Nats Chat

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of natsjournal.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

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#1008
September 5 · 25 min
Comeback Falls Short in the 9th
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 o
#1007
September 3 · 37 min
Wood Returns in Shutout Loss
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 Moral
#1006
September 2 · 38 min
YoYo Homers in Winning Debut
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 drafted in the
#1005
September 1 · 42 min
Lile's Red-Hot Surge Continues in Win
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
#1004
August 31 · 37 min
Another 9th Inning Bullpen Implosion
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 Kranik began the frame, but it was Tom Cosgrove had the nigh
#1003
August 30 · 32 min
Crews' RBI Single Walks It Off in the 10th
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
#1002
August 29 · 38 min
House Hits a Moonshot in Kent's Gem
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 allow
#1001
August 28 · 30 min
Lile & Ruiz Homer in Comfy Win
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
#1000
August 27 · 38 min
Butera Calls Out Effort After Rout
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
#999
August 26 · 40 min
Abrams at DH Again in Loss
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 wi
#998
August 25 · 34 min
Lile Homers in Rout of the Rockies
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 wi
#997
August 24 · 30 min
Swept in Miami to End an Awful Road Trip
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 org
#996
August 23 · 34 min
Embattled Lineup Only Scores Twice in Saturday's Loss
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
#995
August 22 · 30 min
Beaten in the 9th in Miami
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 sto
#994
August 21 · 31 min
Blanked Again in Texas
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
#993
August 20 · 38 min
Cavalli Whiffs 11 in Shutout Win
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 actu
#992
August 19 · 30 min
Shutout in Texas
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
#991
August 17 · 30 min
Swept in Queens
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 Dyla
#990
August 16 · 31 min
Cruz Blows the Save in New York
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
#989
August 15 · 37 min
Abrams' Eventual Switch to 2B Announced Before Loss
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 organiz

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