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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979 episodes
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Episodes979

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Today · 43 min
Garcia Jr. Traded After Getting Swept
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.
Yesterday · 33 min
4th Straight Loss
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 in
Saturday · 29 min
Griffin Gets Hit Hard in Atlanta
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
Friday · 39 min
Bats Go Cold with Runners in Scoring Position
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 hom
Thursday · 31 min
Nats Drop the Rubber Match
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
Wednesday · 35 min
Nats Triumphantly Draw 6 Walks in the 1st
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 follo
Tuesday · 35 min
Scherzer Starts the Blue Jays Win
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 N
July 27 · 44 min
House Replaces Mead & the All-Stars Victoriously Combine for 4 Homers
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
July 26 · 31 min
Abrams Homers in Griffin's Win
**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 d
July 25 · 37 min
Home Woes Continue
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
July 23 · 32 min
Cavalli & the Nats Shutout the Rockies
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'
July 22 · 35 min
Abrams Homers Twice in Colorado Loss
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
July 21 · 35 min
Nats Homer Thrice in Coors Field Win
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
July 20 · 32 min
Griffin Takes Care of the Athletics
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
July 19 · 25 min
Smashed in Sacramento
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
July 18 · 36 min
Chaparro Homers Twice in 23-Run Barrage
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
July 13 · 34 min
Swept After Another Blown Late Lead
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
July 12 · 43 min
Yankees Strike Back in the 8th
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) Bla
July 11 · 30 min
Blown Save for Krook in the 9th
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 th
July 9 · 30 min
Griffin Has No Problem with Houston
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 laun