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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71 episodes
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English

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#990
August 16 · 31 min
Cruz Blows the Save in New York
The Nats couldn't hang on in the 9th and lost 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at the Mets. Mark (From New York) & Al begin with Yovanny Cruz, who inhertied a 4-3 lead in the middle of the 9th. Cruz was unable to overcome the lead off walk and Francisco Lindor's walk-off single sealed Washington's fate. (12:00) This was a planned bullpen game for the Nats and they immediately rain into trouble. Brad Lord got the start but was only able to record two outs. (14:00) Will Dion stepped up big time as he
#989
August 15 · 37 min
Abrams' Eventual Switch to 2B Announced Before Loss
The Nats lost 4-1 on Friday night to the Mets, but the major news of the day came during pregame. Mark (From New York) & Al dive into the fact that CJ Abrams will soon see time at 2B. Abrams leads all of MLB with 19 errors committed at SS. (05:00) Blake Butera and CJ Abrams seemed to be on different pages in terms of the shift to 2B. (08:00) This announcement comes one month after Abrams started for the National League in the All-Star Game at SS. (12:30) Did the Nationals newfound organiz
#988
August 14 · 35 min
Cavalli Blanks the Cubs
The Nats avoided the sweep on Thursday afternoon as they shutout the Cubs 7-0. Mark & Al have plenty of flowers to throw at Cade Cavalli as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. Cavalli ultimately pitched eight innings and struck out ten along the way. Cavalli is now up to 151 strikeouts on the season, which is the 7th highest in the NL. (10:00) Blake Butera says he will not stand in the way of a no-hitter unless the pitch count situation is egregious. (14:00) Cavalli is sporting a 3.36
#987
August 13 · 29 min
Bregman Homers 3 Times in Rout of the Nats
The Nats were beaten 12-6 by the Cubs on Wednesday night to drop to four games below .500. Al & Tim dig into the defeat that saw Alex Bregman go deep three times against three different relief pitchers. (05:00) Jackson Kent made his MLB debut as he was called up from AAA. Kent struck out six Cubs, but issued five walks as he pitched into the top of the 5th. (08:30) Four relievers were need to pick up the slack, but no one fared that well. Trevor Williams ate up the final three innings to av
#986
August 12 · 32 min
Abrams Homers in Loss to the Cubs
The Nats lost 8-6 on Tuesday night against the visiting Cubs. Mark begins by relaying to Al that he saw Miles Mikolas saying goodbye to teammates in the clubhouse following the defeat and likely will be released in the near future. Mikolas pitched the final three innings in Tuesday's loss and his ERA is at 5.82 for the season. Jackson Kent is expected to get called up from AAA and make his MLB debut on Wednesday evening. (07:30) Will Brad Lord get moved back to the starting rotation? (14:00)
#985
August 10 · 26 min
Bullpen Game Ends in a Successful Sweep
The Nats swept the Reds on Sunday afternoon with a 7-1 win in the series finale. Al & Mark recap the unusual victory that was led by the bullpen for all 27 outs. Brad Lord pitched into the 3rd before handing the ball off to the recently acquired Will Dion. The pitching was good all weekend as Cincinnati only scored six combined runs in the three games. (09:00) Trevor Williams recorded seven outs and has been impressive in his five appearances since being activated off of the IL. (14:00) And
#984
August 9 · 33 min
Chaparro Drives in 3 Runs in Win over the Reds
The Nats topped the Reds 8-2 on Saturday night for their second straight win. Mark & Al begin with the offense getting to Chase Burns this time, unlike when they faced him three months ago. Washington tagged Burns with five runs and knocked him out during their rally in the bottom of the 6th. (07:00) Andres Chaparro pinch-hit for DH Josh Tena with the bases loaded and delivered. Chaparro's 2-run double in the 6th made it 5-2 Nationals and he later added a RBI single in the bottom of the 8th.
#983
August 8 · 29 min
Lile & Ford Homer in Cavalli's Win
The Nats opened the homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Reds on Friday night. Tim & Al begin by wondering if the team is still considered part of playoff contention as they trail the Phillies by 5.5 games for the final wildcard spot. (06:00) Cade Cavalli struck out out eight Reds and pitched into the 7th inning. Cavalli is up to 141 strikeouts for the season and the question will be how many starts does he get down the stretch. He did struggle a bit though as he gave up seven hits and three
#982
August 7 · 33 min
Mikolas Gives up 12 Hits in Philly Loss
The Nats ended their difficult road trip with a whimper as they fell 7-3 in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Mark (From Philly) & Al convene after the 1-7 trip that saw the season's fortunes change significantly for the worse. (03:00) Miles Mikolas reached ten years of MLB service time with the start on Thursday, but allowed twelve hits during the outing. Mikolas is in jeopardy of being DFA'd in the near future just like Zack Littell was on Wednesday. Mikolas' numbers are quite grisly as his
#981
August 6 · 37 min
Littell DFA'd but a RBI for Mikolas in Extra-Inning Win
The Nats ended their seven game losing streak with a hard fought 10-4 victory over the Phillies in extras on Wednesday night. Mark (From Philly) & Al begin with the very unusual moment in the top of the 11th when Miles Mikolas of all people laid down a RBI single to give the team a 3-run lead. The offense erupted in the 11th with six runs off the back-end of the Philadelphia bullpen. Washington lost the DH when Andres Chaparro took over at 1B for Abimelec Ortiz. (07:00) CJ Abrams 2-run triple
#980
August 5 · 32 min
Wood to the IL Before 7th Straight Loss
The Nats' losing steak is now up a to season worst seven games after getting shutout 5-0 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Mark (From Philly) & Al immediately address the sorry state of affairs as just one week ago they were two games above .500 and very much in the wildcard hunt. (06:30) Prior to the game James Wood was placed on the 10-Day IL due to a left oblique strain. Wood exited Monday's game shortly after he injured his side on a swing in the top of the 6th. (11:00) The offense was
#979
August 4 · 37 min
6th Straight Loss After Trading Griffin
It was a long Monday for the Nationals in Philadelphia as the Trade Deadline elapsed less than an hour before losing 6-3 for a a 6th consecutive defeat. Mark (From Philly) & Al start with Blake Butera getting ejected for the first time as a major league Manager. It came in the 7th inning after Nasim Nunez made an out on the bases. (06:00) The Nats made a pair of trades on Monday, but certainly of different magnitudes. All - Star starting pitcher Foster Griffin was sent to Cleveland in exchan
#978
August 3 · 43 min
Garcia Jr. Traded After Getting Swept
The Nats lost 4-2 on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta for their 5th straight defeat at an inopportune time. Mark (From ATL) & Al begin the show with real time reaction to the news that Luis Garcia Jr. has been traded to the Yankees. (10:00) Garcia made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Nationals and his career in Washington included multiple position changes. He is headed to the American League now, but Garcia's .560 slugging percentage is the best in all of the National League so far this season.
#977
August 2 · 33 min
4th Straight Loss
The Nats lost 8-3 in Atlanta on Saturday for their 4th straight defeat, Mark (From Truist Park) & Al update the latest Trade Deadline scenarios as they are now two games below .500 with just one game left before Monday's deadline. (11:00) Martin Perez was a late replacement for Reynaldo Lopez as the Braves starting pitcher. The news came out an hour before 1st Pitch and it was a switch from a righty to a lefty pitcher. The Nats ended up not getting their first hit until a Brady House 7th in
#976
August 1 · 29 min
Griffin Gets Hit Hard in Atlanta
The Nats lost their 3rd straight on Friday night in Atlanta. Mark (From Truist Park) & Al recap the 6-2 loss that drops Washington to one game below .500 with just two games remaining before Monday's Trade Deadline. (04:00) Luis Garcia Jr. was removed from the game and that raised plenty of eyebrows as the Deadline looms. However, Garcia Jr. was pulled due to right knee soreness, not because of any trade. (09:30) Foster Griffin had his worst outing in over two months as he allowed six runs
#975
July 31 · 39 min
Bats Go Cold with Runners in Scoring Position
The Nats lost 5-4 on Thursday night in Atlanta to open their eight game road trip. Mark (From Truist Park) & Al focus on the offense's inability to knock in any runner in scoring position. Washington went 0 for 9 in such instances and most of their runs came off solo homers. (06:30) Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile teamed up to go deep three times against Braves starter Grant Holmes. Garcia ultimately fell a single short of the cycle and Lile hit two homers in the loss. Garcia is up to 23 hom
#974
July 30 · 31 min
Nats Drop the Rubber Match
The Nats fell 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon to lose the series with the visiting Blue Jays. Mark & Al convene after the Nationals missed an opportunity to gain ground in the standings while facing a below .500 team. They conclude their homestand at 3-3 and are headed to a pivotal eight game road trip in Atlanta & Philadelphia. (06:00) Do the win and losses this week affect Paul Toboni's approach at the Trade Deadline? (08:00) Washington only scored one run in the bottom of the 8th and it was a
#973
July 29 · 35 min
Nats Triumphantly Draw 6 Walks in the 1st
The Nats beat visiting Toronto 8-6 on Tuesday night to even the series. Al & Tim dig into Washington tying a franchise mark with six walks drawn in the bottom of the 1st. It was a nightmare outing for Shane Bieber; who issued three RBI walks along the way. (08:10) Luis Garcia Jr. slugged his 22nd homer of the season off of a lefty. Garcia Jr. is a Free Agent after the 2027 season and therefore he is very much a candidate to be dealt away before this Trade Deadline. (14:30) Dylan Crews follo
#972
July 28 · 35 min
Scherzer Starts the Blue Jays Win
The Nats lost 3-2 to Toronto on Monday night to begin the three game series in Navy Yard. Al & Mark focus on the familiar Blue Jays starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, who was returning from the IL (back). Scherzer tossed 75 pitches and was pulled in the 3rd inning amid a standing ovation. (12:00) Will Scherzer go into the Hall of Fame with a Nats hat on his plaque? (17:00) The offense struggled against Toronto's stout bullpen. Andres Chaparro's 5th inning solo homer was the only run that the N
#971
July 27 · 44 min
House Replaces Mead & the All-Stars Victoriously Combine for 4 Homers
The Nats grabbed a rare home series victory after Sunday's 10-7 win over Arizona. Al & Mark have an avalanche of team news to sort through in this edition as Curtis Mead was traded to Boston late on Saturday evening. (06:45) Washington acquired lefty starter Connelly Early from the Red Sox in exchange for Mead. Early is currently on the 15-Day IL for elbow inflammation, but Paul Toboni laid out an encouraging timeline for his return this season. Early is a rookie with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts

Showing 41–60 of 71 episodes