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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May 31, 2023 · 29 min
Game 55: Nats Drop Their 3rd in a Row
The Nats made it interesting at the Dodgers until the bullpen couldn't keep it competitive in a 9-3 loss. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al evaluate the 'pen that has taken major steps back in the month of May as opposed to how the season began. Should Davey Martinez have used Hunter Harvey when they only trailed by one run? (13:20) Jake Irvin had a shaky outing as he allowed 8 hits and 4 runs in defeat. Irvin's ERA has ballooned to 5.67 after his recent struggles. Playing behind him in RF wa
May 30, 2023 · 27 min
Game 54: Abrams' Error Leads to Midgame Demise
The Nats lost 6-1 at the Dodgers on Memorial Day evening. Mark (Live from Dodger Stadium) & Al put in perspective where the franchise stands after 54 games, the one-third point of the season. They are currently on pace for 69 victories; which would eclipse preseason expectations. (06:00) Trevor Williams had an unusual pitching line as all six LA runs scored against him were considered unearned due to CJ Abrams botching a double play in the 5th inning. Williams unraveled after the error and it oc
May 29, 2023 · 34 min
Game 53: Sour End to Gore's Gem
The Nationals missed a chance to sweep in Kansas City as they instead lost 3-2 on a walk-off single by Michael Massey. Mark (Live from KC) & Al delve into Davey Martinez's decision to give Chad Kuhl the final two innings of work to try and protect the lead handed off by MacKenzie Gore. Were Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey available? (05:45) Martinez was openly critical of Lane Thomas' decision to not dive for the line drive on what ultimately was the final at bat of the game. The bottom of the 9
May 28, 2023 · 30 min
Game 52: Bullpen Picks up Gray's Slack in Win
The Nats scored all their runs in the 6th inning in a 4-2 Saturday afternoon victory in Kansas City. Al & Mark (Live from KC) run through the big inning that saw RBI hits from Corey Dickerson, Keibert Ruiz, and CJ Abrams. Dickerson's double gave him 1,000 career hits for his career. It was another game without a homer for the offense that has been racking up the hits lately. (14:00) Josiah Gray only lasted four innings on the mound while throwing 91 pitches. It is the 3rd outing this month that
May 27, 2023 · 32 min
Game 51: Garcia's 6 Hits Highlight Victorious Slugfest
The Nats prevailed 12-10 in Kansas City in a wild Friday night affair. Mark (Live from Kauffman Stadium) & Al recap the busy night for the offense that saw fifteen hits. Luis Garcia led the way with six hits to tie the franchise record (Anthony Rendon 2017). Garcia dramatically raised his average on Friday from .262 to .288. (11:00) Joey "Four Bags" earned the moniker in terms of amount times reaching base. Meneses' three hits put his average above the .300 threshold for the season so far. Lane
May 26, 2023 · 27 min
Game 50: Harvey Blown Save Spoils Comeback Effort
The Nats staged an impressive 7th inning rally, but it was all for naught after Rougned Odor's 2 out HR in the 9th inning off of Hunter Harvey to give San Diego the 8-6 victory. Al & Tim look at the tenuous closer situation as Harvey blew his 4th save of the season. Davey Martinez opted to pitch Kyle Finnegan in the 8th against the bottom of the Padres order. (08:45) Washington trailed trailing 5-1 entering the bottom of the 7th but seven consecutive hits later they led 6-5. The inning ended o
May 25, 2023 · 33 min
Game 49: Bullpen Steps Up in Victory
The Nats beat the Padres 5-3 on Wednesday night to even the series. Mark & Al recap the victory and point out how Washington and San Diego have similar records despite vastly different payrolls. Is the rebuild ahead or right on schedule? The Nationals jumped out early to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning; behind RBI hits from Keibert Ruiz and Alex Call. (14:25) Lane Thomas had a RBI double to continue his strong performance in May. This month he is hitting .330 and is slugging .636. (17:00) Trevor Wi
May 24, 2023 · 37 min
Game 48: Soto Homers in Return to D.C.
Juan Soto returned for to D.C. for the 2nd time since being dealt last August. The Padres defeated the Nats 7-4 to open up the 3 game series as Soto homered and had three hits on the evening. Mark & Al discuss the warm reception by the crowd towards Soto and how his exit still feels fresh; unlike other former Washington stars that are playing elsewhere. (8:50) MacKenzie Gore, part of last year's big trade, struggled against Soto and the San Diego lineup as he did not last five innings in the no
May 22, 2023 · 37 min
Game 47: Adams' 4 Hit Day in Rubber Match Victory
The Nats beat the Tigers 6-4 for their 20th victory of the season to take the series. Mark & Al recount the unusual game that saw Washington collect 18 hits and draw 0 walks in the process. Riley Adams homered and came a triple shy of the cycle in a rare start behind the plate. (13:20) Ildemaro Vargas went deep while giving CJ Abrams a day off at short stop. He is hitting .333 in limited playing that time this season. Trade chip? Joey Meneses had 3 three as well on Sunday and his average up to .
May 21, 2023 · 24 min
Game 46: Corbin & Candelario Lead the Way
The Nats ended their four game skid by topping Detroit 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in a game that lasted just a tad over two hours. Al praises the lineup for their five extra base hits in the victory and two of those came from the scorching bat of Jeimer Candelario. (11:40) Patrick Corbin earned the victory and also reached the milestone of 1500 career strikeouts. Al points out that Corbin is likely in the midst of his best pitching stretch since 2020. (17:10) Kyle Finnegan notched the save and Hu
May 20, 2023 · 35 min
Game 45: Furious Rally Comes Up Short
The Nats lost 8-6 on Friday to visiting Detroit after trailing 8-0 in the 6th inning. Mark & Al break down Jake Irvin's short outing and wonder how much this affects his future status in the rotation. Luis Garcia committed a costly throwing error in the 3rd inning which led to 3 more Tigers runs (It should be noted that this was his 1st error of the season). (14:30) Matthew Boyd, the Tigers starting pitcher, took a no hitter into the 6th until Keibert Ruiz connected on lead-off double (or should
May 19, 2023 · 42 min
Game 44: Swept in Miami + Answering Strasburg Email
The Nats suffered a disappointing sweep in Miami as they lost 5-3 on Thursday afternoon. Al & Mark scratch their heads at how the Marlins have absolutely dominated Washington in the past few years; to the tune of Miami having won 18 of the past 22 meetings. (06:20) Jeimer Candelario's bat was not the problem this week in Florida as he homered and doubled on Thursday. He totaled 8 hits in the 3 game series and Mark points out the sneaky solid stats he is on pace for. This came on a day where Dave
May 18, 2023 · 29 min
Game 43: Another One Run Loss in Miami
The Nats came up just short again in Miami as they lost 4-3 on Wednesday evening. Mark & Al dissect MacKenzie Gore's outing that lasted just a shade over 5 innings. His ERA currently sits at 3.69. (11:00) Corey Dickerson hit a 2 run HR in his first swing after missing the past month due to injury. Dickerson got the nod at DH as Joey Meneses is on Paternity Leave. Dickerson is a well traveled veteran with a career OPS at .806. (20:45) Alex Call was involved in a bizarre play in the bottom of the
May 17, 2023 · 32 min
Game 42: Gray's Gem Wasted After Soler's Walk-off HR
The Nats suffered a gut punch loss in Miami on Tuesday night as their comeback efforts resulted in a 5-4 loss after Jorge Soler homered off of Hunter Harvey in the bottom of the 9th. Al & Tim run through the decision to have Kyle Finnegan pitch in the 8th and to give Harvey the opportunity to close it out. (10:45) Josiah Gray pitched very well and was in line for the victory until the blown save. Gray lasted 7 IP and wiggled his way out of a bases loaded jam on his final pitch of the evening. Th
May 16, 2023 · 40 min
Game 41: Meneses & the Nats Smash the Mets
The Nats split the series against New York as they routed the Mets 10-3 on Monday afternoon in D.C.. Mark & Al tip their caps to Joey Meneses who had a menacing day at the plate with 4 RBI hits to squarely put his average at .300. (07:35) Lane Thomas had a big afternoon as well as he had 3 hits out of the lead-off spot. Thomas leads the team in OPS at .761. The lineup beat up New York pitching on Monday to the point that they scored in 7 of the 8 innings. (13:25) CJ Abrams had an adventurous gam
May 15, 2023 · 40 min
Games 39 & 40: Mother's Day Split
The Nats & Mets split the pair of games concluded on Mother's Day Sunday in D.C. (Nats won 3-2 & later lost 8-2). Mark & Al begin though with reaction to how logistics were handled on Saturday night during the roughly four hour rain delay. Those negatively affected by this were ticket holders to both Saturday and Sunday due to the decision to resume the suspended game at 12:35pm on Sunday. (21:40) Jake Irvin pitched well in Game 2 on Sunday, but the wheels completely fell off in the 5th inning.
May 14, 2023 · 4 min
Rain Delay Quick Edition
Saturday was a long day at the ballpark, but not much baseball was played as the game was suspended until Sunday afternoon. Tim Shovers quick a very update on where things stand between the Nats the Mets, who only played two innings on Saturday. Mark & Al will be back Monday morning to recap Sunday's now doubleheader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 14, 2023 · 18 min
Game 38: Gore's High Pitch Count Ends His Night Early
The Nats could not hold onto their early lead and lost 3-2 to the Mets on Friday evening. Al recaps MacKenzie Gore's laborious yet scoreless outing that only lasted 4 innings. Gore's evening was truncated due to his high pitch count of 96. (09:00) The offense only scored a pair of runs while mustering just four hits. Alex Call had two of the hits himself on the evening and Jake Alu came up with his first career MLB hit in his 2nd career game. (12:15) Al runs through all the latest updates in pro
May 11, 2023 · 35 min
Game 37: Gray & the Offense Carry the Day
The Nationals cruised Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco 11-6 in the series rubber match. Mark (Live from Oracle Park) & Al start with Josiah Gray's victory; where he lasted seven innings and struck out three Giants in the process. Gray continues to pitch well and his ERA sits at 2.96 for this season. The Nats so far in the month of May are 6-4 and have a chance to leapfrog the Mets this weekend in the standings. (14:30) The offense had huge game as they scored eight runs by the 3rd inning. Il
May 10, 2023 · 33 min
Game 36: Nats Fall Behind Right Away in Defeat
The Nats lost 4-1 on Tuesday evening to even the series as the Giants scored two runs in the 1st inning and never looked back. Al & Mark (Live from San Francisco) begin with CJ Abrams, who struggled in the field and committed a 1st inning error. He had a rough night at the plate as well as he went 0 for 4 with a pair of K's. (06:15) Jake Alu did not have a memorable MLB debut after going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Alu got the start in LF; a position that has seen musical chairs as of late. (13:4