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Game 74: Memorable Davey Ejection in Forgettable Loss Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals lost 5-3 in their makeup game vs. Arizona to conclude a not so happy home stand. The afternoon crowd was a sleepy one given the scheduling circumstances, but Davey Martinez electrified the vibe by getting ejected in very dramatic fashion in the 5th inning. Mark & Al break down the ejection while musing about the team's subpar performance.

(15:30) The defense did not perform well on Thursday and the tone was immediately set when a Derek Hill error resulted in Corbin Carroll scoring all the way from 1st base. Luis Garcia drastically misplayed a fly ball and also had a throwing error in the middle of the game. Davey was openly critical of the defensive effort in his Postgame press conference.

(22:20) Jake Irvin now has had back to back good outings as he only allowed 1 ER in 6 IP. Irvin has responded nicely to having his rotation spot recently skipped.

(26:30) Lane Thomas homered for the 12th time this season and it spurs on a conversation on whether or not he is a trade chip in the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline (August 1st). Thomas does not become a Free Agent following the 2025 season.

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Game 73: Abrams Homers in Rainy Shutout Win Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

The Nats blanked the Cardinals 3-0 in a wet Wednesday afternoon in Navy Yard to avoid the sweep and end the five game skid. Al & Tim start with Trevor Williams' victorious effort as he lasted 6 IP before handing it off to the "A Bullpen". Will there be interest for Williams at the Trade Deadline?

(7:30) Carl Edwards Jr. is now on the IL due to shoulder inflammation and Mason Thompson seemingly is taking his spot in the Bullpen hierarchy. Kyle Finnegan escaped a jam in the 7th and Hunter Harvey was able to notch his first save since May 31st. Taking Edwards roster spot is Joe La Sorsa and the good news is he that he is a lefty.

(14:00) CJ Abrams had a big day as he collected 3 hits, but most importantly a solo HR in the 5th that gave the Nationals a potential safety net of having the lead should the rain have increased. Spotlights are shone on Luis Garcia and Jeimer Candelario as well in this segment.

(25:30) Victor Robles returned to the IL due to his back and Derek Hill was called up to take over CF. Hear some frank comments that Davey Martinez had for Robles after the events of Tuesday night. Why did Alex Call stay in Rochester?

(35:00) NBC Sports Washington is being rebranded locally as Monumental Sports Network. This news ties into the never ending MASN ripples.

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Game 72: Brief Dugout Spat Amid 5th Straight Loss Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

The Nats have dropped five in a row this home stand as they fell 9-3 on Tuesday vs. St. Louis. Mark & Al have an extended discussion on the argument between MacKenzie Gore and Victor Robles following a misplayed fly ball in the top of the 2nd. Hear what Davey Martinez had to say about it in his postgame press conference.

(15:30) Gore did not have a good outing as he ceded 9 hits and 5 runs in 6 IP. He was able to survive back to back walks and did strikeout 8 Cardinals in the process. His ERA in four straights this month is 5.16 compared to 4.06 in May.

(19:45) Only a pair of bullpen arms took the mound and the results were not pretty. Hunter Harvey pitched for the first time in awhile. but allowed a pair of runs in the 9th.

(31:15) Tim Shovers steps in to go over the latest MASN dispute news with Al. According to the Washington Post, the Nationals and Orioles agreed on the TV rights amount from 2012-2016 (appx $100M), but 2017-2023 still remains unsettled. Will this hasten the sale of the team?

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Game 71: Gray Gives Away 5 Run Lead Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost their 4th straight as they blew an early five run lead in a 8-6 defeat against visiting St. Louis. Josiah Gray was staked the early edge, but allowed six runs; the final four of which came in the bottom of the 5th. It was Gray's worst outing of the year and his ERA is a full run higher than it was a month ago (3.64).

(15:00) The offense did very little from the 3rd inning on and had more instances of making outs on the bases. Luis Garcia had an unusual box score as he gathered 4 RBIs on only 1 hit.

(25:30) Jordan Weems continued his solid stretch as of late out of the bullpen. Chad Kuhl threw an adventurous scoreless inning and then Kyle Finnegan took the mound for just the 5th time this month. Why did Finnegan miss the entire Marlins series, but pitched today when trailing?

(31:40) A special interview in honor of Juneteenth as Tim Shovers is joined by Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum This is Bob's 3rd straight June joining the podcast and in this edition, he discusses Oscar Charleston, Hall of Famer. Oscar Charleston played from 1915-1941 and is considered "Willie Mays before Willie Mays".

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Game 70: Marlins Remain the Nats Daddies Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

The Nats were swept on Father's Day by visiting Miami 4-2 and they are now 0-6 against the Marlins this season. Al & Mark have a "Roblesian" blunder to begin with as Victor Robles, fresh off the IL, was picked off at a crucial moment with Lane Thomas up to bat in the bottom of the 5th.

(10:10) Lane Thomas slugged his team high 11th HR of the season and is flirting with a .500 slugging %. Davey Martinez has stumped for Thomas to serve as the Nationals representative in the All Star Game.

(22:40) Patrick Corbin didn't pitch very well as he gave up 11 hits, but did last 6 IP to eat up some innings. Corbin's ERA is 4.89 on the season and his WHIP in three starts this month is a startling 2.00.

(29:45) Paul Skenes was dominant again on Saturday night as he struck out a dozen Tennessee Volunteers in the College World Series. This leads to an extended discussion on how to evaluate the injury potential to the best pitcher in College Baseball.

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Game 69: Short Handed 'Pen Can't Reel in the Fish Jun 18, 2023

Show notes

The Nats remain winless this season against Miami as they fell 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in D.C. The bullpen inherited a tied game, but Chad Kuhl and Thad Ward combined to allow four runs in three frames. Davey Martinez afterwards said his "A" Bullpen was not available, and the short handed crew did not come through.

(18:30) Jake Irvin had a good outing after having his spot in the rotation was recently skipped. Irvin lasted 5 IP and only ceded one run, his best start in over a month.

(25:40) CJ Abrams went 0 for 3 and is hitting .215 on the season. Abrams has also had many defensive miscues this year and the hosts begin to wonder if a trip to the minors might be worth considering.

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Game 68: Miami's Hex Over the Nats Continues Jun 17, 2023

Show notes

The Nats are now 0-4 this year against Miami after narrowly falling 6-5 in D.C. Al hosts solo and runs through Trevor Williams' rough start as he has now given up 11 runs in his three June outings. Meanwhile, last year's NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara has pitched poorly this year and that was the case on Friday night despite his dominance last year vs. Washington.

(08:50) The Marlins' go head run came in the top of the 8th on an infield single that scored Garrett Cooper all the way from 2B. Al dissects the way that CJ Abrams played it and what the Nationals defense stats look like as of lately.

(17:30) Victor Robles returned from the IL and just before he singled, he tried to pull of a phantom HBP. Robles' promotion sent Alex Call down to AAA Rochester, who was only hitting .209 on the season.

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Game 67: Nats Prevail in Extras Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

For the 1st time since October 30th, 2019 the Nats won in Houston and this one came in extra innings by the final score of 4-1. Al & Mark (Live from Texas) start with Keibert Ruiz who broke the scoreless tie in the top of the 9th and added the final insurance run with a 10th inning RBI single. Ruiz has struggled at the plate this season, but did have six hits on the two city road trip.

(10:38) The bullpen pitched well, other than Hunter Harvey who blew the save in the 9th. The best news of the night was Mason Thompson who threw his 5th consecutive scoreless outing. His ERA entering June was 4.76 and now it is down to 3.93. Props are given to Carl Edwards Jr. who was able to blank the Astros in the bottom of the 10th to preserve the 3 run victory.

(25:10) MacKenzie Gore did not allow a run in 5.2 IP coming off a poor start in Atlanta. Gore is still needing a lot of pitches each inning, but his WHIP has dropped to 1.38. This leads into a conversation about Sean Doolittle being promoted to AAA Rochester and he gave up a pair of runs in his first appearance with the Red Wings on Thursday.

(31:30) Paul Skenes, LSU's star pitcher who the Nationals might select next month, won the Dick Howser Trophy (College Baseball's Heisman Trophy). He is expected to pitch at the College World Series on Saturday night vs. Tennessee. We close the show with a preview of UVA's match-up vs. Florida from legendary Virginia columnist David Teel of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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Game 66: Walk-Off Loss on Familiar Controversial Call Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

The "Trea Turner Play" somehow resurfaced in a game between the Nats and Astros in Minute Maid Park and this time it was the final sequence of a 5-4 Nationals loss. A bewildered duo of Mark (Live from Texas) & Al recap all angles of the controversial no call; including Davey Martinez's postgame rant that won't be forgotten any time soon. Why can't runner interference be reviewed?

(17:00) The bottom of the 9th only came to be after Washington rallied with three runs in the top of the 9th to force a tie. Dom Smith came through with a game tying RBI triple, but his pinch runner Michael Chavis never came across to score. Smith has four hits in the past three games; after not starting at 1B on Saturday.

(21:20) Josiah Gray lasted seven frames, but allowed four runs in the process. He has now thrown 7 IP on three occasions this season and did not issue any walks on Wednesday night. Mark explains how Gray has added a new array of pitches to his skill set.

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Game 65: A Muted Return to Houston Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 6-1 in their first return to Houston since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. Mark (Live from Texas) and Al scratch their heads over an Alex Call bunt attempt during the early stages of a potential 3rd inning rally. Call is really struggling at the plate as he is hitting .215 on the season

(06:25) Chad Kuhl got the nod to pitch the 7th while trailing 2-0 and Al wonders if one of the "A" Bullpen members should maybe have taken the mound instead. Important to note the next off-day for Washington isn't until June 29th.

(15:30) Patrick Corbin took the mound at Minute Maid Park and threw three scoreless frames (sounds familiar right?). He also posted a blank 4th inning before giving up a pair of solo HRs in the 5th. Shockingly enough, Corbin is the only 2019 champ on the current roster (Victor Robles meanwhile hit 2 HRs for Rochester on Tuesday).

(27:15) Hear a listener voice memo from the 2019 Postseason, this one about the 1st inning from Game 4 of the NLCS vs. St. Louis.

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