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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May 3 · 32 min
Milwaukee Capitalizes on House's 1st Inning Error
The Nats home woes continued in Saturday afternoon's 4-1 loss to the Brewers. Al & Tim note how the team is now 3-12 at Nationals Park to begin the season, and they have not yet won a home series. (06:30) The offense has cooled off a bit recently; other than a few recent exceptions. Washington had two men on, with no outs in the bottom of the 9th and were unable to do anything with it. Brady House's OPS is currently at .642 and that needs to improve this month; as does the contribution at th
May 2 · 31 min
No Match for Misiorowski & the Brewers
The Nats continue to struggle at home as they lost 6-1 to Milwaukee on Friday night. Al & Mark marvel at Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski, who no-hit the Nationals until being removed in the bottom of the 6th due to a right hamstring cramp. Misiorowski eclipsed 100 MPH many times in his dominant outing. (08:00) The offense only mustered two hits and the first one didn't come until the bottom of the 7th after a Daylen Lile double. (11:45) Washington is 3-11 at home this season and it is comfo
May 1 · 31 min
Abrams Ends April on a High Note
The Nats won another road series after rallying for a 5-4 victory over the Mets on Thursday afternoon. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al open with CJ Abrams, who crushed a 2-run HR in the top of the 8th to put the Nationals up for good. Abrams' OPS is up to .961; which is 5th best in the NL (Ildemaro Vargas has the lead believe it or not). (13:15) Sloppy base running in the top of the 9th; which cost the team chance at insurance runs. (15:45) James Wood made two excellent defensive plays in RF.
April 30 · 28 min
Cavalli Whiffs 10 Mets in Rainy Rout
The Nats pummeled the Mets 14-2 on a wet Wednesday night in New York. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al have another strong Cade Cavalli outing to go over as he struck out ten hitters for the 2nd straight start. Cavalli lasted six innings and ended his evening by throwing 24 straight strikes. (11:00) A trio of relievers combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Cavalli. PJ Poulin threw the bottom of the 9th, meaning it is unlikely that he will be the Opener on Thursday afternoon for Miles Mi
April 29 · 36 min
Littell's Bad April Continues in Queens
The Nats were shutout 8-0 on Tuesday night at the Mets. Mark (From New York) & Al begin with Zack Littell, who gave up a homer on the first pitch of his outing Littell allowed eight runs, and almost all of those came in the decisive bottom of the 4th. The veteran righty's ERA is now up to an awful 7.85. (05:30) Littell has pitched 16 innings this season and stunningly has give up 13 homers in that stretch. This leads to a discussion about Littell & Miles Mikolas, who both have really struggle
April 27 · 33 min
Another 10th Inning Win
The Nats emerged victorious in another extra inning affair this weekend vs. the White Sox. Mark (From Chicago) & Al recap Sunday's 2-1 triumph; where the Nationals took the series rubber match. (04:00) Washington went 9-8 in this stretch of 17 games in 17 days. As they sit at 13-16, it feels like the team culture is at a better place all things considered. (07:05) Foster Griffin tossed seven shutout innings and he closes his April with a very impressive 2.67 ERA. Griffin pitched in Japan f
April 26 · 28 min
Irvin Strikes Out 9 in Extra Inning Win
The Nats beat the White Sox 6-3 on Saturday afternoon in 10 innings. Mark (From Chicago) & Al praise Jake Irvin for his nine strikeout effort in almost six innings of work. This was the first scoreless outing for Irvin in 2026 and the most strikeouts he's had since April 20th last year in Colorado. (11:30) Mitchell Parker allowed a pair of runs, but did strikeout three Chicago hitters. Brad Lord took the mound in the 10th to notch the final three outs. (14:30) Nasim Nuñez was the offensive
April 25 · 34 min
Cornelio Takes Loss in Debut
The Nats fell 5-4 at the White Sox to open their road trip on Friday night. Al & Mark (From the South Side) begin with the White Sox's curious decision to pitch to James Wood in the top of the 9th w/ first base open and Luis Garcia Jr. standing on second base. (04:45) PJ Poulin was the opener before handing the ball to Miles Mikolas in the bottom of the 2nd. Munetaka Murakami hit his 11th homer of year off of Mikolas, which is tied for most in Baseball. (07:30) Riley Cornelio was put in a tigh
April 24 · 35 min
Wood Homers Again in Afternoon Defeat
The Nats lost 7-2 to the Braves on Thursday afternoon to conclude another disappointing home stand. Al examines the bullpen meltdown in the top of the 7th where Atlanta scored four runs to break the tie. Gus Varland & Cionel Perez were the culprits in the pivotal frame. (08:10) Cade Cavalli struck out 10 in just five innings for his best outing of the season. Cavalli gave up two runs and his ERA dropped down to 4.01. (14:00) Mark gives a quick update on Riley Cornelio, one of the organization
April 23 · 32 min
Littell Gives up 4 Homers to in Loss to Atlanta
The Nats were out-slugged 8-6 on Wednesday vs. the visiting Braves. Al & Mark recap another rough start for Zack Littell, as he gave up a quartet of homers in six innings of work. (07:00) Littell's ERA is now at 7.56 in five appearances and he has allowed a staggering 11 homers in 25 innings. (12:30) Further examination of the evaluation process that led to Littell not signing until Spring Training was well underway. (17:25) James Wood homered yet again, and he now is atop the NL in this cat
April 22 · 32 min
Offense Scores 11 Runs in Blowout Win
The Nats routed the Braves 11-4 on Tuesday night on South Capitol Street. Mark & Al focus on the recent offensive production and are encouraged by many of the results. Washington drew a stunning dozen walks on their way to snapping Atlanta's six game win streak. (07:30) James Wood homered for the 8th time this season, which is tied for the NL lead. Luis Garcia Jr. also had a big night at the plate as he had four hits and knocked in a trio of runs. (12:45) Foster Griffin lasted six innings to
April 21 · 41 min
Braves Take Over in the 6th
The Nats led 3-2 entering the 6th on Monday night, but a series of Washington pitchers allowed five Atlanta runs to put the game out of reach. Mark & Al sort through the 9-4 loss; which saw a lot of sloppy defense by the Nationals. (05:45) Jake Irvin hit Ronald Acuna Jr. twice and the second one came in the top of the 6th. CJ Abrams then was the recipient of retaliation, but he kept his calm and went on to score a run. (16:20) Daylen Lile homered in the 4th to briefly put the Nationals ahead
April 20 · 34 min
Unlikely Trio Combines for Shutout Win at Home
The Nats blanked the Giants 3-0 on Sunday afternoon to avoid getting swept this weekend at home. Mark & Al analyze the surprising pitching effort by PJ Poulin, Miles Mikolas, and Andrew Alvarez. It was a whirlwind Sunday for Alvarez as he traveled from Rochester in the morning, and then earned the win on the mound in D.C. after taking over in the 5th. (05:00) Mikolas was the bulk starter as he took over in the 1st for Poulin and lasted four frames. Mikolas allowed four hits and struck out four
April 19 · 29 min
Mistake-Filled Offense Comes up Empty in Extras
The Nats made too many mental mistakes to count in their 7-6 Saturday afternoon loss to the visiting Giants. Mark & Al examine the puzzling extra inning defeat where there were plenty of examples of terrible fundamentals. The Nationals had poor base running, awful bunting, and overall came nowhere close to playing smart Baseball. Curtis Mead had a shockingly terrible base running mistake in the bottom of the 9th and Jorbit Vivas almost out did him in the 10th. (13:40) James Wood homered again
April 18 · 30 min
Giants Clobber Littell
The Nats were easily beaten 10-5 by the Giants on Friday night to open the home stand on a sour note. Al & Mark spend plenty of time on Zack Littell, who gave up six runs before the end of the 2nd inning. Littell wasn't signed until March was well underway and it seems like the late Spring start is still affecting him. (10:30) Why do valued Free Agent pitchers have to wait until the middle of Spring Training to sign sometimes? (13:45) Richard Lovelady pitched the 9th right after taking Oscar R
April 17 · 29 min
Wood & Ribalta Come Through in the 10th
The Nats split the series in Pittsburgh by emerging with a 8-7 extra-inning win on Thursday afternoon. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al run through the seesaw affair, that was scoreless after four innings of play. (05:20) The offense scored eight runs despite going 1 for 14 w/ RISP. The Pirates were a big help in that department as they committed four errors, including some terrible defense in the Nationals four-run top of the 5th inning. James Wood's RBI single in the top of the 10th to break the t
April 16 · 31 min
Shutout by the Pirates
The Nats were blanked for the first time this season on Jackie Robinson Day across MLB. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al discuss the 2-0 defeat, where the Pirates scored both of their runs in the bottom of the 1st. (04:20) CJ Abrams reached base four times in a game with very few base runners. Abrams singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch on two separate occasions. Abrams' OPS so far is a staggering 1.175, which is the 2nd highest in the sport, only behind Yordan Alvarez. (14:30) Irvin retired 1
April 15 · 29 min
Bullpen Steps up & Hangs on
The Nats bullpen inherited a lead and held on for good in Tuesday night's 5-4 win over the Pirates. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al begin with CJ Abrams, who continued his recent surge with a solo homer and two other hits. (08:00) James Wood drew pair of walks out of the leadoff spot, but did strike out three times. Brady House came through with a single and a double in the victory. (12:45) The offense is averaging 5.8 runs per game through 17 games. (14:30) Miles Mikolas took over for the Open
April 14 · 31 min
Pounded in Pittsburgh
The Nats were crushed by the Pirates 16-5 on Monday night. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al run through Cade Cavalli's rough outing; as he was pulled in the bottom of the 2nd. Cavalli allowed four runs in the 2nd and was lifted in favor of Paxton Schultz. Paul Skenes meanwhile lasted six frames and only allowed a CJ Abrams solo homer. (10:00) The bullpen had an awful night as Pittsburgh scored ten runs in the bottom of the 6th. Jackson Rutledge had the roughest evening of all relievers as he gave
April 13 · 39 min
Nats Bring Out the Brooms in Milwaukee
The Nats pulled off their first series sweep in Milwaukee since 2006 on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al dissect the 8-6 victory that saw more production from James Wood at the plate. Wood went deep for the 5th time this season and his OPS has shot up to 1.005. Wood also stole home as part of proper execution of "The Play". (09:00) Jose Tena & Curtis Mead each came through with RBIs as pinch-hitters in the top of the 7th. (14:10) Jacob Young had a single and double in the victory and his OPS is a