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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980 episodes
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Episodes980

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Sep 15, 2024 · 33 min
Ruiz's Big September Continues in Win
The Nats beat the Marlins 4-1 for the second consecutive day and they have now beaten Miami in ten out of twelve meetings this season. Mark & Al recap the 67th win of the year; and Washington needs to go at least 5-9 down the stretch to exceed last season's win total of 71. (06:00) Keibert Ruiz has another good game this month as he had a RBI single, double, and a stolen base. Ruiz is the only player on the team to steal third base twice this season and both of them have come recently. (10:15) T
Sep 14, 2024 · 31 min
Garcia Jr. Clears the Fences in Win
The Nats defeated Miami 4-1 on Friday night for their 66th win of the season. Mark & Al recap DJ Herz's solid outing, which dropped his ERA to 3.70. Herz only threw 87 pitches and struck out five Marlins in five innings of work. (13:30) Dylan Crews had an impactful opening inning with both his glove and his speed. Crews made a spectacular catch for the second consecutive game, beat out a routine grounder for an infield single, and stole two bases. (18:45) Luis Garcia Jr. hit his 16th homer of th
Sep 13, 2024 · 33 min
Bad Defense & A Blown Lead
The Nats led early but faltered 6-3 on Thursday evening against the visiting Marlins. Mark & Al run through the sloppy totals that saw no base runners in the later portion of the game and the defense commit a trio of errors. Jose Tena was charged with his 9th error in just the past 25 games and it seems clear that he is not a long term option at 3B. The bullpen did not get the benefit of the doubt from the defense behind him, but allowed four Miami runs in the final couple of innings. (17:30) Mi
Sep 12, 2024 · 39 min
Irvin Continues His Dominance Over Atlanta
The Nats beat the Braves 5-1 on Wednesday to give them their 65th victory of the season, with 17 games remaining. Al & Mark convene after the Nationals finish the successful season series against Atlanta, winning eight out of thirteen meetings. (04:00) Jake Irvin took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and only allowed one run during the evening. Irvin faced the Braves four times this season and only gave three earned runs in those match-ups. Irvin has thrown over 172 innings this season and might
Sep 11, 2024 · 32 min
Gore Gets Crushed by the Braves
The Nats were clobbered and shutout 12-0 on Tuesday night vs. visiting Atlanta. Mark & Al have an ugly evening to recap as the Braves are desperately vying for Wild Card contention this week in the two game series. (04:00) MacKenzie Gore was awful and allowed seven runs in under four innings on the mound. This start was a setback for the young lefty, who was coming off of three consecutive solid outings. The hosts look big picture at the situation moving forward with Gore as confidence in him b
Sep 9, 2024 · 27 min
Leadoff Homer for Abrams in Defeat
The Nats lost 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh to finish their two city road trip. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al leadoff with CJ Abrams, who returned to the top spot in the order and promptly homered to begin the game. Abrams is up to 19 home runs this season, surpassing last year's total. (07:30) Keibert Ruiz doubled on Sunday and his September is off to a scorching start. Ruiz is coming off a decent August, where his OPS was at .662. (14:00) Andres Chaparro doubled in the 9th and has nine of
Sep 8, 2024 · 37 min
Nats Sweep the Doubleheader
The Nats took both ends of the day/night twinbill in Pittsburgh to lift their win total to 64, which is just seven fewer than last season. Mark (From PNC Park & Al begin with DJ Herz, who tossed five no hit innings during Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. Mark explains the thinking behind removing Herz after only 87 pitches. (09:00) Dylan Crews filled the box score with a homer, double, walk, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases. Crews already has three homers in under two weeks of
Sep 6, 2024 · 37 min
Irvin Loses in Pittsburgh
The Nats squandered an early lead and lost 9-4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night and now are season worst 16 games below .500. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al examine Jake Irvin's disappointing outing that saw him allow six runs in only five innings of work. This is the second straight start that Irvin was done in by the big inning (vs. the Cubs over the weekend) and continues his recent downward trend on the mound. This leads to a discussion on who might get the nod to start on Opening Day. (15:30) Th
Sep 5, 2024 · 28 min
10th Inning Goes South for the Nats
The Nats lost to the Marlins for the first time this season on Wednesday evening. Al & Tim recap the 4-3 loss that ended on a walk-off Miami single by Xavier Edwards in the bottom of the 10th. Washington's bullpen could not hang onto the 3-2 lead they inherited in the 8th inning and they allowed three runs in nearly four innings of work. (08:00) MacKenzie Gore was dominant and took a Perfect Game bid into the 6th. Gore struck out nine Marlins and only issued one walk in the outing. This is Gore'
Sep 4, 2024 · 41 min
Gallo & Ruiz Homer in Miami Win
The Nats started their road trip on the right note with a 6-2 victory in Miami on Tuesday night. Mark & Al open with Keibert Ruiz, who was a triple shy of the cycle in the win. Ruiz hit his 13th homer of the season in the top of the 6th to give Washington a four run lead. (12:00) Jacob Young reached base four times and he has raised his OPS by 54 points in less than a month. (19:15) Joey Gallo slugged a 3-run HR to put the Nationals on top 4-0. It was Gallo's first time going deep since June 3rd
Sep 2, 2024 · 36 min
Smoked & Swept
The Nats were blown out on Sunday afternoon 14-1 by the Cubs to complete the three game sweep. Al & Mark discuss the poor defense, that saw three more errors (two by Jose Tena). The Nationals have 61 wins and need 11 more to improve on their win total from last season and there are 25 games remaining. (07:00) Washington was charged with three errors and it easily could have been five. Davey Martinez expressed his displeasure at the poor team defense afterwards. (14:10) Mitchell Parker committed
Sep 1, 2024 · 39 min
Cubs Get to Herz in the 5th
The Nats fell 5-3 on Saturday afternoon against the Cubs to conclude August at 61-75 overall. Mark & Al recap DJ Herz's outing against his former organization, who traded him to the Nationals last summer in exchange for Jeimer Candelario. Herz was outstanding in the opening four frames, but the wheels came off in the top of 5th, where he allowed four Chicago runs. (09:00) Drew Millas committed a crucial error in the top of the 7th in a rare start behind the plate. Millas did well offensively how
Aug 31, 2024 · 28 min
Crews Goes Deep in Defeat
The Nats rally fell short in their 7-6 loss to the visiting Cubs on Friday evening. Al hosts solo and begins with Dylan Crews, who hit his 2nd career HR in the bottom of the 3rd. Crews struck out in the bottom of the 9th for the final out; stranding two runners. (07:00) CJ Abrams was moved down in the lineup to the 7th spot and responded with an 0 for 3 night with a walk. Hear Davey Martinez's pregame explanation as to why he dropped Abrams in order. (14:20) Jake Irvin had a disastrous top of th
Aug 29, 2024 · 38 min
Crews Homers & Doubles in Win Over the Yanks
The Nats beat the Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday night to take the series in D.C. Mark & Al chronicle the first career HR for Dylan Crews and it came in just his third game. Crews would later add a double to stuff the box score and serve as stark reminder to fans that brighter days are ahead. Crews hit leadoff and is expected to do so when Washington is facing a lefty starter. (09:30) James Wood had a pair of hits but more impressively stole three bases on Wednesday night. Wood has 11 stolen bags sinc
Aug 28, 2024 · 33 min
Corbin Outduels Gerrit Cole
The Nats doubled up the Yankees 4-2 on Tuesday night behind Patrick Corbin's six shutout innings. Mark & Al wonder if this is Corbin's most impressive appearance since Game 7 of the World Series. Oddly enough, the pitcher that notably never entered that Game 7 (Gerrit Cole), was the losing pitcher in this affair. (5:00) Dylan Crews singled off of Cole for his first career hit and then later added another single, stolen base, and run scored. Crews was slotted lower in the lineup (7th) due to faci
Aug 27, 2024 · 32 min
Crews Draws a Walk in Losing Debut
Dylan Crews debuted in front nearly 33K fans but the Nats lost 5-2 on Monday night in D.C. against the AL leading Yankees. Mark & Al evaluate Crews' evening as he went 0 for 3 but did a draw walk in defeat. Mark also explains the best he can as to why Davey Martinez did not hold a postgame press conference. (10:00) Aaron Judge stole the stole... with his glove. Judge made two excellent plays n the field and one of them resulted in a double play at the expense of James Wood. (16:30) Jacob Young h
Aug 25, 2024 · 32 min
Sweep Avoided in Georgia
The Nats topped the Braves 5-1 on Sunday afternoon to clinch a winning record over their division rivals this season (7-4 thus far). Mark (From Cobb County) and Al evaluate the importance of that stat is in terms of measuring where the organization currently sits. (05:00) DJ Herz tossed five scoreless innings and struck out eight. Herz has made seven starts in the majors this year and his ERA is at 3.84. (08:30) Eduardo Salazar recorded five outs out of the bullpen and has not allowed a run in t
Aug 25, 2024 · 31 min
Abrams Commits Another Error in Loss
The Nats led early on but lost 4-2 on Saturday night in Atlanta. Mark (From Cobb County, GA) & Al begin with the team's decision to call up Drew Millas instead of Dylan Crews to replace the injured Alex Call this weekend. The organization decided not to alter the date of Crews' debut after Call was placed on the IL due to a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. (08:30) All the offense came from Jose Tena's first career MLB homer. Tena had a trio of hits and so far is hitting .400
Aug 24, 2024 · 36 min
Crews Coming to D.C. on Monday
Friday was a busy one for the Nationals as it began with news that Dylan Crews will make his MLB debut on Monday night and it ended with the team falling 3-2 in Atlanta. Mark (From Cobb County, GA) & Al evaluate how Alex Call's injury could affect the team's plans this weekend in the outfield. (09:00) Crews will face the Juan Soto and the Yankees in his first game in the majors on Monday night in D.C. Crews began the year with AA-Harrisburg, but has been with AAA-Rochester since June 18th. The t
Aug 23, 2024 · 31 min
Corbin Earns 100th Win of Career
The Nats beat the Rockies 8-3 on Thursday afternoon to take the series in D.C. Mark & Al have more good James Wood things to discuss as he drove in two runs and lifted his OPS to .837. The NL Rookie of the Year race is already very crowded, but Wood is putting himself in fringe contention. (08:00) Keibert Ruiz's RBI double continued his strong August performance. His OPS this month is at .855, which is significantly better than his season's total (.631). (12:15) Luis Garcia Jr. had a pair of hit