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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May 29, 2025 · 30 min
Wood's Mammoth Homer Highlights Williams' Shutout
The Nats crushed the Mariners 9-0 on Wednesday night on an evening where they hit four homers. Mark (From Seattle) & Al note how the team continued its pattern of the early innings dictating the rest of the way as they hit Back to Back home runs in the top of the 2nd. (06:00) James Wood hit a moonshot for his 15th homer of the season. Wood's OPS is at .949 and is the 5th highest in the NL. (12:10) Robert Hassell III hit his 1st career Big League homer. Hassell had a big evening as he colle
May 28, 2025 · 41 min
Asleep in Seattle
The Nats were routed 9-1 in Seattle on Tuesday to begin their six game road trip. Mark (From T-Mobile Park) & Al convene after the Nationals fell to 24-30; putting them on pace for just 72 wins this season. Mariners starter Logan Evans cruised through the lineup as he only needed 88 pitches to last eight innings. (09:15) James Wood clubbed his 14th homer of the season and was the only source of offense for the team. However, Wood struck out three times and the hosts explore why he tallies so m
May 26, 2025 · 18 min
Nats Drop the Rubber Match
The Nats fell 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to the visiting Giants. Al begins with the sluggish offensive performance, that was punctuated by the curious decision to pinch-hit Josh Bell for Amed Rosario in the bottom of the 9th. James Wood had a RBI double, but the bats only collected five hits in total. (07:30) Alex Call and Robert Hassell III each had disappointing outfield defense in the pivotal top of the 3rd. Most notably, Call lost a fly ball in the sun at the wall that turned into a Sam Huf
May 25, 2025 · 31 min
Irvin Blanks the Giants
The Nats shutout the Giants on Saturday afternoon 3-0 for their seventh win in the past nine games. Mark & Al have plenty of praise for Jake Irvin, who tossed eight scoreless innings and tied a career high with seven strikeouts. Irvin's ERA is down to 3.42 and his WHIP is an impressive 1.10. (10:45) Jorge Lopez surprisingly pitched the 9th instead of closer Kyle Finnegan. Mark explains what is going on with Finnegan and why he did not enter the game on Saturday. (16:35) James Wood hit a 2-
May 24, 2025 · 32 min
Shutout Despite Gore's Great Outing
The Nats five game win streak was snapped in Friday night's 4-0 loss to the visiting Giants. Mark & Al focus on MacKenzie Gore's status as he exited in the middle of an at- bat in the top of the 7th. Davey Martinez said afterwards that Gore is fine and it simply was a "Charley Horse" from a comebacker that Gore fielded in the bottom of the 2nd. (07:00) Gore struck out nine Giants to extend his MLB lead to 93Ks on the season. The only run charged to the lefty was the leadoff batter in the top
May 23, 2025 · 36 min
Hassell III Scores in Extras to Seal 5th Straight Win
The Nats won their 5th straight on Thursday night as they outlasted the Braves 8-7 in extra innings. Mark & Al focus on the completely flipped script for the Nationals in the past week; as they recently had lost seven games in a row. Amed Rosario was the 10th inning hero as his pinch-hit RBI single ended the affair. (07:20) Robert Hassell III had quite the MLB debut as he singled in his first at bat, stole a base, collected two hits, and scored the winning run on Rosario's RBI single. Hassell
May 21, 2025 · 2 min
NATS & BRAVES RAINED OUT: DOUBLEHEADER IN MID SEPTEMBER
Tim gives a quick update on what you need to know as the Nats & Braves game was officially postponed at about 5PM on Wednesday.
May 21, 2025 · 31 min
4th Straight Win & Hassell III Getting Called up Due to Crews' Injury
The Nats won their 4th straight on Tuesday night as they topped the visiting Braves 5-3. Al & Mark have a lot to get to as Dylan Crews homered in the victory, but was removed mid-game because of a back issue, and that means Robert Hassell III is getting called up from AAA-Rochester. Hassell is one of the pieces from the 2022 Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres. (05:50) Jacob Young did not play for a second straight game due to crashing his shoulder into the Camden Yards' wall on Saturday
May 19, 2025 · 32 min
Nats Club 5 Homers in Sweep of the O's
The Nats continued to hammer Orioles pitching in their 10-4 win on Sunday afternoon. Mark (From Camden Yards) & Al discuss the Nationals first series sweep since mid July last season. Washington also dominated the Battle of the Beltways this year by winning five of the six meetings. (03:30) The offense combined for five homers on Sunday and the team now has 50 home runs in 48 games this season. CJ Abrams went deep in both the 1st & 2nd innings to lift his OPS this season to an impressive .94
May 18, 2025 · 35 min
6-Run 1st Inning Leads to (Mostly) Easy Win
The Nats immediately jumped out to a 6-0 edge on their way to Saturday's 10-6 victory at Camden Yards. Mark (From Baltimore) & Al convene after the Nationals third win in the past four days and their 2nd in a row at the Orioles. (04:30) Jacob Young crashed into the wall in the 7th and exited the game. X-rays were negative and it seems like no major injury was incurred. (08:00) Washington dominated Kyle Gibson in the opening inning by batting around and scoring six runs. The first out did n
May 17, 2025 · 28 min
Wood Homers in the "Nasim Nuñez Game"
For the second time in three days, the Nats rallied late for a comeback win. Mark (From Baltimore) & Al gather after the Nationals 5-4 victory at Camden Yards to open the weekend series. (05:45) James Wood tied the game twice and the first came following a curious decision by Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde to pitch to Wood with a base open in the top of the 6th. Wood went deep in the top of the 8th for his 12th home run of the season. Nathaniel Lowe also homered in the affair in the the top
May 16, 2025 · 24 min
Abrams Homers in Atlanta Defeat
The Nats lost 5-2 in the Atlanta series finale on Thursday afternoon. Al Galdi hosts solo and begins with a wide angle lens look at CJ Abrams' future, as it is growing more appropriate to talk about Washington signing him to an extension ahead of his Free Agency after the 2028 season. Abrams homered in the 8th inning, his second dinger this week, and his average currently sits at .317. (11:35) Trevor Williams only lasted 4.1 IP and fell apart once he faced the Braves lineup for a 3rd time. W
May 15, 2025 · 43 min
Late Inning Rally Snaps the Skid
The Nats were on their way to another loss, but rallied for a 5-4 victory on Wednesday night in Atlanta. Al & Mark hop on after the losing streak ends at seven games; their longest of the season. (04:00) Offensive contributions came from the youthful trio of CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Dylan Crews. Wood's RBI double in the top of the 8th gave Washington the lead for good. Abrams had a pair of hits and is hitting .311 so far on the season. (11:30) Jose Tena got another start at 2B while Luis
May 14, 2025 · 36 min
7th Loss in a Row
The Nats lost 5-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday night for their 7th consecutive defeat. Al & Tim run through the rotten state of affairs and wonder if any big changes are on the horizon as Washington is now nine games below .500 (17-26) through 43 games. (09:30) CJ Abrams homered on the first pitch of the game, his 5th of the season, and his OPS is up to .880. (10:45) Dylan Crews struck out to end the game on a questionable call. Crews' struggles at the plate are continuing as his batting average cu
May 13, 2025 · 31 min
Finnegan Not Used in Walk-off Loss
The Nats rallied in the top of the 9th, but couldn't make it to extras in Monday night's 4-3 loss in Atlanta. Mark & Al dig into the decision to not use Kyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 9th, where it was tied 3-3. Jackson Rutledge initially stayed in the game, but then was relieved by Andrew Chafin as opposed to Finnegan. The All-Star closer has not pitched since Game 1 of last Tuesday's doubleheader. (15:30) Jake Irvin gave up three runs off of seven hits in six innings of work. Al point
May 12, 2025 · 40 min
Gore Can't Stop the Skid
The Nats were swept by the Cardinals on Mother's Day Sunday as they lost the series finale 6-1. Mark & Al address the growing elephant in the clubhouse after the 5th straight loss: Is the seat getting hotter for Manager Davey Martinez? (12:05) Nathaniel Lowe's solo homer was the only source of offense in defeat. The bats were so quiet this weekend, that the only other Washington runs scored in the entire series were off of Dylan Crews' 2-run HR on Saturday. Hear Mark point out how much better
May 11, 2025 · 32 min
Martinez Expresses Frustration After 4th Straight Loss
The Nats rallied late with the bases loaded, but a CJ Abrams pop up resulted in a 4-2 loss on Saturday afternoon to the Cardinals. Al discusses the 4th consecutive defeat for Washington just after winning three in a row earlier in the week. (04:20) Davey Martinez was critical of the team after the game for issuing too many walks and conversely not drawing enough of them. Abrams swung on the first pitch against embattled St Louis closer Ryan Helsley with bases jammed in the bottom of the 9th wit
May 10, 2025 · 37 min
Fedde Tosses A Complete Game Shutout at Nats' Expense
Erick Fedde, a former 1st Round pick for the Nats in 2014, shutout his old club on Friday night in D.C in the Cardinals 10-0 victory. Mark & Al evaluate Fedde's masterpiece, where he only gave up six hits on 109 pitches. This is the second time Fedde dominated his original team as he did so last May in a seven inning effort for the White Sox. (12:05) While we are here, Patrick Corbin threw a good outing on Friday night for Texas. Corbin has a ERA of 3.13 for the Rangers this season and Mark t
May 7, 2025 · 35 min
Pitching Implodes in the 6th
The Nats led 3-0 entering the top of the 6th, but in less than a half hour they yielded eight Guardian runs on their way to an 8-6 loss. Mark & Al evaluate Michael Soroka, who initially seemed to have an excellent outing coming off the IL, but his scoreless effort turned into being tagged with four Cleveland runs. Soroka took the mound in the 6th after needing only 67 pitches prior to that frame. (9:25) Jorge Lopez & Andrew Chafin each struggled mightily in the nightmare inning, including a r
May 7, 2025 · 39 min
Comeback in Game 1 & Routed in Game 2
The Nats opened the doubleheader vs. Cleveland with their 3rd straight win, but that momentum was halted just a few hours later. Mark & Al reluctantly begin again with the bullpen, who overall had an awful Tuesday at the ballpark. They inherited a 6-2 lead in Game 1, but the Guardians immediately scored six runs in the top of the 7th. The offense bailed them out and then Kyle Finnegan notched his 100th career save. (7:10) The Nationals were trailing when Brad Lord departed Game 2, but the 'pe