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 2, 2023 · 39 min
Back In Last Place
The Nats lost 8-5 in extras on Friday night to visiting Miami for their 5th defeat in the past 6 games. Adding additional insult to the evening is that the Mets beat Seattle to move back in front of Washington by a half game. Al & Mark recap the 11 inning defeat; which required 6 IP by 6 different relievers. (17:15) The Nationals slugged 3 dingers on Friday and one of them came from Travis Blankenhorn in his first game since getting called up by Rochester. He hit 5th playing LF and this season h
Sep 1, 2023 · 32 min
Game 135: Marlins Pound Adon
The Nats successful August (17-11) came to anti climatic conclusion as they lost 6-1 on Thursday night in the series opener vs. the Marlins. Al & Tim discuss the struggling offense; which only scored 1 run in the past 2 games. The lineup was dealt a tough blow pregame as Lane Thomas was a late scratch due to back tightness. (14:10) Joan Adon allowed 5 runs in as many innings and gave up 9 hits along the way. Adon has been on opposite ends of the spectrum in his 5 Big League starts since being ca
Aug 31, 2023 · 31 min
Game 134: Series Streak Snapped
The Nats long winning road trip ended with a thud as they were shutout Wednesday afternoon in Toronto. Mark (From Canada) & Al note this end a string of 5 consecutive series victories. The offense was no match for Chris Bassit, who only allowed 3 hits in 8 IP. (08:00) CJ Abrams was 0 for 4 in the loss Al points out the surprisingly disappointing numbers for the young SS in August. His .229 average this month is far lower than when he hit .327 in July. (15:00) Patrick Corbin gave up 10 hits in on
Aug 30, 2023 · 37 min
Game 133: Kieboom & Ruiz Go Deep in Toronto Win
The Nats held off Toronto 5-4 for a dramatic win against the AL Wild Card contender. Mark (From Ontario) & Al begin with the bullpen that clung on to the lead, but allowed 3 runs in 4 IP. Kyle Finnegan loaded the bases with no outs while nursing a 2 run lead, but was able to emerge with his 25th save of the season. (12:30) The Nationals hit a pair of homers on Tuesday night for all of their offensive production. Carter Kieboom homered for the 3rd time since joining the team and Keibert Ruiz left
Aug 29, 2023 · 30 min
Game 132: Quick Hook for Gray
Josiah Gray's rough August continued as he only lasted 2 innings in Monday night's 6-3 loss at Toronto. Al & Mark (From Canada) recap Gray's gruesome start and what seems to be wrong with his pitching mechanics. This month in five starts, the right hander's ERA is at 8.84 with 17 walks issued. (17:30) CJ Abrams had a very electric evening (error aside) as he had a trio singles and also stole 3 bases. Abrams now has 37 stolen bases on the season and is seriously threatening Trea Turner's franchis
Aug 28, 2023 · 23 min
Game 131: Williams Pitches Well in Defeat
The Nats came up short in their sweep attempt as they fell 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Miami. Al gets you up to speed on the catching situation as Riley Adams started every game this series while Keibert Ruiz has been out of the starting lineup since taking a foul ball to the mask on Wednesday in New York. It is important to note that Ruiz did pinch hit and minor league catcher Drew Millas will join the team on Monday in Toronto per Mark's report. (05:00) Trevor Williams had a solid outing, but t
Aug 27, 2023 · 22 min
Game 130: Rally Caps Donned in the 9th
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the top of the 9th, the Nats rallied to come away with a 3-2 win in Miami. Al, always a pragmatic one, wonders if a .500 season is in play, believe it or not. They would need to go 20-12 over the final stretch to meet the threshold. Washington is now two games ahead of the last place Mets. (07:30) Jacob Young pinch ran in his MLB debut and scored the tying run. Young was a 2nd round pick in the 2021 draft and played a portion of the season at four different levels. (14:00
Aug 26, 2023 · 39 min
Out of Last Place
The Nats beat the Marlins 7-4 and later on Friday night the Mets lost to lift Washington into solo possession of 4th place in the NL East. Al & Mark are astonished by yet another Joan Adon start that saw a No Hit bid make it into the 6th. (10:00) Carter Kieboom continues to take advantage of his opportunity as he homered for the 2nd time this week. This does to be his last chance to make it within the organization. (21:00) Alex Call had an eventful evening in Miami as he had an early game collis
Aug 25, 2023 · 46 min
Strasburg Reportedly to Retire + Series Win in Gotham
The Washington Post broke the news on Thursday that Stephen Strasburg will officially retire as opposed to waiting out the full duration of his 7 year deal. Mark (From The Bronx) & Al marvel at just how busy the Nats news cycle has been ever since heading to Williamsport. The Little League attention, Dylan Crews to AA, Davey Martinez extension, Stone Garrett injury, and now the Strasburg news in just the past 5 days. (10:00) The Nationals defeated the Yankees 6-5 in the matinee in order to captu
Aug 24, 2023 · 32 min
Game 127: Garrett Carted Off in Bronx Loss
The Nats were routed on Wednesday night 9-1 at Yankee Stadium in an affair where Aaron Judge hit a trio of homers. Mark (From the Bronx) & Al begin with Stone Garrett needing to be carted off the field after his leg ran into the outfield wall. Garrett was seen covering his face with a towel in the immediate aftermath. (14:40) MacKenzie Gore did not pitch well in this game and allowed 6 runs in just 4 IP. His defense behind him was not very good and the 2nd inning was the undoing as the Yankees s
Aug 23, 2023 · 46 min
Davey Extended & Kieboom Goes Deep
The Nats began the 3 city road trip on the right foot as they edged the Yankees 2-1 on Tuesday evening for their 20th victory in the past 30 games. Mark (From the Bronx) & Al recap Josiah Gray's strong outing in Yankee Stadium that lasted 6 IP. It is by far his best start this month and his ERA currently sits at 3.82. (10:30) Hunter Harvey struck out both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton during his flawless bottom of the 8th. Harvey has not missed a beat since returning from the IL. (19:00) Car
Aug 21, 2023 · 39 min
Crews to Harrisburg and a Williamsport Win
Sunday was a special day in Nationals history and it was punctuated with a 4-3 victory over the Phillies at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA. Mark (From Historic Bowman Field) tells Al about the unique itinerary, which lasted the entire day and night. (07:10) The Nats jumped all over Zack Wheeler for 4 runs in the opening inning and then the bats went silent after that. Was Wheeler tipping his pitches? Mark points out why the lighting situation at the long time minor league stadium
Aug 20, 2023 · 24 min
Game 124: Phillies Tee Off on Abbott
The final score is uglier than it looked, but nonetheless the Nats lost 12-3 to Philadelphia, despite nursing a 3-0 lead entering the late innings. Al recaps Cory Abbott's nightmarish 8th inning where surrendered 8 runs to the Phillies to put the game well out of reach. The fatigued bullpen forced Davey Martinez to stick with Abbott, but immediately afterwards Abbott was sent down to AAA. (14:45) The shame of the day was that Jake Irvin threw 6 shutout IP and struck out 7 in a no decision. It wa
Aug 19, 2023 · 40 min
Game 123: Nats Get Revenge on Lorenzen
The Nats held on to defeat the Phillies 8-7 on Friday evening in Navy Yard. Mark & Al take note of the atmosphere at the Ballpark as the lively crowd saw the Nationals counter the Phillies' 6 run top of the 4th with a half dozen runs of their own. One week after being no hit by Michael Lorenzen, Washington knocked him out after just 3.1 IP. (10:30) Stone Garrett continued his hot month at the plate as he had 3 hits while getting the nod in RF. Mark puts in perspective where Garett fits in/might
Aug 18, 2023 · 36 min
Game 122: Nats Already Match Last Year's Win Total
The Nats hung on 10-7 over Boston to take the series rubber match on Thursday afternoon. Mark & Al put in perspective what the victory symbolizes as they won their 55th game of the season, which equals last year's output with forty games still remaining. Washington has won 6 of their past 8 series and are 6 games over .500 since the All Star Break. (11:30) The offense broke out against Chris Sale to reach double digit runs and saw contributions from all across the lineup. Joey Menses had a pair
Aug 17, 2023 · 33 min
Game 121: Gore's Gem & 4 HRs Lead the Way
The Nats topped the Red Sox 6-2 on Wednesday evening in D.C. Al & Mark begin with MacKenzie Gore who had an excellent outing cut short due to a cut nail on a finger on his pitching hand in the 7th inning. Davey Martinez minimized the long term effect of it afterwards, calming the worries of the fans. (12:30) The Nationals clubbed a quarter of home runs from 3 different players in the victory. Keibert Ruiz continued his torrid August with a tie breaking 3 run HR in the bottom of the 8th while hit
Aug 16, 2023 · 32 min
Game 120: Gray's Lousy Stretch Continues
Josiah Gray's rough August continued on Tuesday as his start ended after just the 3rd inning in the Nats lost 5-4 to the visiting Red Sox. Mark & Al scratch their heads as Gray's post All Star Break is nowhere near how his season began. Davey Martinez afterwards harped on the fact that Gray needs to rely more on his fastball. (19:00) The resurgent bullpen pitched well in defeat as they threw 6 scoreless frames. Hunter Harvey returned from the IL and was immediately called upon to pitch the 9th i
Aug 14, 2023 · 38 min
Another Sweep After Furious 9th Inning Rally
For the 3rd time since the All Star Break, the Nats pulled off a weekend series sweep. This one came in epic fashion as they trailed 7-2 to begin bottom of the 9th and the affair ended with the unlikeliest of bench players coming through with the walk-off hit in Jeter Downs. Mark & Al collect their breath and then analyze all that went into the comeback victory as Downs was in the game late to replace CJ Abrams at SS, who exited early due to back spasms. (23:20) The bullpen might get two importa
Aug 13, 2023 · 39 min
Ruiz Walks-off Oakland
The Nats rallied against Oakland on Saturday for a 3-2 victory that abruptly concluded with a Keibert Ruiz lead-off homer in the bottom of the 9th. Al & Tim dive into Ruiz's hot month; where he is slugging .605 so far in August. It was Ruiz's 16th HR of the season, good for 6th most among NL catchers. (08:30) Lane Thomas was a late scratch in the starting lineup, but came through as a pinch hitter with the game tying RBI in the bottom of the 8th. Thomas currently has the 4th most hits in the NL
Aug 12, 2023 · 37 min
Game 117: Trio of HRs in the Win
The Nats beat Oakland 8-2 on Friday night behind 3 separate home runs and overcoming an early 2-0 deficit. Al & Tim begin the recap with the bullpen stepping up big time for six scoreless innings after Joan Adon exited his start in the top of the 4th due to cramping. Cory Abbott recorded four outs after having to immediately warm up and Jordan Weems threw the final two frames. (14:30) Ildemaro Vargas equaled a career high with 4 RBIs which included a 3 run HR to break the game wide open and Jake