Nats Chat

Tim gives a quick reminder about the end of season Podcast Party on Friday night October 2nd at Walter's Sports Bar in Navy Yard.

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The Nats ended the season on a high note with a 6-4 win over the Mets on Sunday afternoon.  Mark & Al gather after the Nationals 77th victory of the year; 11 more than in 2025.

(04:00) Mark relays the vibe in the clubhouse after game #162.

(08:00) "The focus in 2027 is winning".

(12:00) How should ownership view the 1.839M attendance this season?

(19:00) Washington stunningly ended up scoring the 3rd most runs in the sports this year.

(21:00) Andres Chaparro slugged a pair of homers in Sunday's victory. Chaparro ends his season with an impressive .894.

(24:00) C...

The Nats lost 7-1 on Saturday afternoon to the visiting Mets, but it a was successful game in the larger picture. Mark & Al leadoff with the news that James Wood was voted Player of the Year by the local media ahead of CJ Abrams.  Wood has fewer homers than Abrams, but does have a higher OPS.

(07:00) This game began at 12:35pm as opposed to its original 4pm start time due to impending weather.  This worked out on Saturday and Sunday's game has been moved by two hours earlier and will begin at 1:05pm.

(10:00) Connelly Early ma...

Friday was busy one at Nationals Park as it began with a Cade Cavalli press conference and ended with a 7-6 win over the Mets.  Mark & Al begin with Josiah Gray, who earned his first career save by holding off New York in the top of the 9th.  It was the first time that Gray took the mound in Navy Yard since April 4th, 2024.

(10:00) Blake Butera feels that if Washington had an average bullpen this season, then they would be preparing for the postseason.

(16:00) Paul Toboni addressed the media prior to the game and seemed to...

The Nats took the series with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit.  Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al examine the team wrapping upits road campaign with a winning road trip in St. Louis & Detroit.  Washington finished the season with a 38-43 record on the road as they had a stretch where they lost 21 of 23 away games this summer.

(6:00) It was a victorious Bullpen game that opened with Richard Lovelady on the mound.  Brad Lord had the most usage of any of the six relievers as he lasted 3.1 IP. Lord struck out a trio of Tigers on 49 pit...

The Nats topped the Tigers 3-1 on Tuesday night behind a pair of homers by CJ Abrams.  Mark (From Detroit) & Al begin with four rookie pitchers combining to preserve the victory despite not throwing one clean inning all evening.

(06:00) Riley Cornelio served as the Opener behind handing the ball off to Jackson Kent in the bottom of the 3rd. Cornelio's ERA in September is an impressive 1.84 in six appearances.

(8:00) Erik Tolman notched his 4th save of the season while striking out the side.  Jack Sinclair preceded Tolman and retired all four Tigers that he faced.

The Nats lost 9-2 in Detroit on Monday night as we are in the final week of the season.  Al & Tim begin with DJ Herz, who struggled in his first Big League start since September 2024. Herz lasted four innings and allowed four Tigers runs in the process.  

(06:00) Herz had Tommy John surgery in April of 2025 and originally came to the organization in 2023 in exchange for Jeimer Candelario.

(10:00) Luis Perales had a nightmare outing as he gave up five runs in just two innings of work.  Perales has only made six appearances for Washington, but his ERA...

The Nats fumbled an 8th inning lead and lost 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. Al & Tim cite the familiar bullpen refrain as they extended their MLB record for most blown saves in a season to 42 occurrences.

(05:00) Yovanny Cruz gave up the pivotal 2-run homer to Leo Bernal that gave the Cardinals the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 8th.  Cruz's ERA is up to 5.27 in 15 appearances this season.

(10:00) What will Paul Toboni do differently when building next season's bullpen?

(16:00) Jake Irvin had a solid outing as he struck out eight C...

The Nats prevailed in St. Louis 8-5 on Saturday night in a four-hour affair that lasted 11 innings. Al & Mark convene after Washington grabbed their sixth win the past seven games.  The Nationals won their 73rd game of the season; guaranteeing that they will avoid 90 losses in 2026.

(06:00) Andrew Alvarez was fantastic as he tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Alvarez's ERA is at 3.17 this season and it seems for almost certain that he will part of the 2027 rotation.

(12:00) The offense plated right runs off of dozen hits and a pair of Cardinals errors. Jorbit Vivas h...

Friday was a great day for the Nationals as it began with Cade Cavalli signing an extension and it ended with a 9-1 win in St. Louis.  Al & Mark  dive right into the deal with Cavalli that is worth $47M over 4 years; with a team option for 2031.

(08:00) What does this move say about ownership?

(14:00) What motivated Cavalli to sign this extension now? Cavalli is not a Scott Boras client.

(25:00) Just a few hours after the extension was announced, Cavalli took the mound in St. Louis. Cavalli struck out six Redbirds in five innings of...

The Nats four-game win streak was halted by the visiting Phillies on Wednesday night. Al & Mark recap the 3-0 loss; which was low lighted by the bullpen issuing a staggering 13 walks in the defeat.

(04:00) Jared Simpson opened the game, but only recorded one out while walking four Phillies. Simpson has combined to issue seven walks in his past two outings.

(12:00) Luis Perales had a wild boxscore as he tossed two scoreless innings, but in rather adventurous fashion.  Perales issued five walks, but did strike out a pair of Phillies.

(16:00) Zack Wheeler tossed seven s...

The Nats win streak extended to four-games with another comeback victory on Tuesday night. Mark & Al dig into the 6-3 victory over the visiting Phillies, who are now five and a half games behind Atlanta in the NL East standings.

(03:00) A quick message from Tim about supporting the podcast.

(06:00) Daylen Lile did not get the start, but changed the game with his pinch-hit opportunity in the bottom of the 7th.  Blake Butera loaded up a right-handed heavy lineup against Philadelphia ace Jonathan Sanchez, but then switched it up as the game continued.

(12:00) Why d...

The Nationals rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the bottom 8th to prevail with a 6-5 win over the Angels on Sunday afternoon.  Mark & Al discuss Washington sweeping the worst team in the AL during the weekend series in Navy Yard.

(06:00) Daylen Lile began the four-run 8th with a RBI triple and it ended with a Dylan Crews RBI single for a 6-4 lead.

(11:30) James Wood did not run hard when thrown out at home in the 1st.  Ryan Zimmerman called him out on the broadcast and Wood apologized after the game.

(19:00) Riley Co...

The Nats blew a late 4-run lead but ultimately emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon over the Angels.  Al & Tim examine the 6-5 walk-off victory after Harry Ford's comebacker was not fielded cleanly in the 10th and that brought across CJ Abrams for the winning run.

(07:00) Andrew Alvarez struck out eight Angels in seven innings of work; while allowing only one hit.  Alvarez seems to be on the path towards locking up a rotation spot for next season. Alvarez is an organizational success story as he was a 12th round pick in the 2021 Draft.

(11:30) Brad Lord ga...

The Nats snapped their seven game losing streak on Friday night as they rallied past the Angels 4-3 in Navy Yard. Before Al & Mark dig into the dramatic bottom of the 8th, they address a significant shake up in the team's medical personnel.

(04:00) Mark reported prior to the game that the team parted ways with Harvey Sharman, the franchise's executive director of medical services.  Sharman has been with the organization since 2016 and he came over from Leeds United Football Club in Europe.

(12:00) Cade Cavalli struck out nine in six innings of work.  Cavalli is up to...

The Nats were swept by the Padres on Wednesday for their 7th straight loss.  Mark (From San Diego) & Al jump right into the reality that is an 0-6 road trip in Southern California after falling 9-2 in the Petco Park matinee. Adding extra insult to injury, Maryland native Jackson Merrill drove in six runs in the midst of his two homer effort.

(05:30) Blake Butera was ejected in the bottom of the 3rd when the Padres took a 3-2 lead.

(11:00) Jackson Kent only lasted four innings as he allowed five runs off of eight hits.  Kent ha...

The Nats bullpen set a dubious MLB record in Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Padres.  Mark (From San Diego) & Al examine the bullpen implosion that occurred in the bottom of the 8th as Washington fumbled away their 3-run lead.  This was the 3rd blown save of the five game winless road trip in Southern California and their 38th of the season.  That sets a record for blown saves; surpassing the 37 blown saves committed by the 2024 White Sox (stat began in 1988**).

(08:00) Riley Cornelio threw three scoreless frames as he started the bullpen game.  This was Cornelio's first care...

The Nats are now 0-4 on their West Coast road trip as they lost 3-2 on Labor Day afternoon in San Diego.  Mark (From Petco Park) & Al convene after Washington lost for the 19th time in the past 21 road games. The assignment was a tough one as first pitch was at 2pm PT on Monday afternoon despite not finishing their series in LA until 10pm PT on Sunday night.

(06:00) Dylan Crews hit his 11th homer of the season to cut the deficit to one run in the top of the 6th.  Crews also had an outfield assist th...

The Nats yet again coughed up a late lead as the tied the 2024 White Sox for the most blown saves in a season. Mark (From Dodger Stadium) & Tim recap the 7-5 loss in Los Angeles on Sunday evening. Washington led 5-4 until Mookie Betts' 3-run HR in the bottom of the 8th off of Will Dion.

(05:00) Orlando Ribalta was unavailable out of the 'pen due to right forearm tightness.  Ribalta felt discomfort less than an hour before the game and he will get a MRI on Tuesday in San Diego.

(09:00) Dion struck out the Dodger s...

The Nats fell 6-5 on Saturday night in L.A. for their 17th road loss in their past 19 games.  Mark (From Dodger Stadium) & Tim begin with another failed top of the 9th rally by Washington.  CJ Abrams ultimately struck out with two runners on base to end the game.

(05:10) Clayton Beeter gave up a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th to Tommy Edman, the 36th blown save for the franchise this season. The Nationals pitching staff somehow leads MLB in both walks and homers allowed.

(12:00) Cade Cavalli struck out eight Dodgers in six in...

The Nats lost to the Dodgers 5-3 on Friday night to begin their six game road trip. Mark (From Dodger Stadium) & Al open with the Nationals 9th inning comeback where they almost overcame a five run deficit.  James Wood's RBI double brought to the tying run to the plate, but Andres Chaparro then flew out to end the affair.

(07:00) Nasim Nunez had an active evening and some of it was not very good. Nunez stole his 45th base of the season, but then was thrown out at 3rd with Wood up to bat as he overslid the b...

The Nats were blanked 9-0 on Wednesday by the visiting Braves.  Al & Tim examine the defeat where Washington only mustered two hits and didn't get their first one until the bottom of the 6th.  This concludes a brutal stretch of 16 straight games without an off-day.

(05:00) James Wood returned from the IL and his 6th inning single was one of the team's two hits.  Wood has 30 home runs with 20 games remaining and last season he finished with 31 homers.

(08:00) The other hit came form YoYo Morales in his 2nd career game.  Morales was at 1B on Wednesday as A...

The Nats beat the Braves 9-5 on Tuesday night to open a two game series in Navy Yard.  Al & Mark note how the team has won five of its past six games and their 67th victory of the season surpasses last season's total. Can they go 13-8 down the stretch to reach the 80-win plateau?

(11:00) Yohandy "YoYo" Morales was a triple shy of the cycle in his MLB debut.  His first MLB hit was a homer and he came very close to hitting a 2nd one, but it hit off the top of the wall. Morales was dr...

The Nats beat Miami 6-3 on Monday night for their fourth win in their past five games.  Mark & Al start with noting the roughly 10K in announced attendance, which was one of the lowest in stadium history.  

(06:00) Daylen Lile homered twice on the same day that he was named NL Player of the Week. Lile's OPS has now escalated to .752, which is 61 points higher than it was a few weeks ago.

(10:00) Brady House had two hits in the victory as he is getting more and more opportunities to face right-handed pitching.

(12:00) Jorbit Vivas wa...

The Nats led Miami 2-0 entering the top of the 9th on Sunday, but then the bullpen feel flat on its face. Mark & Al hold a lengthy discussion about the 'pen as it blew its 37th save of the season in the 6-2 defeat.  This team amazingly has blown more saves (37) than they have converted saves (35) this season.

(05:00) The litany of mistakes included not backing up an errant throw and allowing a way too easy steal of home.

(10:00) Max Kranick began the frame, but it was Tom Cosgrove had the nightmare frame.  Listen to how ac...

The Nats earned their first walk-off win of the season in Saturday afternoon's 5-4 win over Miami in extras.  Al begins with the hero Dylan Crews, who's single brought in Nasim Nunez in order to preserve the victory in the bottom of the 10th.  Crews had an impactful day as his swinging bunt resulted in a pair of runs coming across after a Miami throwing error in the 3rd.

(10:00) Despite the win; the offense was retired for 21 consecutive hitters until the 10th inning.

(12:30) CJ Abrams was at DH on Saturday as it has been over tw...

The Nats took care of the Marlins 9-2 on Friday evening in D.C. Mark & Al dig into Jackson Kent's impressive seven inning performance in just his 4th career Big League start. Kent ran into trouble in the top of the 7th, but convinced Pitching Coach Simon Matthews to let him wriggle out of it himself.  Kent allowed just one run while striking out three Marlins on 106 pitches.

(09:00) This outing came just five days after Kent lost in Miami on Sunday.  Kent was lifted in the 5th inning and allowed three runs in the 6-2 los...

The Nats salvaged a series split with Colorado on Thursday afternoon after a 7-1 triumph. Al & Mark note that there was a clear sense of extra hustle just one day after Blake Butera called out the team for a lack of effort.

(08:00) Daylen Lile kept up his hot week with three hits, including a homer.  Lile has shot up his OPS recently as it now at .724.

(11:00) Jacob Young impressed with an extra effort double, single, and a pair of stolen bases.  Young's OPS is at .713, much higher than last year's total of .583.

(15:00) Another ga...

The Nats were trounced 13-1 on Wednesday night by visiting Colorado.  Before diving into the rout, Mark & Al briefly revel in the 1,000th edition of this podcast.

(07:30) Blake Butera called out his team's lack of effort after the loss.

(10:00) Andres Chaparro got a rare start at 3B and homered in the bottom of the 2nd.  However, Chaparro did not hustle on a double by Jose Tena with two outs in the 4th and this was something that Butera pointed out afterwards.

(18:00) CJ Abrams originally was slated for SS but ended up being the DH...

The Nats lost to the Rockies 3-1 on Tuesday night in Navy Yard.  Al & Mark note that the team's complete inability to mount a late inning comeback as they are an astonishing 1-55 when they are trailing after the 7th inning.

(09:00) Daylen Lile slugged his 17th homer to account for the lone run.  Lile's OPS is now up to .715 as he tries to approach last year's total of .845.

(14:00) CJ Abrams DHed again on Tuesday night as it has been almost two weeks since the announcement was made that he will be moved to 2B.

...

The Nats snapped their four game losing streak by trouncing the visiting Rockies 13-3 on Monday night.  Mark & Al have a productive offensive evening to sort through as the lineup combined for thirteen hits despite not getting their first one until the bottom of the 5th.

(08:00) CJ Abrams made a big impact in his return to the leadoff spot as he doubled and stole two bases as the DH.  Abrams is the first 25-25 player for the organization since Alfonso Soriano twenty years ago.

(12:00) When will Abrams actually move to 2B?

(14:30) Lile drove in...

The Nationals lost to the Marlins 6-2 on Sunday afternoon to conclude a wretched 1-8 road trip. Mark & Al discuss the team now finding themselves ten games below .500 and they are 6-15 in the month of November.

(06:00) CJ Abrams sat out all series.  Should he have been placed on the 10-Day IL in order to open up a roster spot?

(08:00) Dylan Crews went 2 for 4 with a RBI double and his OPS is currently at .644.

(14:00) Is it time to call up Seaver King from AAA?  King is a SS who was the organization's first ro...

The Nats lost 4-2 in Miami on Saturday afternoon and are now 1-7 on this interminable road trip. Al & Tim begin with the lineup that has really struggled without CJ Abrams & James Wood.

(07:00) Hindsight look at Paul Toboni's actions leading into the Trade Deadline.

(16:00) Jake Irvin gave up four runs in six innings of work.  Irvin's ERA is consistently flirting with 6.00 and it is unlikely that he will be back with the organization in 2027.

(21:00) Erik Tolman tossed a scoreless bottom of the 7th in his MLB.  Tolman battled through multiple Tommy John surgeries an...

The Nats tied the Marlins in the top of the 9th, but couldn't get out of the bottom of the 9th unscathed on Friday night.  Al & Mark recap the 3-2 loss which ended on Javier Sonoja's walk-off single off of Clayton Beeter.

(05:00) The offense is really struggling without CJ Abrams & James Wood as they both are on the IL.

(08:00) Why did Nasim Nunez try to steal 3rd in the top of the 6th with Daylen Lile up to bat?  Nunez did swipe two other bags in the loss and now leads all of MLB with 42 st...

The Nats were shutout for the second time in three days as they fell 2-0 on Thursday night in Texas. Mark (From Arlington, TX) & Al begin with Jacob deGrom, who had a vintage performance against Washington. The former Cy Young winner struck out ten while only allowing one Brady House single in six innings on the mound.

(08:00) Will deGrom make it into Cooperstown?

(10:20) CJ Abrams sat on Thursday night due to a sprained ankle that occurred in the 9th inning on Wednesday. Abrams still has not switched to 2B despite the news coming out last...

Cade Cavalli was excellent again in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Rangers.  Mark (From Texas) & Al discuss Cavalli's 11 strikeouts, the most he's thrown since his late June outing in Fenway Park.

(06:00) Cavalli was pulled after six innings of work and 84 thrown pitches.  Should he have pitched the 7th?

(10:00) Cavalli is up to 162 strikeouts on the season and he likely has roughly six starts left.

(16:00) CJ Abrams made a great defensive play.... at shortstop.  When will the move to 2B actually happen?

(23:00) Andres Chaparro gathered three hits; one of which went over the...

The Nats were blanked 5-0 on Tuesday night at the Rangers for their 4th consecutive loss on this road trip.  Mark (From Arlington, TX) & Al put into perspective how severe the drop-off has been as Washington lost 11 of their past 12 road games.

(07:00) Rangers starter Cal Quantrill dominated the Nationals offense by tossing seven scoreless frames. The only player to get multiple hits in the loss was CJ Abrams.

(10:00) Abrams' agent has made it publicly clear that his client was not thrilled with the move from SS to 2B.

(17:00) The CBA expires in early D...

The Nats lost 4-3 to the Mets on Sunday afternoon as the weekend series resulted in a New York sweep.  Mark (From Citi Field) & Al convene after Washington has dropped ten of their past eleven road games within divisional play.

(04:00) CJ Abrams was hitless over the weekend after recently finding out that he will be moving to 2B.

(06:00) Update on James Wood's oblique injury.

(08:00) Abimelec Ortiz homered again and he is now up to five homers this month.

(14:00) No hits or walks for Dylan Crews in New York. Crews OPS this s...

The Nats couldn't hang on in the 9th and lost 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at the Mets. Mark (From New York) & Al begin with Yovanny Cruz, who inhertied a 4-3 lead in the middle of the 9th.  Cruz was unable to overcome the lead off walk and Francisco Lindor's walk-off single sealed Washington's fate.

(12:00) This was a planned bullpen game for the Nats and they immediately rain into trouble. Brad Lord got the start but was only able to record two outs.

(14:00) Will Dion stepped up big time as he tossed over four innings out o...

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...