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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979 episodes
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Episodes979

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Jun 11, 2022 · 32 min
Game 60: Nats Rake 19 Hits in Victory
The Nationals beat Milwaukee 11-5 to open up the eleven game home stand. Al highlights the myriad of offensive contributors as Washington collected 19 hits; four of which were homers. Nelson Cruz not only returned to the lineup, but had four hits (including his 455th career HR) in the process. (08:40) Keibert Ruiz homered among his three hits and picked off another runner at first base on a snap throw to Josh Bell. Lane Thomas also had three hits and has been white hot so far in June. (25:35) Ca
Jun 10, 2022 · 36 min
Game 59: Strasburg Strikes Out Five in Return to the Mound
The Nats lost 7-4 to the Marlins as Stephen Strasburg pitched for Washington for the first time in over a year. Mark (live from Miami) and Al dissect his up and down start. Do they focus more on the seven runs he allowed or the five strikeouts he threw? What to make of fastball velocity? (20:45) Nelson Cruz was a late scratch due to a stiff back and will have a MRI soon. The lineup card meanwhile puzzled Al mightily as Ehire Adrianza was placed 2nd in the order (Cesar Hernandez was given a much
Jun 9, 2022 · 42 min
Game 58: Miami Prevails in Extra Despite Gray's Scoreless Outing
The Nats lost 2-1 in 10 innings as all the runs scored came in extra innings. Mark (Live from Miami) and Al recap the very busy 9th and 10th innings, which concluded with Tanner Rainey blowing a save opportunity. Mark explains the unusual situation where a replay at the plate did not go Washington's way. (17:10) Josiah Gray threw five scoreless frames as he was in quite the pitchers duel with Sandy Alcantara, who shutout the Nationals over nine innings. Gray struck out six and has lowered his ER
Jun 8, 2022 · 38 min
Game 57: Strasburg Returns Thursday + Adon Gets Slammed in Miami
The Nats three game win streak came to a screeching halt in a 12-2 loss down in Miami. Al & Mark (Live from Florida) though do not begin with the game, but with the pregame confirmation that Stephen Strasburg will take the mound on Thursday night at the Marlins. He has not pitched for Washington since June 1st of last season. (13:06) Joan Adon was hit hard early and often as he allowed eight runs in three plus frames. His ERA is above 6.00 right as Strasburg is returning to the rotation and so i
Jun 6, 2022 · 45 min
Game 56: Ruiz's Dramatic Pickoff Throw Seals a 3rd Straight Win
The Nats held off the Reds 5-4 to win their 3rd straight game and to take the series. Mark & Al open with Keibert Ruiz's fantastic defensive play for the final out, that allowed the Nationals to hang on and for Steve Cishek to notch the Save. Hear the explanation of how advanced scouting led to the execution of that snap throw to 1st Base, (12:04) Luis Garcia had a RBI single and swung a hot bat in Cincinnati. However, there were more question marks about his play at shortstop, mainly in the bot
Jun 5, 2022 · 32 min
Game 55: Soto HRs Twice in Comeback Win + Cavalli Complete Game in Rochester
The Nats staged a late rally against the Reds bullpen to emerge with a 10-8 win on Saturday. Al recaps the victory as Juan Soto homered twice, giving him three dingers this series. The last time Soto had a multi homer game? Last September.... also at the Great American Ballpark. (06:25) Luis Garcia had a huge day while batting in the 9th spot as he had three hits, four RBIs, including a crucial 2 run single for 9th inning insurance. Maikel Franco also had a solid day and Al addresses where his s
Jun 4, 2022 · 50 min
Game 54: Thomas HRs Thrice in Cincy, Gray Earns the Win, & Strasburg Dominates in Rochester
The Nats won 8-5 in Cincinnati to end their four game skid. Mark & Al marvel at how not only did Lane Thomas go deep three times, but the Nationals hit five HRs overall in the victory (Nelson Cruz & Juan Soto the others). (18:55) Josiah Gray struck out nine Reds as he lasted six frames to get the win. His evening started off on the wrong foot as Tommy Pham slapped a HR off of him right away, but Gray settled in after that point. The hosts assess how the young right hander has looked on the so fa
Jun 3, 2022 · 28 min
Game 53: Henry Promoted to AAA Prior to Loss + NCAAs Come to the DMV
The Nats were crushed 8-1 at fellow last place Cincinnati to drop them to 0-4 on the road trip. Al begins the conversation with the good news that pitching prospect Cole Henry is being promoted to AAA Rochester. Will he get called up to Washington this year? (08:02) The offensive futility continued in this game as the scoreless inning streak eclipsed 27. Josh Bell was the only source for runs as he hit a solo HR, that was aided by the Ballpark's dimensions. (12:15) Joan Adon right away allowed a
Jun 2, 2022 · 32 min
Game 52: Swept & Shutout in NY + Rizzo Asked About Soto
The Nats were blanked by Mets 5-0 to conclude the decisive three game sweep. Mark & Al dig into how the Nationals were humbled and then some after entering the week with a bit of momentum. (11:25) Luis Garcia was called up after Alcides Escobar was placed on the IL. Davey Martinez has declared that Garcia will play SS everyday and on Wednesday he went 1 for 4 at the plate. (16:45) Evan Lee picked up the loss in his Major League debut as he was relieved in the 4th inning. Will he reamin with team
Jun 1, 2022 · 39 min
Game 51: Corbin Gives up a Dozen Hits in Another Blowout
The Nats were crushed for a second straight night in New York as they were blanked 10-0. Al & Mark have yet another awful Patrick Corbin outing to mull over as his ERA is now sits at 6.96. Washington now has the worst in the National League, just behind the Reds. (19:40) There were a flurry of roster moves related to the bullpen and the hosts catch you up on all the personnel decisions. Why does Tyler Clippard remain in Rochester? (33:04) Stephen Strasburg will start Friday night in Rochester fo
May 31, 2022 · 30 min
Game 50: Fedde Takes an Early Shower as 19-31 Doesn't Come to Be
The Nats were pounded 13-5 at the Mets as Erick Fedde was lifted in the 2nd inning. Mark & Al point out just how much Fedde's ERA was affected by the poor outing. Those All Star whispers we mentioned five days ago certainly have been pushed to the background. (08:09) The Nationals starting rotation is in flux as the best options to pitch on Wednesday, Paolo Espino and Josh Rogers, both were used to fill Monday's innings. Mark gives his best guess as to who will take the mound in the series fina
May 30, 2022 · 43 min
Game 49: Soto HRs and Rainey Gets the 5 Out Save
The Nats won a home series for the first time this season as they hung on 6-5 over Colorado to improve their record to 18-31. Mark & Al begin with how the game ended, Tanner Rainey retiring all five batters faced to close out the victory. It was Rainey's first multi inning appearance since 2020. (10:53) Josiah Gray gave up another homer on Sunday in the 1st inning, but that would be the only run he allowed in his outing. Was this latest start a step in the right direction? (17:02) The offense ha
May 29, 2022 · 39 min
Games 47 & 48: Win Streak Reaches 3 Before it Snaps at Night
The Nats split a doubleheader at home on Saturday against Colorado over the Holiday weekend. Game 1 went the Nationals way as they won 13-7 to achieve their first three game win streak of the season. That would end a few hours later as they dropped Game 2 by a score of 3-2 to the Rockies. Mark & Al go over the long day which included a huge afternoon for Victor Robles. He knocked in six runs in Game 1, but made a questionable decision at the plate in Game 2. (13:02) Juan Soto's struggles at the
May 27, 2022 · 41 min
Game 46: Corbin Earns His 1st Victory of the Season
The Nats beat the visiting Rockies 7-3 for a rare 2nd straight victory. Mark & Al start the discussion with the offense as they put up four runs right away off of German Marquez, including a long awaited extra base hit for Josh Bell. However, another evening filled with struggles for Juan Soto. Does he need a day off? (20:06) Patrick Corbin pitched into the 7th on his way to the "Curly W". Mark explains what he noticed on the mound from the southpaw. Could he have lasted longer given his low pit
May 26, 2022 · 39 min
Game 45: Fedde & 'Pen Shutout NL Leading L.A.
The Nats blanked the Dodgers 1-0 on Wednesday to avoid the sweep. Mark & Al have a low scoring victory to discuss as Erick Fedde's is starting to turn a few heads with his 3.55 ERA. We are ver a month away, but are those All Star whispers you hear? Tanner Rainey hung on in the 9th for only his 2nd Save of the year. Could Rainey be traded this July? (17:42) The Nationals had more instances of poor base running despite the win. Juan Soto himself was tagged out trying to steal, but more importantly
May 25, 2022 · 32 min
Game 44: Gray Gives up 3 HRs to his Old Squad
The Nats lost 9-4 to the Dodgers despite out-hitting their opponents. Al recaps the sixth consecutive LA victory in Navy Yard as Josiah Gray only lasted three innings and his ERA has ballooned to 5.34. What's up with the continued trend of him giving up so many homers? (10:41) The Nationals only scored four runs off of ten hits and Al puts into perspective the state of the offense compared to this visiting team. Nelson Cruz had his first three hit game since coming to Washington as his average i
May 24, 2022 · 39 min
Game 43: Trea Turner & the Dodgers Dominate in D.C.
The Nats opened the home-stand with a 10-1 loss at the hands of the Dodgers. Mark & Al discuss how Washington was drubbed top to bottom by LA as the offense couldn't do much of anything against Tyler Anderson, who had a Perfect Game bid game going into the 6th inning. (08:33) A lot of negatives in this section. Juan Soto had misadventures in the outfield, Joan Adon didn't last five frames, and Austin Voth's ERA is sitting above 9.00. Is it time to DFA Voth? (26:07) Trea Turner spoke to reporters
May 23, 2022 · 38 min
Game 42: Shuffled Lineup Leads to Easy Win
The Nats took care of the Brewers 8-2 as Davey Martinez featured a new look lineup card. Al & Mark (Live from Milwaukee) recap Sunday's victory that saw Juan Soto moved down to 3rd in the order and with Keibert Ruiz now occupying the 2nd spot. The result..... eight consecutive hits in a six run 4th inning. (18:04) Nelson Cruz exited early after suffering a sprained ankle while sliding into 2nd base and was replaced by Riley Adams as DH. What will the roster move be to replace him? Josh Bell's av
May 22, 2022 · 24 min
Game 41: Soto Struggles Continue in Defeat
The Nats lost 5-1 in Milwaukee as Juan Soto's hit-less evening dropped his average to .245 on the season. Mark (Live from American Family Field) and Al dive into the curious postgame comments from Juan Soto on his struggles so far this season. (11:14) Lane Thomas has had a good weekend as he homered, one day after almost hitting an Inside the Park HR. The hosts take a chance to evaluate his play so far in 2022. (14:43) Patrick Corbin gave up 5 runs in 5 frames as Washington still has not won any
May 21, 2022 · 41 min
Game 40: Nats Turn a Triple Play but Get Shutout
The Nats were blanked 7-0 in the series opener in Milwaukee. Mark (Live from Wisconsin) & Al recap the very unusual 7th inning as the top of the frame saw an almost Inside the Park HR, and the bottom featured a Triple Play. Should Lane Thomas have been rewarded home plate or did the umps get it right? (13:13) The game unraveled in the 8th as the Brewers scored five runs off of Austin Voth. Why not use Tanner Rainey in that spot when it's a close game? (22:07) The offense had another bad game as