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Garcia Jr. Clears the Fences in Win Sep 14, 2024

Show notes

The Nats defeated Miami 4-1 on Friday night for their 66th win of the season. Mark & Al recap DJ Herz's solid outing, which dropped his ERA to 3.70. Herz only threw 87 pitches and struck out five Marlins in five innings of work.

(13:30) Dylan Crews had an impactful opening inning with both his glove and his speed. Crews made a spectacular catch for the second consecutive game, beat out a routine grounder for an infield single, and stole two bases.

(18:45) Luis Garcia Jr. hit his 16th homer of the season to give the Nationals a 3-1 edge. His OPS this year is .765, which exceeds last season's .689.

(27:30) Washington only made two September call-ups (Darren Baker & Zach Brzykcy) and neither has seen a lot of playing time. Mark gives an update on Stone Garrett and why he likely won't be up in the majors this month.

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Bad Defense & A Blown Lead Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

The Nats led early but faltered 6-3 on Thursday evening against the visiting Marlins. Mark & Al run through the sloppy totals that saw no base runners in the later portion of the game and the defense commit a trio of errors. Jose Tena was charged with his 9th error in just the past 25 games and it seems clear that he is not a long term option at 3B. The bullpen did not get the benefit of the doubt from the defense behind him, but allowed four Miami runs in the final couple of innings.

(17:30) Mitchell Parker lasted into the top of the 7th and only needed 76 pitches to do so. Parker did not make the team coming out Spring Training, but has made 27 stars so far this season.

(24:00) Dylan Crews had a solid evening as he had a RBI single and made a spectacular catch defensively.

(27:45) CJ Abrams committed his 17th error of the season but he had a double and stole a base.

(32:00) The chances that Tena and Andres Chapparo each get a shot at DH in 2025.

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Irvin Continues His Dominance Over Atlanta Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

The Nats beat the Braves 5-1 on Wednesday to give them their 65th victory of the season, with 17 games remaining. Al & Mark convene after the Nationals finish the successful season series against Atlanta, winning eight out of thirteen meetings.

(04:00) Jake Irvin took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and only allowed one run during the evening. Irvin faced the Braves four times this season and only gave three earned runs in those match-ups. Irvin has thrown over 172 innings this season and might flirt with 190 frames tossed by the end of the season.

(19:00) CJ Abrams slugged his 20th homer of the season to become the fifth player in franchise history to join the 20/20 plateau. The offense had a big night as they collected eleven hits off of Atlanta starter Max Fried.

(27:45) Keibert Ruiz's RBI single gave Kyle Finnegan the final batch of insurance runs. Ruiz's OPS is at .983 for this month and he is aiming to end his long season on a high note.

(30:30) Jose Tena was moved to 2B and Ildemaro Vargas took over at 3B. Tena produced at the plate and this was an indication that Washington will need to be flexible with his possible defensive future.

(36:00) High-A Wilmington's season is over and that likely includes Jarlin Susana. Susana had more strikeouts than innings pitched this season, 157 Ks in 103.2 IP. What are the chances he could be in the majors in late 2025?

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Gore Gets Crushed by the Braves Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

The Nats were clobbered and shutout 12-0 on Tuesday night vs. visiting Atlanta. Mark & Al have an ugly evening to recap as the Braves are desperately vying for Wild Card contention this week in the two game series.

(04:00) MacKenzie Gore was awful and allowed seven runs in under four innings on the mound. This start was a setback for the young lefty, who was coming off of three consecutive solid outings. The hosts look big picture at the situation moving forward with Gore as confidence in him being the Ace of the future is waning.

(15:00) The bullpen had a heavy workload in the loss and Ildemaro Vargas got the call to pitch the 9th inning. Are you in favor a mercy rule to avoid such instances in the future? This is 5th time in the past few years that Vargas has been used in relief.

(22:10) Trevor Williams made a rehab start for Harrisburg and will do so again on Sunday. It is the franchise's hope that he is able to return to the majors in the final few weeks and help ease the workload for the young arms. Williams last pitched on May 30th before placed on the IL due to a right flexor strain.

(26:15) Jose Tena committed his 8th error in just 24 games while at 3B, but also had a double at the plate This leads to a look at if Brady House will be in the majors by early next season at the hot corner.

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Leadoff Homer for Abrams in Defeat Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

The Nats lost 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh to finish their two city road trip. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al leadoff with CJ Abrams, who returned to the top spot in the order and promptly homered to begin the game. Abrams is up to 19 home runs this season, surpassing last year's total.

(07:30) Keibert Ruiz doubled on Sunday and his September is off to a scorching start. Ruiz is coming off a decent August, where his OPS was at .662.

(14:00) Andres Chaparro doubled in the 9th and has nine of those in under a month with the team. The negative this series for Chaparro were the six strikeouts he had in the four game set.

(21:10) Washington needed Patrick Corbin to throw 100 pitches after the long doubleheader and he delivered upon that request. He also gave up four runs in the 1st inning and seven overall to the Pirates.

(28:00) The Nats have 19 games left and need 8 wins to finish with 72 victories, one more than in 2023. Next up is a two game series in Navy Yard against a desperate Braves squad beginning on Tuesday night.

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Nats Sweep the Doubleheader Sep 08, 2024

Show notes

The Nats took both ends of the day/night twinbill in Pittsburgh to lift their win total to 64, which is just seven fewer than last season. Mark (From PNC Park & Al begin with DJ Herz, who tossed five no hit innings during Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. Mark explains the thinking behind removing Herz after only 87 pitches.

(09:00) Dylan Crews filled the box score with a homer, double, walk, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases. Crews already has three homers in under two weeks of play. These were Crews' first games in Pittsburgh since the Pirates passed over him in last summer's draft.

(11:45) Kyle Finnegan's first save of the afternoon was an adventure that ended with a 6-4-3 double play to preserve the 5-3 win.

(15:00) CJ Abrams inexplicably didn't complete the tag in a rundown in the bottom of the 8th of Game 2. This led to the Pirates briefly taking a two run lead before Washington's 9th inning rally.

(19:30) The Nats scored four runs in the top of the 9th and batted around on their way to an 8-6 victory. The big hit belonged to Ildemaro Vargas, who's 2-run go ahead single put his team ahead for good. The rally began with Juan Yepez and many young hitters contributed to the late comeback.

(27:10) Mitchell Parker struggled right away and was removed in the bottom of the 4th. Parker has not pitched well recently and has admitted that he has been "out of sync".

(32:00) Kyle Finnegan is now up to 36 saves and the 40 plateau is very well within reach. Chad Cordero owns the franchise record with 47 saves from the 2005 season.

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Irvin Loses in Pittsburgh Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

The Nats squandered an early lead and lost 9-4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night and now are season worst 16 games below .500. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al examine Jake Irvin's disappointing outing that saw him allow six runs in only five innings of work. This is the second straight start that Irvin was done in by the big inning (vs. the Cubs over the weekend) and continues his recent downward trend on the mound. This leads to a discussion on who might get the nod to start on Opening Day.

(15:30) The bullpen also didn't pitch well and the low point came in the bottom of the 6th. The Pirates scored three runs in the frame and they came via a passed ball and multiple walks with the bases loaded.

(21:00) Nasim Nunez got the start at SS instead of CJ Abrams. Nunez had two hits from the 9th spot in the lineup and the hosts wonder if he is an example of some of the "Rule 5" deficiencies. Nunez has very few plate appearances this season, but is impressively 10 for his last 19.

(32:10) Andres Chaparro quickly put Washington up 3-0 with a 3-run HR on Thursday. Chaparro has shown flashes of power at the plate since joining the organization at the Trade Deadline.

(34:20) Juan Yepez had a pair of hits his OPS is .796 since getting called up two months ago.

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10th Inning Goes South for the Nats Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

The Nats lost to the Marlins for the first time this season on Wednesday evening. Al & Tim recap the 4-3 loss that ended on a walk-off Miami single by Xavier Edwards in the bottom of the 10th. Washington's bullpen could not hang onto the 3-2 lead they inherited in the 8th inning and they allowed three runs in nearly four innings of work.

(08:00) MacKenzie Gore was dominant and took a Perfect Game bid into the 6th. Gore struck out nine Marlins and only issued one walk in the outing. This is Gore's third consecutive solid start after he hit a rough patch over the summer.

(14:30) All the Nationals run came in the top of the 8th and the highlight was James Wood's go-ahead RBI double.

(18:00) Who is the 2024 team MVP? Luis Garcia Jr.? Jacob Young? Someone else?

(21:45) Dylan Crews drew a pair of walks while hitting leadoff and meanwhile CJ Abrams went hit-less from the 7th spot in the order. Abrams has been really scuffling lately and it seems like Crews might be new leadoff man.

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Gallo & Ruiz Homer in Miami Win Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

The Nats started their road trip on the right note with a 6-2 victory in Miami on Tuesday night. Mark & Al open with Keibert Ruiz, who was a triple shy of the cycle in the win. Ruiz hit his 13th homer of the season in the top of the 6th to give Washington a four run lead.

(12:00) Jacob Young reached base four times and he has raised his OPS by 54 points in less than a month.

(19:15) Joey Gallo slugged a 3-run HR to put the Nationals on top 4-0. It was Gallo's first time going deep since June 3rd and was only his 6th of the season.

(25:00) Patrick Corbin continued to pitch well for the 3rd consecutive outing and struck out 8 Marlins in the process. Will Corbin extend his career into 2025?

(35:15) Cade Cavalli threw off a mound on Tuesday in Miami but it sounds like he likely won't return to the mound this season. The hope seems to be that he will be ready for Spring Training and his only appearance in the majors thus far came in August of 2022.

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Smoked & Swept Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

The Nats were blown out on Sunday afternoon 14-1 by the Cubs to complete the three game sweep. Al & Mark discuss the poor defense, that saw three more errors (two by Jose Tena). The Nationals have 61 wins and need 11 more to improve on their win total from last season and there are 25 games remaining.

(07:00) Washington was charged with three errors and it easily could have been five. Davey Martinez expressed his displeasure at the poor team defense afterwards.

(14:10) Mitchell Parker committed his fifth error of the season and only has had a dozen defensive opportunities. Why is he so bad at fielding the position thus far?

(25:00) Darren Baker, son of Dusty, singled on the first pitch he saw in his MLB debut in the bottom of the 9th. Baker was drafted in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and was hitting .285 this year for Rochester.

(34:05) Derek Law is expected to be activated and join the bullpen in Miami on Tuesday. The Nationals are oddly enough off on Monday's Labor Day Holiday.

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