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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Jul 4, 2024 · 36 min
Irvin's July 4th Gem + Meneses to AAA
The Nats staged a thrilling win on July 4th in D.C. as Jesse Winker's pinch-hit Solo homer lifted the home team to a 1-0 triumph over the Mets. Mark & Al marvel at Jake Irvin's best start yet as he tossed eight shutout innings and point out that he seems to be rounding into the form of an "Ace". The only blemishes on Irvin's day was the walk he issued in the 2nd and the single he allowed in the top of the 3rd. Irving ended the dominant outing by retiring 17 straight New York hitters. (14:00) Der
Jul 4, 2024 · 36 min
Garcia & Wood Lead the Comeback Win
The Nats overcame a 5-0 deficit to beat the Mets 7-5 on Wednesday evening to end their three game skid. Al & Tim begin with Luis Garcia Jr., who slugged a pair of homers in the victory. Garcia hit a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 6th and then added insurance in the bottom of the 8th with a Solo shot. He has nine homers so far this season, already equaling his career high. (07:00) James Wood's first career RBI put the Nationals ahead for good in the bottom of the 7th. He immediately followed it up
Jul 3, 2024 · 38 min
Deja Vu in the 10th
Tuesday night ended eerily similar to Monday as the Mets offense teed off against the Nats bullpen in the top of the 10th. Mark & Al meet after the 7-2 loss to discuss New York scoring five runs off of Robert Garcia in extra innings. Hunter Harvey struggled again as he allowed the tying run in the top of the 8th. (16:00) DJ Herz had a solid outing as he had ten strikeouts and didn't issue any walks. Herz has made six starts since being called up and two of them have reached the double digit stri
Jul 2, 2024 · 35 min
Wood Debuts Before Extra Inning Loss
James Wood made his much anticipated debut on Monday night as the Nats lost to the Mets 9-7 in ten innings in D.C.. Mark & Al start with Wood who singled, reached on an error, and drew a walk in the affair. Wood was slotted sixth in the lineup and played in LF in his first MLB game. (14:30) The offense totaled 11 hits and almost staged a major comeback in the bottom of the 10th. Following the six run Mets 10th, the Nationals scored four runs and had the go ahead run at the plate. (20:00) It was
Jul 1, 2024 · 28 min
Shutout in St. Pete
The Nats were blanked 5-0 on Sunday afternoon to drop the series in Tampa Bay. Mark (From Tropicana Field) & Al look ahead to Monday as James Wood will make his much anticipated MLB debut in D.C. vs. the Mets. Where will he hit in the lineup? (12:00) The offense only came through with three hits and combined for 16 strike outs on Sunday. Joey Meneses was the main culprit as he struck out in all four at bats and his OPS entering July is .597. (15:00) Patrick Corbin gave up a pair of homers and fo
Jun 30, 2024 · 30 min
Irvin Only Allows One Hit in Eventual Rout
The Nats routed the Rays 8-1 on Saturday afternoon to snap their four game losing streak. Mark (From Tropicana Field) & Al convene after Jake Irvin bolstered his All-Star credentials by only allowing one hit in six innings of work. Irvin made six starts in June and gave up more than two runs in only one of those outings. (10:00) Despite the big lead, both Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan threw an inning on Saturday. The hosts note this as the team will not have an off-day until the All Star Break
Jun 29, 2024 · 38 min
Wood Reportedly Coming to D.C. on Monday
The Nats lost 3-1 at the Rays on Friday night, but the main news of the day came in the afternoon. Mark (From Tropicana Field) & Al begin with the reports that James Wood will be promoted from AAA and will join the Nationals on Monday when they host the Mets. Wood played Friday night for Rochester and the hosts wonder if he should still be in the lineup in the minors this weekend. (09:00) Jesse Winker made a fantastic diving catch in the 1st inning but afterwards left the game. He is expected to
Jun 27, 2024 · 28 min
Short Outing for Herz as Nats Get Swept
The Nats lost 8-5 in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon completing a three game sweep. Al & Tim discuss how this series was a humbling one for Washington as they now are four games below .500 in the standings. All the runs they scored came in the top of the 9th against the back end of the Padres bullpen. (6:00) Lane Thomas doubled in the game and continued his stretch of consistently getting on base in the month of June. Al notes that there is a potential decision for the team to make next month o
Jun 26, 2024 · 33 min
Early Fireworks Ends in a Loss
The Nats lost 9-7 in San Diego on Tuesday night in a game that saw the benches clear in the bottom of the 1st inning. Al & Tim examine the circumstances that led to Keibert Ruiz and Jurickson Profar getting into each other faces before Profar's at bat. MacKenzie Gore then hit Profar with a pitch, but was not ejected from the game. (14:00) Gore only lasted five innings and allowed five runs in the outing. Gore has not had a stellar June as in three of five starts this month he has given up at lea
Jun 25, 2024 · 26 min
Harvey Blows it in the 10th
The Nats lost 7-6 on Monday night in San Diego after Hunter Harvey allowed four runs in the bottom of the 10th. Al & Tim start with Harvey's blown save as he could not hold onto the 6-3 lead that he inherited. A win would have put Washington at .500 on the season, but they instead fall to 38-40. (08:00) The Nationals had five extra base hits, four doubles and Nick Senzel's 2 run HR in the top of the 10th. CJ Abrams and Joey Meneses each had a trio of hits and prior to extras Meneses drove in all
Jun 24, 2024 · 31 min
Nats Rally in a Coors Field Pitchers' Duel
The Nats came from behind in the 9th to win 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Colorado to take the series. Mark (From Denver) & Al begin with Kyle Finnegan, who was able to quickly move on from Saturday night's rough ending with his 22nd save of the season, which is the 2nd most in the National League. (12:00) Jake Irvin had another very good outing as he struck out ten hitters for the second time this season. Irvin has pitched himself into contention to be an All-Star next month. (20:30) The offense d
Jun 23, 2024 · 36 min
Walked Off by the Clock
The Nats became the first team to ever lose on a pitch clock violation Saturday night in Colorado. Mark (From Denver) & Al convene after Kyle Finnegan made MLB history in an ominous way in Washington's 8-7 loss. This is not too much of a surprise as he leads all pitchers in pitch clock infractions this season and it came after the bullpen had a rough night as three relievers combined to allow four runs in the final three frames. (14:00) It was another night of poor base running as the Nats made
Jun 22, 2024 · 31 min
Rout of the Rockies
The Nats crushed the Rockies 11-5 on Friday night in Coors Field to move to just one game below .500. Mark (From Denver) & Al have a lot of offensive contributions to sort through as four members of the lineup collected a trio of hits. (05:00) Drew Millas was one of them and it included his first homer of the season. CJ Abrams returned to the field after a missing a few games (due to a cyst on his left wrist) and had a pair of doubles in the victory. (09:30) Lane Thomas was a homer shy of the cy
Jun 20, 2024 · 20 min
Series Loss to the Diamondbacks
The Nats lost 5-2 to the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon. Al breaks down another disappointing offensive performance for the team (1:31) before discussing catcher Keibert Ruiz's poor season at the plate and behind the dish (8:42). He also talks about an unlucky start for MacKenzie Gore (11:40) and briefly discusses Jordan Weems' tough recent stretch of relief (15:48). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 20, 2024 · 28 min
Bats Do Enough to Beat Snakes
The Nats beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon in D.C. Mark & Al break down a good start from Patrick Corbin and question if it might be his last start for the Nats. They also discuss the stellar performance from the bullpen this season (7:26). On the offensive side, they talk about Jesse Winker's great season and why he is the most likely player to be traded ahead of this year's deadline (10:51) as well as dissect the important role Ildemaro Vargas has held for the 2024 Nats (16:05).
Jun 19, 2024 · 35 min
Crews to Triple-A as Arizona Shuts Out Nats
The Nats lost to the Diamondbacks 5-0 on Tuesday evening as James Wood returned to the AAA lineup while Dylan Crews made his Rochester debut. Mark & Al discuss the prospects' progress so far and break down when we might see them in the majors. They also discuss a bad offensive performance from the Nats (13:45) and what might have been Jake Irvin's worst start of the season (17:01). They end the show by talking about updates on Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli's rehab assignments and touching on the
Jun 17, 2024 · 37 min
Parker Stymies Miami in a Sweep
The Nats defeated the Marlins 3-1 on Sunday afternoon to complete a three game sweep and move to 7-0 this season vs. their divisional foe. Al & Mark have another dominant outing from a young pitcher to dissect as Mitchell Parker only allowed one run in six innings of work. So far during this solid stretch of pitching, Parker's biggest issue seems to be fielding as he misplayed an infield hit that led to Miami's lone run. (10:30) Who has the biggest upside between Jake Irvin, DJ Herz, and Parker?
Jun 16, 2024 · 38 min
Herz Strikes Out 13 Marlins in Shutout Win
The Nats blanked the Marlins 4-0 on Saturday afternoon for their seventh win in the past eight games. Mark & Al dive into DJ Herz, who in his third ever MLB start, had one of the best pitching performances in franchise history. The lefty lasted six innings, fanned 13 hitters, issued zero walks, and only allowed one hit in is first career victory. (07:00) Washington has had four young pitchers perform well at the Major League level this season in Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, MacKenzie Gore, and n
Jun 15, 2024 · 25 min
Gore Spins a Gem Amid Flared Tempers
The Nats routed the last place Marlins 8-1 on Friday evening in D.C. Al is solo behind the mic and gives a detailed analysis of what happened in the dugout between Nick Senzel and MacKenzie Gore. It did not escalate to the same level as Jonathan Papelbon/ Bryce Harper, but was reminiscent of the 2015 incident. (09:30) Gore dominated Miami as he struck out ten batters. Gore was able to complete seven innings on 103 pitches as he earned his sixth victory of the season. (12:30) The Nationals scored
Jun 14, 2024 · 32 min
Win Streak Snapped at Five
The Nats lost 7-2 in Detroit on Thursday afternoon to end their five game winning streak. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al begin with the faltering bullpen as they allowed five runs in the bottom of the 7th. Derek Law and Robert Garcia combined to give up six runs while recording just four outs. (12:00) Patrick Corbin had a no decision and was only charged with one run in just over five innings of work. This leads to a discussion on the rehab for both Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli. Gray is taking t