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 20, 2021 · 32 min
Game 68: Lester Almost Goes the Distance as Nats Club 3 HRs
The Nationals beat the Mets 6-2 to split Saturday's Doubleheader. Al & Mark focus on Jon Lester's impressive attempt to throw a complete game shutout, that made it all the way until the top of the 7th (final inning). Should Davey Martinez have pulled him prior to the 7th, when the game all of a sudden got interesting? (15:25) Kyle Schwarber went deep twice; including what has become his near tradition of a 1st inning HR. The winning home stand and his performance in the leadoff role have gone h
Jun 20, 2021 · 24 min
Game 67: Lindor Gets the Best of Ross All Afternoon
The Nats lost 5-1 in Game 1 of a Doubleheader vs. the Mets. Mark & Al are dumbfounded by the continuing offensive ineptitude, especially against non-elite starting pitching. Why wasn't Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup vs. the lefty David Peterson? (9:10) Alex Avila picked up where Yan Gomes left off on Friday night behind the dish. Is this the best defensive catching tandem in team history? (13:05) Joe Ross has a rough outing, coming off his career best last weekend. Francisco Lindor homered off o
Jun 19, 2021 · 38 min
Game 66: Fedde Blanks the Mets & Gomes Walks it Off
The Nats shutout the NL East leading Mets 1-0 to open a crucial four game series. Al & Tim recap the decisive bottom of the 9th, capped by Yan Gomes knocking in Juan Soto. Did New York go to their closer Edwin Diaz too early? (6:13) Plenty of praise is given to Fedde, who now owns a streak of twenty consecutive scoreless innings. Can we officially consider him a good pitcher? What does this mean for the rotation moving forward? (16:40) Kyle Finnegan and Brad Hand each were excellent out of the
Jun 17, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min
Game 65: Paolo's 1st Career Win + Interview on Josh Gibson
The Nationals swept Pittsburgh with a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon behind the Legend that is Paolo Espino for a fourth straight win. Al & Mark praise Espino for his five scoreless innings that resulted in his first career Major League win; fifteen years after he was drafted in the tenth round. Do we need to get the Paolo shirts printed ? Plus, another solid performance by the Bullpen, including a five out save by Brad Hand. (15:49) The Nats had another sluggish day at the plate except for th
Jun 16, 2021 · 43 min
Game 64: Gomes Grand Slam Leads to Easy Night for Corbin
The Nationals beat up on the Pirates 8-1 for a 3rd straight win. Mark & Al evaluate Patrick Corbin's evening, unquestionably his best start of his season. (10:32) Yan Gomes effectively ended the game in the opening inning with his Grand Slam to give Washington a 5-0 lead. This was the headliner for a good offensive night as Trea Turner got back over .300, Jordy Mercer had a trio of hits, and Kyle Schwarber continued pacing the team in the leadoff spot. (25:25) Max Scherzer was placed on the IL
Jun 15, 2021 · 36 min
Game 63: Schwarber Stays Hot in Narrow Win
The Nats topped Pittsburgh 3-2 to move out of last place. Mark & Al highlight how good the pitching has been in the past ten games before celebrating Kyle Schwarber's recent productive run in the leadoff spot. Should Schwarber hit leadoff vs. a left hander on Tuesday? (11:02) Juan Soto had a very poor throw home on a sacrifice fly. Is his shoulder still an issue? Plus, Jon Lester still can't earn a win, but had another solid outing. Should we be concerned by his trend of always having a high pi
Jun 14, 2021 · 43 min
Game 62: Ross' Best Ever Start Blanks the Giants
The Nats shutout San Francisco 5-0 to earn a series split. Al & Mark wonder if this is the best pitched series in team history, as they only allowed three runs in four games. Joe Ross tossed eight shutout innings for the best outing of his career, while striking out nine. Is he about to turn a corner at age 28? (11:48) Kyle Schwarber hit 2 HRs as leadoff hitter, which effectively sealed the Giants fate early in the game. Have the Nationals figured out their leadoff situation? Plus, Josh Harriso
Jun 13, 2021 · 27 min
Game 61: Robles TOOTBLAN Caps Frustrating Evening
The Nationals dropped the 2nd game of their doubleheader, 2-1 in extras to the Giants. Al & Mark spend plenty of time scratching their heads over Victor Robles decision to tag up from first base in the 8th inning, which led to a backbreaking double play. Will he be benched on Sunday for the crucial mental error? (13:02) Jefry Rodriguez was called up from AAA and threw four shutout innings in a spot start. Will he continue to get opportunities in Washington this season? (22:28) Preview of Joe R
Jun 13, 2021 · 27 min
Game 60: Fedde Picks up Where He Left Off in Shutout Win
The Nats opened the doubleheader with 2-0 victory over San Francisco as Erick Fedde finally returned to the mound. Mark & Al evaluate Fedde's outing, which was dominant just like his last start in Arizona. It's fitting that he went up against Kevin Gausman, a fellow former 1st round pick, who was a late bloomer. (9:38) Kyle Schwarber made Davey Martinez look good by hitting a leadoff HR in the 1st. Do you like this approach in a shortened seven inning game? (13:38) Josh Harrison hit a RBI doub
Jun 12, 2021 · 35 min
Game 59: Scherzer Hurt & Bullpen's Miraculous Effort Goes to Waste
The Nats were shutout 1-0 by San Francisco as the home stand couldn't have started in a worse fashion. Al & Tim discuss the post World Series curse that seems to continually hover over the organization as Max Scherzer was injured in the top of the 1st. Do you feel better that Scherzer's injury isn't arm related? (11:25) Tips of the cap to the Bullpen for basically throwing a complete game and only allowing one run. Paolo Espino was unfortunately handed the loss despite throwing 50 pitches with
Jun 10, 2021 · 35 min
Game 58: Zim Goes Deep Twice & Castro Comes Through in Extras
The Nats prevailed 9-7 in 11 innings over Tampa Bay. Al & Mark open with yet another heavy usage night for the bullpen as Patrick Corbin only made it through five innings. Did you agree with using Daniel Hudson & Brad Hand as much as they pitched? Props need to be given to Tanner Rainey, as he recorded his first career save. (15:25) The offense had a very productive evening, including three homers hit between Ryan Zimmerman and Juan Soto. What has led to Zimmerman's success at the plate this se
Jun 9, 2021 · 41 min
Game 57: Late Rally Thwarted + Strasburg Debut Anniversary
The Nationals were topped 3-1 at Tampa Bay for their 3rd straight defeat. Mark & Al pinpoint the moments where the offense underwhelmed again, including the nearly impossible to believe stat where the team is hitting .145 with the bases loaded this season. They give their reactions to the unconventional decision to hit Kyle Schwarber leadoff. Plus, should Josh Bell have been sent home in the 7th on the Harrison hit? (17:23) Jon Lester did not give up many runs, but didn't even last four innings
Jun 7, 2021 · 41 min
Game 56: Barely Any Good, Lot of Bad, & Even More Ugly
The Nats were doubled up in Philadelphia 12-6 in a game that took over four hours. Al & Mark recap the Bullpen Game that went awry in the middle innings for Washington. The beginning of the afternoon started well until Austin Voth had his nose broken during a rare at bat. (10:01) A round-up of the interminable 4th inning, that saw the Phillies score seven times without getting an extra-base hit. Will Sam Clay be on the roster come next series? The guys then compare Tanner Rainey to another form
Jun 6, 2021 · 40 min
Game 55: 4th Inning Miscues Spell Doom in Philly
The Nats lost 5-2 at the Phillies on Saturday afternoon. Mark & Al yet again must run through the futile offensive numbers as the Nationals couldn't break it open against the vulnerable Philadelphia bullpen. They react to what seems to be an increasingly frustrated Davey Martinez. (16:33) Joe Ross was untouchable early in his start, but a Josh Bell error led to Ross falling apart in the 4th. Why does this always seem to be the pattern when Ross pitches? (24:56) Washington will have a Bullpen G
Jun 5, 2021 · 37 min
Game 54: Scherzer Dominates, Soto HRs Again, & Avila's Tag Preserves the Win
The Nationals held on 2-1 in Philadelphia to open the weekend series. Al takes the reins by himself to tell the tale of the pitchers duel that Washington prevailed in. He begins by putting in perspective how well the Nats defense has been so far this year, crystallized by Alex Avila tagging out a pinch runner halfway across the diamond, bringing new meaning to the term "TOOTBLAN". (13:18) Max Scherzer outdueled Zack Wheeler, lasted until the bottom of the 8th, and threw over 100 pitches in the
Jun 3, 2021 · 33 min
Game 53: Offense Regresses as Corbin Falls Apart in the 6th
The Nats lost 5-1 in Atlanta Thursday afternoon to split the four game series. Mark & Al focus on the missed opportunity by the offense as they were blanked by Tucker Davidson, an unheralded prospect. Al throws out an idea on who could help inject life into the lineup, can you guess who it is? (17:35) Patrick Corbin was unscathed through five innings, but the wheels came off in the 6th. Mark explains the mechanics as to why he is having trouble fooling hitters this season. (25:34) Paolo Espino
Jun 3, 2021 · 34 min
Game 52: Gomes Late Blast Lifts the Nats in Atlanta
The Nationals defeated the Braves 5-3 for their 2nd straight victory. Al & Mark not only have another win to talk about, but they have another Juan Soto HR to discuss. Is it too early to say he's back to his usual self? Yan Gomes had a sterling evening on both sides of the dish, throwing out a stealing Ronald Acuna Jr. and then breaking a late tie with a go ahead solo shot in the 8th. (14:01) The one bit of bad news Wednesday was an injury suffered by Kyle Schwarber after an attempted diving ca
Jun 2, 2021 · 44 min
Game 51: Soto & Offense Bust Out Despite Strasburg's Early Exit
The Nationals beat the Braves 11-6 to end their losing streak on an eventful and long evening in Atlanta. Al & Mark begin by wondering whether this was overall a good or bad night for Nats fans. The good was the Juan Soto leading the offense with 3 hits (including a HR), the bad was Stephen Strasburg exiting in the 2nd inning due a tight right trapezius muscle. They choose the good and give props not only to Soto, but also Ryan Zimmerman, who continues tearing the cover off the ball. (18:09) Wa
Jun 1, 2021 · 31 min
Game 50: Another 1st Inning Deficit Leads to Skid Reaching Five
The Nationals lost their fifth in a row, a 5-3 defeat in Atlanta on Memorial Day. Mark & Al look at how the lineup was yet again shuffled, headlined by the Juan Soto Leadoff Experiment being abandoned after just one game. Mark then stuns Al with Victor Robles lineup news that is expected on Tuesday. (13:08) Joe Ross had a miserable beginning to his outing and then flipped the switch to finish it in dominant fashion. Why does he have a tendency to be so "Jekyll & Hyde"? Will he keep his rotation
May 31, 2021 · 41 min
Game 49: Woodruff Outduels Scherzer for the Sweep
The Nats were shutout 3-0 by Milwaukee for a disappointing end to the home stand. Al begins the episode by simply posing to Mark, "Have we hit the low point?". (8:34) Juan Soto had another long day at the ballpark as he was caught stealing in the 1st and part of a controversial at bat with umpire Sam Holbrook later in the game, that resulted in an ejection to Kevin Long. What can be done to get Soto out of his funk? Al has a rather creative idea. (20:26) The guys pose the question of whether