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Game 104: Candelario Says He's OK After Potential Injury Jul 29, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 5-1 at the Mets on Friday night for a 2nd straight defeat. Mark (From Citi Field) & Al start with Jeimer Candelario's potential injury while trying to extend a single into a double in the 8th inning. Candelario has had many injuries this month, as we approach Tuesday's Trade Deadline.

(06:00) MacKenzie Gore only lasted 5 IP and issued 4 walks in the process. Gore never threw a clean inning and it came to haunt him in the 5th when Pete Alonso connected on a 3 run HR off a hanging slider.

(17:00) The offense was little match for Max Scherzer as the only run came off of a Luis Garcia Solo HR. Garcia was the lone bright spot in the lineup as he tallied 3 hits. July has been a tough month for Garcia as he is only hitting .225.

(23:40) Our diehard listener in South Korea (Rich) passed along a first hand testimonial of how well Erick Fedde is pitching in the KBO and that he is a candidate for their version of the Cy Young Award.

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Game 103: Gray Scoreless Outing Precedes Late Loss Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

After yet another rain delay, the Nats lost 2-1 at the Mets on Thursday evening. Mark (Live from Citi Field) & Al immediately dive into the odd situation where Kyle Finnegan had an over an hour to think about the inherited bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 8th.

(06:45) Finnegan entered the game in relief of Mason Thompson; who lost control in the middle of his outing. This has been a periodic pattern for Thompson and both of the Mets runs were charged against him.

(10:00) Josiah Gray issued a few walks and had a high pitch count, but did not allow a run in his 6 IP. Gray's ERA this year is 3.27 in 21 starts.

(17:10) The Nationals offense struggled in this series opener as they only collected 5 hits. Lane Thomas went 0 for 4 and his numbers at the plate in July have been lower than earlier this season. This leads to a discussion on where he stacks up on the open trade market.

(24:50) The Angels are going for it and are keeping Shohei Ohtani. Given their dissatisfaction with Anthony Rendon (yep), might they ironically trade for Jeimer Candelario?

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Game 102: Abrams Walks Off the the 9th Inning Comeback Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

The Nats ended the successful home stand in thrilling fashion as they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win 5-4. Mark & Al begin by wondering why Rockies Manager kept his struggling Closer Daniel Bard on the mound. Bard was out of the game though when CJ Abrams continued his magical July ride with a walk-off RBI single.

(18:00) Jake Irvin had a mixed bag outing, but did tally 7 strikeouts and made it 6 IP. The negative of the afternoon was that he allowed 3 Colorado homers. The bullpen did pitch well behind as they combined for 3 scoreless frames.

(27:35) Victor Robles was moved to the 60 day IL to help make room for the call-up of Andres Machado. The earliest Robles can return is late August as he is basically been out since early May. Where does he currently fit into the organization's long-term plans?

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Game 101: Meneses HR Caps Late Rally Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

The Nats ended a very long night on a high note in the 6-5 victory over the Rockies. There were two separate rain delays that led to a conclusion just before Midnight; only 12 hours before Wednesday's series finale. Al & Mark start with the decisive 4 run bottom of the 8th where Jeimer Candelario had a RBI double and Joey Meneses was the hero with a 3 run blast. "Joey Four Bags" has been on a tear this month as he is slugging .535 in July.

(09:00) Davey made sure to get both Keibert Ruiz & Riley Adams into the lineup and was rewarded with 2 hits and a RBI double for Adams. Will there be a continued push to get both catchers at bats every day?

(17:00) Trevor Williams made it through 6 IP and ultimately gave up 4 runs. The bullpen only yielded one run; which led to Kyle Finnegan notching his 14th Save of the season.

(25:00) Yet again rain played tricks on the Nationals as the first rain delay on Tuesday evening did not have any rain. Why does it seem like it gets botched in Navy Yard multiple times a year? At least the fans were given discounts on food during the wait.

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Game 100: Win Streak Snapped + Mark's Trip to "Field of Dreams" Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

**Record scratch** The Nats win streak from the weekend came to an abrupt halt on Monday night in a 10-6 loss to visiting Colorado that was marred by plenty of sloppy play. Mark & Al recap the grisly details from Patrick Corbin's outing where he ceded 10 hits and his ERA is now up to 5.01.

(11:30) Plenty of instances of poor defense in this defeat and this leads to an assessment of what the defensive chess board might look like for Washington in the next few seasons as the prospects continue to rise within the system.

(21:05) Jeimer Candelario connected on his 16th HR of the season as we are one week away from the Trade Deadline. Any chance the Nationals do not deal him?

(30:00) **Must Listen Segment** Mark recounts his special family trip over to Dyersville, Iowa to check out the real life "Field of Dreams".

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Game 99: Lane Thomas & the Nats Finally Get a Sweep Jul 23, 2023

Show notes

Get out your brooms as the 2+ year sweep drought in a 3 game series is thankfully over as the Nats took care of the Giants 6-1 on Sunday afternoon. Al & Tim have plenty to revel in, but especially Lane Thomas' unforgettable day where he tied a franchise record with 4 stolen bases, 3 hits at the plate, and flashed the leather in the field multiple times. However, the conversation quickly morphs into... should they trade Lane next week before the Deadline?

(15:00) Riley Adams homered on Sunday and his OPS is well above .800 despite having fewer than 100 plate appearances. What can the Nationals do to get him more playing time?

(22:30) MacKenzie Gore had a good outing as he threw 5 shutout innings with 8 Ks and only allowed 4 hits. Gore lasted 90 pitches and then handed it off to the bullpen. This was his best outing since last month in San Diego (June 25th).

(29:00) The highlight of the sweep might be how effective the bullpen was all weekend. On Sunday, they shouldered 4 IP and only allowed 1 run in the process.

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Dylan Crews Introduced Prior to Easy Win Jul 23, 2023

Show notes

Saturday was a special day at Nationals Park as it began with the introductory Dylan Crews Press Conference and was followed by a 10-1 thrashing of the Giants. Al & Tim start with all the offensive accolades for CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, and Alex Call. Abrams homered on his Bobblehead night while Ruiz & Call each are slugging over .500 in July.

(21:30) Josiah Gray issued 3 walks right away, but settled down and lasted 7 IP without walking anyone else. Gray has now lasted 7 frames on 4 different occasions this season. The bullpen continued their solid series as Rico Garcia and Joe LaSorsa each threw a scoreless inning to wrap up the victory.

(29:00) Dylan Crews met with the media prior to the win and Tim asked the #2 overall pick what his expected timetable is in order to make it Washington. When should we expect him to make his MLB debut? Mike Rizzo indicated that his journey will begin in West Palm before heading up to either Fredericksburg or Wilmington.

(37:10) Crews' Agent, Scott Boras, certainly made his presence felt at the press conference with a few memorable comments. Boras also referenced some of his past high profile clients that played in Washington in the previous decade.

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Game 97: Irvin Impresses + Crews Reportedly Signs Jul 22, 2023

Show notes

The Nats beat the Giants 5-3 on Friday night to begin the home stand. Al & Tim recap Jake Irvin's career best start as he struck out nine and almost made it 7 IP on 111 pitches. What is a realistic ceiling for Irvin as we move forward?

(11:10) This was not a night to complain about the bullpen as they came through unscathed for the final 7 outs. Jordan Weems came through in a 7th inning jam, and then Jose A. Ferrer & Kyle Finnegan each threw 1-2-3 frames to close it out over San Francisco. Weems has struggled at times this year, but also has shown a propensity to strike guys out.

(18:30) Lane Thomas & CJ Abrams each homered early in the victory; part of the offense's 5 extra base hits on the evening. Abrams continued his torrid stretch while hitting lead-off as his OPS this month is 1.015.

(28:45) Dylan Crews reportedly has officially signed with Washington and is expected to have his introductory press conference on Saturday afternoon. The hosts discuss what a realistic timetable for Crews might look like between now and his eventual MLB debut.

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Game 96: More Bullpen Woes Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

The Nats bullpen imploded again in Chicago, this time they allowed 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to lose 8-3. Mark (Live from Wrigley Field) & Al discuss the continued sorry state of affairs for the 'pen and on Wednesday Mason Thompson was part of the problem. During the final 2 games of the series, the relief pitching gave up 20 runs in less than 6 frames.

(13:30) Trevor Williams had a so-so outing as he allowed 7 hits in his usual 5 IP. What are the chances that a contender would seek Williams at the Deadline to fill out their rotation?

(22:00) Jeimer Candelario slugged his 15th HR of the season in the 8th inning just before Washington briefly tied the Cubs. What kind of return might the Nationals get for Candelario in a few weeks?

(28:15) While Candelario is almost a given to be dealt, it is not as clear for Lane Thomas. Hear Mark explain what Mike Rizzo is weighing while potentially shopping Thomas.

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Game 95: "B" Bullpen Gets Torched + House to AA Jul 19, 2023

Show notes

The Nats led 3-0, but it was all Cubs form there in a 17-3 blowout on Tuesday night. Mark (Live from Wrigley) & Al run through the gruesome details on the "B" Bullpen as they allowed a combined 14 runs in the 7th & 8th innings. It was a particularly tough night for Our Guy Paolo; who ceded 8 runs in less than an inning of work. Will this end up as the worst Nationals Bullpen in history?

(16:00) Before the game got out of hand, Patrick Corbin had a decent start as he pitched into the 6th inning. Corbin just returned from the Paternity List and did not have his usual preparation.

(28:05) Brady House, 1st Round Pick from 2021, was promoted to AA Harrisburg after just 16 games in Wilmington. Could House get called up to Washington in 2024?

(33:10) Elijah Green, 1st Round Pick from 2022, is currently in West Palm as opposed to Fredericksburg as he rehabs a wrist injury. Green has not played in a few weeks and his strikeout rate (42%) is of concern.

(37:10) We play the scouting reporting that Jim Callis, Senior Writer for MLB.com, gave on Dylan Crews prior to the Draft. The Nationals took Crews #2 overall a few weeks ago and he is expected to sign in the near future.

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