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Jackson Rutledge, Former 1st Rounder, Getting Called Up Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 5-1 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening for their 80th loss of the season. Mark & Al begin with the news that Jackson Rutledge, RHP selected in the 1st Round of the 2019 Draft, will make his MLB debut on Wednesday night. His ERA this season is 3.71 and it comes through stints at Harrisburg and Rochester. His road to "The Show" has been a bumpy one, but lets see how beautiful it turns out.

(11:15) Joan Adon had another no so good outing as he allowed 4 runs in as many innings on 93 pitches. The worst part was the 6 walks that he issued (1 intentional) and at least two Pirates reached base every frame.

(23:00) Al takes issue with certain players who are not receiving playing time during this final month. Jake Alu has not played yet in Pittsburgh and is hitting .229 overall in his late season audition.

(27:40) Hear more details on our upcoming Podcast Party at Walter's. Friday night October 13th from 6:30-8:30pm in Navy Yard.

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Game 144: Abrams Homers Twice in Win Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals began this week's road trip on the right foot with a 6-3 victory on Monday night in Pittsburgh. Al & Tim dive into CJ Abrams' big evening as he had his 1st multi HR game of his career. Abrams is 5th in the NL among shortstops with 18 career HRs.

(15:00) Patrick Corbin took home the W for his 6.2 IP effort where he only allowed a pair of runs. Corbin leads the team with 158.1 IP, which is 17 innings more than Josiah Gray.

(25:00) Al points out that the Nats have never had a close September race, even in all the successful division title years. This includes 2019, when Washington clinched the Wildcard with relative ease in the final month.

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Game 143: Williams Allows a Hit Parade Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Amid yet another rain delay, the Nats lost 7-3 to the Dodgers on Sunday in the series rubber match. Al & Mark start with Trevor Williams. who had another poor outing in a season where his ERA sits at 5.44. Williams has given up 14 earned runs in just 2 September starts.

(13:00) Joe LaSorsa performed yeoman's effort as he came up just shy of pitching all of the final 4 innings. LaSorsa joined the team on Friday after his recent stint in Rochester.

(21:30) A check in on Carter Kieboom who has been at 3B nearly everyday for weeks. He currently is hitting .189 and is having a slow start to September.

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Game 142: Chavis Scores on Wild Pitch to End Marathon Day Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

The Nats outlasted the 1st place Dodgers in extra innings for a 7-6 victory on Saturday afternoon following a 4+ hour rain delay. Mark & Al wonder if Jake Irvin is sneakily the best story of the franchise's season after he threw another solid outing on the mound. His ERA is at 4.20; which is a far improvement from when he last faced LA in late May (5.67 ERA).

(13:40) Lane Thomas returned after sitting out all week due to an ailing back and homered for the fourth consecutive game that he's played in. Thomas now has 24 HRs, which is by far the most on the team (Ruiz in 2nd place with 16 HRs).

(19:45) Lost in the shuffle of all the organizational news this week was that Luis Garcia returned to Washington after spending August in AAA. Garcia on Saturday came through with a RBI single his 2nd game back from Rochester.

(32:00) MacKenzie Gore's season was effectively ended this weekend as he was placed on the IL due to blisters. His best month of the year came in April when he allowed more than a pair of runs on only one occasion.

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Strasburg Drama Amid Defeat Sep 09, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 8-5 on Friday night vs. the visiting the Dodgers, but that was hardly top of mind locally. Mark & Al sift through all the busy back drop currently involving the organization as it seemed like there was an endless avalanche of news reports involving the Front Office during Thursday's day-off.

(04:00) As for the game, MacKenzie Gore struggled and only lasted 4 IP as he returned from the Beareavment List. This is the 3rd consecutive outing that he did not exceed 5 innings of work and it came at a bad time as the team just began a stretch of 17 straight days with a game.

(11:00) The entirety of the offense came via the homer as Keibert Ruiz and CJ Abrams each went deep. Abrams also stole his 41st base of the season; which is 5 shy of the franchise mark set by Trea Turner in 2017.

(17:30) There has been significant drama involving Stephen Strasburg and a potential retirement ceremony that will not occur this weekend. On Friday evening, Principal Owner Mark Lerner released an eyebrow raising statement as it relates to the situation.

(33:15) There were a slew of reports this week regarding even more shake-up in the scouting department and the Front Office. Kris Kline, veteran Assistant GM & VP of Scouting Ops, was reassigned to Special Assistant to GM, which has the feel of a demotion.

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Game 140: Young Walks-Off the Losing Streak Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

The Nats ended their 6 game skid by edging past the Mets 3-2 in a Wednesday evening walk-off victory. Al & Mark start with Jacob Young's decisive single over New York as he owns an 8 game hitting streak; which commenced shortly after his MLB debut.

(07:20) CJ Abrams swiped 2 more bases and joins rare franchise territory with 40+ stolen bases on the season (Trea Turner 2x, Alfonso Soriano). The most impressive part is his success rate as he only has been thrown out 3 times this season.

(16:20) Joan Adon only allowed 2 runs in 5 IP; which gave Washington a chance in the late innings. Adon did allow a run in the 1st inning; continuing a dubious streak of the starting pitching staff this entire home stand (6 games).

(25:45) More uncertainty surrounds the future of the Nationals Front Office as reportedly many long time scouts will not be retained. This comes at a tenuous time as Mike Rizzo is currently in negotiations for an extension.

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Game 139: Corbin Clobbered as Skid Reaches 6 Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 11-5 to the visiting Mets on Tuesday; in a game in which they immediately trailed by 4 runs. Mark & Al sing a familiar song, which is recapping a rough outing by Patrick Corbin. He has now given up 30 homers this season and the only NL pitcher who has allowed more this season is his teammate Trevor Williams (33).

(13:00) Andres Machado immediately gave up a homer to Pete Alonso upon taking the mound. Hear the jarring stat of how many times that has occurred among Washington relievers this season.

(21:00) Jacob Young filled in admirably for a resting CJ Abrams in the lead-off spot as he came up with a pair of hits. Which of the young everyday players now on the MLB roster has the best chance to stick in the Bigs?

(30:00) Lane Thomas did not play on Tuesday due to his lingering back issue. Davey Martinez revealed pregame that Thomas underwent a MRI.

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Game 138: Gray Only Lasts 4 Innings Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

The Nats were swept for the third time this season by Miami and on Sunday they fell 6-4. Mark & Al note the 5th consecutive loss and that they finally will get an off-day on Monday.

(04:00) Josiah Gray had a short outing and had a nightmarish opening inning. This included allowing a solo HR, issuing 3 straight walks, and jawing at Jacob Young at the end of the frame for misplaying a fly ball in the sun. He ultimately only lasted 4 IP and it casts doubt on when he next take the mound.

(14:00) The bullpen had to fill in for 20 IP over the course of the 4 game series. The Nationals took a 4-3 lead in the middle of the game, but could not hang on. Kyle Finnegan allowed a pair of runs in the top of the 9th that led to him taking the loss.

(19:00) CJ Abrams had a crucial throwing error in the pivotal9th and this leads to an extended discussion at the infield defense. Not only its recent decline, but also how the infield projects moving forward.

(31:45) MacKenzie Gore is currently on the Bereavement List and it is TBD as to when his next start will be. The hosts explain what this list means from a baseball/ roster perspective. He is out until at least Friday and he last pitched Tuesday (August 29th).

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Longtime International Scouting Director Resigns Sep 03, 2023

Show notes

The Nats rough stretch continued as they were flattened 11-5 by the Marlins on Saturday afternoon. They have dropped 6 of their past 7 and are a wretched 2-10 this season vs. the Marlins. Mark & Al though begin with the big organizational news that came pregame as Johnny DiPuglia, veteran Director of International Scouting since 2009, is resigning from his position. Is this related to the ongoing contractual negotiations between Mike Rizzo and the franchise?

(17:00) Trevor Williams had an awful outing as he allowed 4 HRs in as many innings. Williams has now given up 10 homers in his past 5 outings and his ERA now currently sits at 5.21.

(25:00) The struggles of Williams leads to a look at where Cade Cavalli fits into the organization's plans when he returns from Tommy John surgery. Will he be ready by Opening Day or will he need more time?

(34:00) Sunday will mark the 13th consecutive day that the Nationals have taken the field and this has spanned across 4 cities and 2 countries. This series has seen plenty of sloppy play; especially on the defensive side, and a much needed off-day awaits on Monday.

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Back In Last Place Sep 02, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 8-5 in extras on Friday night to visiting Miami for their 5th defeat in the past 6 games. Adding additional insult to the evening is that the Mets beat Seattle to move back in front of Washington by a half game. Al & Mark recap the 11 inning defeat; which required 6 IP by 6 different relievers.

(17:15) The Nationals slugged 3 dingers on Friday and one of them came from Travis Blankenhorn in his first game since getting called up by Rochester. He hit 5th playing LF and this season had a OPS of .877 in AAA. Lane Thomas & CJ Abrams also went deep in the loss.

(30:00) Josiah Gray is still slated to start Sunday after a throwing a monitored bullpen session. There will be a lot of attention to his next start after he had a very poor August.

(34:30) Mike Rizzo still has not officially signed an extension despite the expectation that he will do so. Where do the negotiations stand between the GM and the franchise?

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