Crews followed up Garcia's blast with his ow...

The Nats lost 3-2 to Toronto on Monday night to begin the three game series in Navy Yard.  Al & Mark focus on the familiar Blue Jays starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, who was returning from the IL (back).  Scherzer tossed 75 pitches and was pulled in the 3rd inning amid a standing ovation.

(12:00) Will Scherzer go into the Hall of Fame with a Nats hat on his plaque?

(17:00) The offense struggled against Toronto's stout bullpen. Andres Chaparro's 5th inning solo homer was the only run that the Nats mustered against that unit.

(23:30) Eddie Yean served as...

The Nats grabbed a rare home series victory after Sunday's 10-7 win over Arizona. Al & Mark have an avalanche of team news to sort through in this edition as Curtis Mead was traded to Boston late on Saturday evening.

(06:45) Washington acquired lefty starter Connelly Early from the Red Sox in exchange for Mead.  Early is currently on the 15-Day IL for elbow inflammation, but Paul Toboni laid out an encouraging timeline for his return this season. Early is a rookie with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts in 2026.

(15:30) How does this affect Foster Griffin as the Trade D...

**Late Saturday night the Nats traded Curtis Mead to Boston in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Connelly Early.  Tim gives a very brief update in the lead-off spot.

The Nats moved back above .500 with a 5-3 win over Arizona on Saturday afternoon.  Mark & Al hold a lengthy discussion about the unusual situation the franchise finds itself in with Foster Griffin, who earned his 12th victory of the season. Griffin is a Free Agent at the end of the year and it is still possible that he is dealt before the August 3rd Trade Deadline. Is it possible th...

The Nats continued to struggle at home in Friday night's 3-2 loss to Arizona.  Mark & Al convene after Washington returned to .500 through 104 games played thus far.

(08:00) The only Nationals runs came off of Dylan Crews' 2-run HR in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game.  Crews went deep off of Arizona lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and it reflects his wide disparity in hitting righties vs. lefties this year.

(14:40) Carson Palmquist allowed two early Arizona runs before Zack Littell took over in the top of the 2nd.  Palmquist has not pitched particularly well as an Ope...

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 Na...

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 B...

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 to...

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; jo...

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...

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 bei...

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...

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 th...

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 i...

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. on...

The Nats fell 6-3 on Tuesday night to the visiting Astros.  Al & Mark gather after Washington's 9th inning rally came up short with the bases loaded and Dylan Crews facing Josh Hader. Crews stuck out in a pinch-hit appearance as he stepped in for Keibert Ruiz.

(07:00) Nasim Nuñez was caught sealing for just the 4th time on the season, but it came in an inopportune spot to conclude the bottom of the 8th.

(14:00) James Wood led off with a homer for the 8th time this season.  Wood has the 2nd OPS in the NL and...

The Nats rallied for a hectic 12-11 victory over visiting Houston on Monday evening.  Mark & Al dive into the comeback effort where Washington trailed by five runs in the bottom of the 3rd; yet were ahead by the bottom of the 5th after scoring eleven unanswered runs.

(05:30) The Nats hit three homers in the victory.  CJ Abrams' 3-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd tied the game and was part of a five run frame.  Abrams has 19 homers so far on the season.

(07:30) Curtis Mead's solo shot put Washington on top in the bottom of...

The Nats were beaten 11-5 by the Pirates on Sunday afternoon in the series rubber match.  Al & Mark begin with Cade Cavalli's very brief outing on a very hot day in D.C. Cavalli was dealing with dehydration and dizziness while getting removed in the top of the 3rd.  Pittsburgh scored four runs off of Cavalli via six hits.

(10:15) Eddie Yean pitched well in his MLB debut after taking over for Cavalli.  Yean stuck out three Pirates during the stretch of the game where the Nationals battled back to take the lead in the middle innings.  Yan was...

The Nats were trounced by the Pirates 7-1 on July 4th in Washington D.C. Al & Mark dig into the defeat where the local holiday tradition continued of beginning the game at 11:05AM.

(04:30) Cade Cavalli & Miles Mikolas will flip their spots in the rotation as they await for their suspension appeals to be heard.  Cavalli originally was gong to the take the mound on Monday night, but now will pitch in Sunday's rubber match vs. Pittsburgh.

(10:00) James Wood hit another lead-off homer; his 23rd of the season. Wood reached the third deck and will get a...

The Nats launched their own fireworks in Friday night's 9-5 win over visiting Pittsburgh.  Mark & Al discuss the Nationals five homer effort in the victory that puts the team at three games above .500 entering July 4th.

(05:30) Luis Garcia Jr. homered twice to continue his torrid summer. Garcia is now up to 18 homers this season and he has hit 13 of them within the past month.

(10:30) Daylen Lile also went deep twice on Friday evening.  Lile has now lifted his OPS to .730 on the season.

(12:30) Jose Tena lived up to the role as the DH in...

Major League Baseball suspended four players in relation to Tuesday night's benches clearing at Fenway Park.  Tim provides a quick update to the situation as the Nats next take the field on Friday night vs. Pittsburgh.

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The Nats took the series in Boston with a 10-2 thrashing of the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Mark (From Fenway Park) & Al dig into the victory that puts Washington at two games over .500 entering the upcoming homestand.

(05:30) The offense scored double digits despite CJ Abrams getting the day off.  Washington jumped out early on Boston starter Payton Tolle, who ended up being charged with six runs allowed.

(07:00) James Wood homered for the 22nd time to make it 10-0 in the top of the 7th. Wood broke out of his slump this series by hitting t...

The Nats beat the Red Sox 8-1 on Tuesday night in a game that will be best be remembered for a bench clearing brawl.  Mark (From Fenway Park) & Al hold an extended discussion about what happened in the bottom of the 4th in Boston. Cade Cavalli struck out Willson Contreras and then after some verbal exchanges, both teams ran onto the field.  Contreras was ejected, but not Cavalli.

(05:30) Cavalli was every bit the Ace in the win as he struck out 13 Red Sox hitters and lasted seven innings. He will enter July with a 3.69 ERA.

(08:00) Pa...

The Nats lost 6-3 on Monday night to the streaking Red Sox.  Mark (From Fenway Park) & Al discuss the team getting a tour inside the Green Monster during the afternoon.  Nats Chat also has now broadcasted in every MLB Ballpark since we launched in 2021.

(05:30) James Wood led the game off with his 21st homer of the season. Wood has the 3rd most home runs in the NL; trailing only Kyle Schwarber & Hunter Goodman.

(08:45) Boston's winning pitcher was Ranger Suarez, who is performing well after signing a 5-year/ $130 Million deal.  This leads to a Foster Griffin con...