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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Jun 13, 2024 · 41 min
Fifth Straight Win
The Nats beat the Tigers 7-5 on Wednesday evening for their fifth win in a row, their longest win streak in three years. Washington is currently just one game back in a crowded NL wildcard race. Mark (From Detroit) & Al examine another solid outing by Jake Irvin as he only allowed one run in six innings of work. (08:00) A hat tip to Keibert Ruiz for being part of the success of the pitching staff so far this season while serving as catcher. (16:00) CJ Abrams doubled and homered in the victory. H
Jun 12, 2024 · 28 min
Bullpen Steps Up in Detroit
The Nats won 5-4 in ten innings on Tuesday night in Detroit for their fourth consecutive victory. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al begin with the clutch bullpen effort that combined for over five innings of shutout work. Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan were responsible for the final nine outs. (06:30) Mitchell Parker might have had his worst start yet as he was removed in the 5th inning. Parker did himself no favors as he committed a simple error that precipitated four unearned Tigers runs. Emblem
Jun 10, 2024 · 35 min
Third Straight Win Over the Braves
The Nats topped the Braves 8-5 on Sunday afternoon to end the weekend with three consecutive victories. Mark & Al discuss the Nationals second series win over Atlanta in just the past few weeks. (05:00) Keibert Ruiz had a big day as he hit a 3 run homer and knocked in four runs. Ruiz's home run was part of a seven run inning for Washington in the bottom of the 4th while facing a rookie pitcher (Hurston Waldrep). (16:00) DJ Herz had a short outing and Mark analyzes what he has seen from the lefty
Jun 9, 2024 · 30 min
Bats Wake Up Against Morton
The Nats defeated the Braves 7-3 on Saturday afternoon in D.C. for their second straight win. Mark & Al have a dozen hits to sort through as the offense scored in five of the initial six frames on Saturday. It was the second time in the past few weeks that the Nationals handed a loss to Atlanta starter Charlie Morton. (07:00) Nick Senzel had a pair of doubles and hit a late homer to give Washington a comfortable lead. Al points out how Senzel's offensive production has floated below the radar th
Jun 8, 2024 · 32 min
Irvin Beats Sale
The Nats beat the Braves 2-1 on Friday to end their four game losing streak. Al & Tim recap Jake Irvin's six shutout innings that came on 96 pitches. Irvin's ERA is at 3.12 and he has put himself into contention to make next month's All Star game. (10:00) The bullpen held onto the lead despite a few sloppy mistakes late in the game. Hunter Harvey returned to the mound just one day after giving up a trio of runs against Atlanta. Kyle Finnegan notched his 17th save of the season, which ranks fourt
Jun 7, 2024 · 33 min
Braves Get the Best of Harvey
The Nats scored first but ultimately fell 5-2 on Thursday night vs. the visiting Braves for their fourth straight defeat. Mark & Al have another mediocre showing from the offense to parse through as the only production came from Back to Back homers in the bottom of the 6th (CJ Abrams & Lane Thomas). Jesse Winker was the only member of the lineup to come through with multiple hits as the team collected just six in total. (09:00) Jacob Young made a great sliding catch in the middle of the game. It
Jun 6, 2024 · 29 min
Swept by the Mets
The Nats were clobbered 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon for a third consecutive loss to the visiting Mets. Al & Mark begin with Davey Martinez being openly critical of CJ Abrams and his role as the team's leadoff hitter. Abrams went 1 for 7 this series and his OPS is .739 on the season. Abrams also denied the opportunity to speak with the media after the game. (14:00) The offense was only able to muster one run and that came via "Small Ball" late in a rout. There were also two more outs made on the b
Jun 5, 2024 · 34 min
Williams to the IL & Herz Loses Debut
The Nats lost 6-3 to the Mets on Tuesday night in D.C. for their fourth loss in the past five game. Mark & Al evaluate the news that Trevor Williams is headed to the 15-day IL due to a right flexor muscle strain (same injury as Josiah Gray). Williams' ERA so far this season is just 2.22 in 11 starts. (06:00) The nod instead went to DJ Herz, a lefty that was called up from AAA Rochester. Washington acquired Herz last summer as part of the Jeimer Candelario trade with the Cubs. Herz pitched into t
Jun 4, 2024 · 31 min
Gore Gets Rocked & Rally Falls Short
The Nats opened the homestand with a 8-7 loss on Monday night to the Mets. Al & Mark recap the game that felt like it was from Pre Pitch Clock era as it lasted almost three and a half hours. MacKenzie Gore's pitching didn't help as he allowed six runs in just over four innings of work. It was first the bad start that Gore has had since May 5th, when he also gave up six runs. (09:00) The bullpen also struggled in the series opener as Dylan Floro and Jacob Barnes each gave up a run. Tanner Rainey
Jun 3, 2024 · 33 min
Irvin & the Nats Avoid the Sweep
The Nats avoided the sweep with a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland to conclude a winning road trip. Mark (From Progressive Field) & Al have another very good Jake Irvin outing to discuss as the young right-hander lasted six innings and threw 98 pitches. Irvin has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts. (05:00) Mark gives the latest on CJ Abrams and Jacob Young, both of which did not play on Sunday. Abrams hurt his shoulder on Friday night and Young exited Saturda
Jun 2, 2024 · 39 min
Sloppy in a Bizarre Defeat
The Nats lost 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland for their second straight defeat. Mark (From Ohio) and Al have plenty of sloppy Washington play to sort through, both defensively and on the bases. All of the Guardian runs came in quirky ways when facing Mitchell Parker, including Jose Ramirez scoring from second base on a wild pitch. (14:00) This season has had plenty of instances of poor base running by the Nationals and Saturday was no different. There was a miscommunication involving the
Jun 1, 2024 · 31 min
Beaten in Cleveland
The weary traveling Nats lost 7-1 on Friday night in Cleveland. Mark (From Progressive Field) & Al open with the crummy logistics that preceded the Nationals for this series opener as they did not make it to their hotel room until 5 AM after flying in from Atlanta. Davey Martinez gave the team off from "BP" for additional rest. (06:00) Washington only collected four hits and Luis Garcia Jr. had three of them. Garcia cooled off a bit at the plate in May as opposed to April (.253 vs. .311). (10:00
May 31, 2024 · 35 min
More Good Pitching Down South
The Nats won 3-1 on Thursday night to take three out of four games this week in Atlanta. Al & Tim begin with what has become a familiar starting point for this podcast.... solid team pitching. Trevor Williams earned the victory as he lasted into the 6th and four relievers combined for a scoreless effort. The final six outs were recorded by the dynamic duo of Hunter Harvey & Kyle Finnegan. (17:00) Joey Meneses had the hit of the night with a two run double in the top of the 3rd and came through w
May 30, 2024 · 39 min
Gore Strikes Out Ten in an Atlanta Win
The Nats beat the Braves 7-2 on Wednesday night to move to 25-29 on the season, putting them on pace for 75 victories this season. Mark & Al have another solid starting pitching performance to discuss as MacKenzie Gore earned the win and did not issue a walk along the way. Gore's ERA so far this season is 2.91 through 11 starts. (14:00) The bullpen threw nearly four innings, but didn't need to use Kyle Finnegan. Hunter Harvey recorded four outs and pushed his WHIP down to 0.92. (17:00) Lane Thom
May 29, 2024 · 32 min
No Run Support for Irvin
Jake Irvin was excellent on Tuesday night in Atlanta, but the Nats were shutout 2-0. Mark & Al begin with Irvin who struck out a career high ten batters in six innings of work. This game continued a season long pattern of Irvin not getting a lot of support from his offense. Should he have returned to the mound for the 7th after he through 90 pitches? (12:00) Max Fried was also superb as he tossed eight scoreless frames. The Nationals continued making costly outs on the bases, including CJ Abrams
May 28, 2024 · 33 min
Nats Double Up the Braves
The Nats opened the road trip with an 8-4 Memorial Day victory in Atlanta. Al & Tim have a crowded box score to sort through as the team collected fifteen hits and six Nationals had a multi hit afternoon. Lane Thomas was one of them as he had a pair of hits in his first game since returning from the IL. Thomas had been out since April 24th due to a sprained left MCL. (07:00) Keibert Ruiz had multiple hits for the fourth consecutive game and his batting average has shot up by 53 points since Frid
May 27, 2024 · 24 min
Pen Can't Hang On for the Sweep
The Nats led 5-4 entering the top of the 8th, but the Mariners jumped on the bullpen to hand Washington a 9-5 defeat on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al have a different Dylan Floro conversation than the day before as he gave up a pair of runs and took the loss. It was the third consecutive day that Floro took the mound and it was his worst outing of the season. (10:00) The offense came through with two homers as they came from Joey Gallo and CJ Abrams. It was the first homer for Abrams since April 2
May 26, 2024 · 34 min
Nats Defeat the Mariners Again
The Nats beat the Mariners 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in D.C. for their second consecutive victory. Al & Mark have another fine outing by Trevor Williams to recap as he only allowed one run in five innings of work. Williams gave up a solo homer to Julio Rodriguez and it is only the second home run hit off of him this season. (9:00) The bullpen was nearly flawless as they only allowed one base runner in the final four frames. Dylan Floro earned the win after throwing a scoreless top of the 7th and
May 25, 2024 · 29 min
Gore & Trio of Homers Beat Seattle
The Nats beat visiting Seattle 6-1 on Friday evening to open the three game series. Al & Tim begin with MacKenzie Gore who lasted seven frames for just the 2nd time in his career. Gore struck out eight Mariners and did so on just 98 pitches. He might be on the way to an All Star season as we approach Memorial Day. (09:00) Hunter Harvey and Dylan Floro each threw scoreless innings to preserve the victory for Washington. Is this the best early season bullpen in team history? (14:00) The offense ca
May 23, 2024 · 33 min
Offense Sputters Again
The Nationals lost the series rubber match to the Twins 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon in D.C. Mark & Al run through another collectively dismal day for the team's offense. Joey Gallo made the final out and went hit-less in the loss. Gallo is hitting just .126 so far this season and 3 for 21 since returning from the IL. (09:00) CJ Abrams has had a rough May and Davey Martinez criticized his current approach at the plate after the game. Abrams is hitting .205 this month after hitting .305 in April. (