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Held to 1 Run + Crews Update from Rochester Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

The Nats opened their brief home stand with a 3-1 loss to Colorado, who is in last place in the NL West. Mark & Al have another listless offensive performance to run through as the team returns to 14 games below .500. CJ Abrams homer was the only highlight and Luis Garcia was the lone member of the lineup to come through with multiple hits.

(07:30) Joey Gallo is back in Washington after missing over two months due to a hamstring injury. It is unclear how much Gallo will play while guys such as Andres Chaparro and Juan Yepez are on the roster.

(16:00) DJ Herz overcame a difficult opening inning to end up with a respectable start. Herz struck out seven hitters and so far this season he has 75 Ks in just over 60 IP.

(23:15) Mitchell Parke will take the mound on Wednesday and he is emblematic of how up and down the young arms of the staff have been recently.

(30:00) Dylan Crews homered on Tuesday night and it feels like his promotion to the majors could come any day now.

(32:30) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives an update from AAA. Names discussed include Crews, Brady House, Darren Baker, and Brad Lord.

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Nats Homer Thrice in Win Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

The Nats were able to leave Philadelphia with a victory after Sunday's 6-4 triumph. Al & Tim have a mammoth James Wood homer to discuss that served as 9th inning insurance. It was the first time Wood pulled a home run since getting called up from the minors.

(10:15) Keibert Ruiz continued his strong August with a game tying homer, his third of the series. Alex Call also went deep as he settles into life as the everyday RFer.

(14:20) CJ Abrams was originally slated for a day off, but decided to play in order to end the losing streak.

(20:00) Jake Irvin's outing ended on a sour note due to ceding back-back HRs in the bottom of the 6th. Irvin gave up three homers on Sunday and this has become a recent trend for him.

(24:05) Jacob Barnes extended his streak of scoreless relief appearances to eight and has been flying under the radar. Kyle Finnegan took over for him in the 9th and notched his 31st save of the season, the 2nd most in the National League.

(28:15) Answering a listener email about Dylan Crews' offensive performance this season in Harrisburg and Rochester. When will he be sent to Washington?

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Wheels Come Off for Gore in the 6th Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

The Nats long weekend in Philadelphia continued after their 5-1 loss on Saturday evening. Al & Tim take stark notice that the season continues to decline as they are now 14 games below .500 and there are still six weeks remaining.

(09:00) The offense only mustered two hits, but one of them was an Alex Call solo HR. It was another night with no hits for CJ Abrams and he is mired in an 0 for 14 slump.

(12:45) MacKenzie Gore's outing was going well as he only had given up one run through five innings of work. That all changed in the bottom of the 6th as the Phillies scored four more runs off of the lefty. Gore has now struggled in nine of his past ten stars and questions persist on how to handle the situation.

(21:00) Before the game it was announced that Derek Law is headed to the IL due to a right elbow flexor strain. Law is expressing confidence that he will be back soon, but his absence leaves a rather large void in the current "A Bullpen".

(27:00) For the 2nd straight season, the Nationals were delayed by a half hour due to Philadelphia's Wall of Fame Ceremony. Why did they advertise it as a 6:05pm start, when the reality was not until 6:35pm?

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Turner Walks-Off the Nats Aug 17, 2024

Show notes

Trea Turner got the game winning hit against his old team as the Nats lost 3-2 in Philadelphia on Friday night. Al & Mark recap the hectic ninth inning which began by the score of 2-0 with the Phillies leading. Kyle Finnegan pitched the final frame, but was not the beneficiary of good defense behind him.

(12:45) Patrick Corbin only gave up a pair of runs, but was relieved in the bottom of the 5th. Corbin's ERA this season is at 5.92, which is not as bad as his ERA in 2022 (6.31).

(18:00) CJ Abrams went 0 for 5 while hitting behind lead-off hitter Alex Call in Friday's batting order. Abrams was rightfully an All-Star, but Al points out that his success so far this year is limited to largely April & June.

(22:10) Another good game for James Wood as he gathered a trio of hits and reached base four times. However, he was caught stealing for the 6th time in only 12 attempts so far.

(30:00) The hosts sift through all the nitty gritty as the team weighs what is next for Dylan Crews. There is an avenue to call him up for the final month or so without taking away his rookie status for 2025. The next home game for Washington is on Tuesday night against Colorado.

(34:05) Crucial start for MacKenzie Gore on Saturday evening vs. the potent Philly lineup. There are increasing calls to send Gore to AAA as he has struggled mightily this summer.

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Parker Gets Shelled in Philly Aug 16, 2024

Show notes

The Nats were pounded 13-3 on Thursday night in Philadelphia to open up a four game set. Al & Mark run through the grisly box score totals for Mitchell Parker who allowed nine runs in just three plus innings on the mound. The last bad outing for Parker came on July 24th vs. the Padres as part of his up and down season. Weston Wilson of the Phillies tripled off of Parker on his way to hitting for the cycle.

(12:30) The Nationals committed three errors in the loss and the final one was the biggest surprise. Just one inning after making an outstanding catch, Jacob Young whiffed on the ball in the outfield in the bottom of the 7th. Mark explains what led to the very out of character mistake by Young.

(24:10) Keibert Ruiz was the bulk of the offense as he clubbed a pair of homers in defeat. Ruiz has struggled this season, but is swinging a hot bat in August.

(30:00) Hear an explanation of the details involved in the decision of when to call Dylan Crews up to Washington. Will he be in the Big Leagues this month? Learn how the new "PPI" is involved in all of this.

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Entire Coaching Staff Returning Next Season Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

The Nats lost 4-1 on Wednesday night in Baltimore, but the news of the day came before the game. Mark (From Camden Yards) & Al react to the surprising news that this week the full coaching staff already signed their 2025 contracts. Did anyone see this coming in mid-August?

(11:00) This means that Hitting Coach Darnell Coles will be coming back for a 4th season with the organization. The initial fan reaction to this was not positive on social media. How much does Victor Robles' turnaround hurt the defense of Coles staying in the job.

(21:00) As for the actual game, the offense did not carry over their success from the previous evening. Alex Call drove in the only run and was the lone member of the lineup with multiple hits (both doubles).

(24:15) DJ Herz pitched decently as he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work. Herz is making the case as of late to be the team's most reliable starting pitcher right now.

(31:20) The Nationals and Orioles split their two game series this week; just like when they met in D.C. in May. The Nats begin a four game series in Philadelphia on Thursday night and will have to immediately face Zack Wheeler.

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Chaparro Doubles 3 Times in Winning Debut Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

The Nats beat the Orioles 9-3 on Tuesday as Andres Chaparro and James Wood combined for seven hits. Mark (From Baltimore) & Al start with Chaparro, who gathered three doubles in his Big League debut. Chaparro has turned heads in the organization since being acquired just hours before the Trade Deadline. Last week during his brief stay with Rochester, Chaparro homered in four straight games.

(08:00) Wood came through with four hits in his first game played in his native state of Maryland. Wood has reached the four hit milestone twice already and his OPS this month is 1.044.

(15:00) The offense had fourteen hits overall and three of them came from CJ Abrams. The shortstop is now up to 21 stolen bases this season and trails Jacob Young for the team lead with 27.

(20:00) Harold Ramirez was DFA'd before the game to make way for Chaparro's arrival. Ramirez spent two months with Washington after the Rays parted ways with him in June.

(27:10) Jake Irvin threw a solid outing as he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work. Irvin was in need a of a good start after giving up a combined nine runs in his two previous appearances.

(32:00) Chaparro played at 1B on Tuesday, but it is unclear which infield position he projects long term. The hosts name a pair of AL East outfielders to keep your eye on this Winter for the Nationals at 1B.

(35:15) Cade Cavalli has arrived at the team facility in West Palm Beach, FL. Mark weighs in on the chances for him to make a major league start at some point later this season.

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Gore's Struggles Again But Mark Catches a Foul Ball Aug 11, 2024

Show notes

The Nats were unable to complete sweep as they fell 6-4 on Sunday afternoon against Anaheim. Mark & Al though begin with the first ever foul ball to reach to the Nationals Press Box and it was corralled by Mr. Zuckerman. The Shirley Povich Press Box is one of the highest perches in all of Baseball and no foul balls had reached inside that level until this game.

(08:00) MacKenzie Gore was bad again and he has not pitched well since July 1st. Given his recent struggles, should his next start in the rotation get skipped? Gore needed 29 pitches in the opening inning and only lasted five frames.

(19:00) The bullpen colectively allowed just one run, but issued seven walks in only four innings on the mound. Jordan Weems was the biggest offender as he walked four batters, including one for a run, after returning to the team this weekend.

(26:00) Nasim Nunez started every game in this series as CJ Abrams sat out out of the starting lineups due to back spasms. Abrams was a late scratch on Friday night and it will be telling to see if he plays on Tuesday night in Baltimore. His only appearance this weekend was him pinch-running and ultimately scoring the winning run on Saturday night in the bottom of the 10th.

(31:10) Jacob Young homered in the bottom of the 8th for the team's first run. It was Young's first homer since June 16th and he has struggled at the plate. What are the chances he is able to improve his hitting?

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Tena Gets Called Up and Walks It Off Aug 11, 2024

Show notes

The Nats went to extra innings for the third straight day on Saturday and emerged with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Angels. Al & Tim begin with James Wood, who homered and doubled in the win. Wood is hitting .344 this month, which is much better than the .245 he sported in July.

(08:30) Prior to the game Jose Tena was called up from AAA-Rochester and immediately started at 3B. Tena ended up the hero as his 10th inning hit brought in CJ Abrams for the winning run. Tena was recently acquired in the Lane Thomas trade with Cleveland, where he had limited Big League experience.

(11:45) Tena swapped roster spots with Trey Lipscomb, who was sent down to Rochester for the 4th time this season. This comes just one month after it seemed Lipscomb had the 3B for the rest of the season, but he has not performed well at the plate.

(14:20) Alex Call had two hits on Saturday and has had five multi-hit games since recently getting called up from Rochester. Call also flashed the leather as he had an outfield assist.

(19:00) The bullpen tossed six scoreless innings in relief of Patrick Corbin. Derek Law pitched the 9th and the 10th as Kyle Finnegan was given the night off.

(24:00) The Nationals will go for the sweep on Sunday morning. The series finale will start at 11:35AM as part of the new national Roku streaming package.

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Rendon Ovation Precedes Walk-off Nats Win Aug 10, 2024

Show notes

Friday night was a banner evening for the Nats organization, capped off with a 3-2 win in extras over the visiting Angels. Al & Mark begin by updating you on the highlights that occurred across the team's minor league affiliates on Friday. They then shine a spotlight on Alex Call, who had walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th; his 3rd hit of the day.

(08:00) The Nationals past met its future when James Wood had an infield single at the expense of Anthony Rendon. It seemed like Rendon did not realize how much speed Wood has when running down the line.

(12:30) Washington benefited from good pitching all night between Mitchell Parker, Jacob Barnes, and Kyle Finnegan. Parker is seriously making a case as the team's best starting pitcher this season and his ERA currently sits at 3.83.

(22:00) CJ Abrams was a late scratch and Nasim Nunez filled at SS. Nunez was dealing with cramps late in the game as Mark points out the odd circumstances surrounding his roster status and what that might mean.

(24:00) Rendon received a standing ovation from the crowd as it was his first time returning to Navy Yard since the 2019 World Series. Rendon had three singles, but did strikeout in the top of the 10th. Amazingly, the Angels have used more players at 3B since signing Rendon than the Nationals have in that time frame.

(30:00) Who was better at 3B at their peak? Rendon or Ryan Zimmerman?

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