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Game 44: Swept in Miami + Answering Strasburg Email May 19, 2023

Show notes

The Nats suffered a disappointing sweep in Miami as they lost 5-3 on Thursday afternoon. Al & Mark scratch their heads at how the Marlins have absolutely dominated Washington in the past few years; to the tune of Miami having won 18 of the past 22 meetings.

(06:20) Jeimer Candelario's bat was not the problem this week in Florida as he homered and doubled on Thursday. He totaled 8 hits in the 3 game series and Mark points out the sneaky solid stats he is on pace for. This came on a day where Davey Martinez shuffled the lineup, including Luis Garcia occupying the leadoff spot.

(14:30) Keibert Ruiz struggled at the plate all series as he was hit-less in all 3 games and grounded into a crucial double play in the 8th. Should he get more days off; especially on day games after night games?

(19:10) Trevor Williams tossed a quality start in the loss and lasted 6 frames on the mound. Williams' WHIP this season (1.26) is better than both Josiah Gray or MacKenzie Gore.

(25:15) Cade Cavalli made a surprise visit in the clubhouse and met with reporters. Mark explains what his timeline for return from Tommy John surgery looks like.

(28:20) We answer a listener email about Stephen Strasburg and why he has not been with the team this season. This leads to a long a discussion on where the Strasburg situation might be headed.

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Game 43: Another One Run Loss in Miami May 18, 2023

Show notes

The Nats came up just short again in Miami as they lost 4-3 on Wednesday evening. Mark & Al dissect MacKenzie Gore's outing that lasted just a shade over 5 innings. His ERA currently sits at 3.69.

(11:00) Corey Dickerson hit a 2 run HR in his first swing after missing the past month due to injury. Dickerson got the nod at DH as Joey Meneses is on Paternity Leave. Dickerson is a well traveled veteran with a career OPS at .806.

(20:45) Alex Call was involved in a bizarre play in the bottom of the 8th while diving for a shallow fly ball. Hear the hosts discuss Call's actions during and after the play in an inning that ultimately the Marlins did not score.

(24:00) Anibal Sanchez threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Miami one day after announcing his retirement. Mark reflects on what he enjoyed about covering Anibal.

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Game 42: Gray's Gem Wasted After Soler's Walk-off HR May 17, 2023

Show notes

The Nats suffered a gut punch loss in Miami on Tuesday night as their comeback efforts resulted in a 5-4 loss after Jorge Soler homered off of Hunter Harvey in the bottom of the 9th. Al & Tim run through the decision to have Kyle Finnegan pitch in the 8th and to give Harvey the opportunity to close it out.

(10:45) Josiah Gray pitched very well and was in line for the victory until the blown save. Gray lasted 7 IP and wiggled his way out of a bases loaded jam on his final pitch of the evening. The only poor outing he he has had all season was his first start vs. Atlanta and his ERA is currently at 2.73.

(18:15) The Nationals staged a rally in the top of the 8th as they turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Jeimer Candelario had the game tying hit; part of his evening where he reached base 4 times.

(23:00) Cole Henry made a rehab start with the Fred Nats in his return from TOC surgery. Henry was the 2nd Round choice from the 2020 MLB Draft.

(28:45) Anibal Sanchez announced via social media that he is retiring. We close by tipping our caps to Sanchez's career and of course discuss his 2019 NLCS masterpiece in St. Louis.

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Game 41: Meneses & the Nats Smash the Mets May 16, 2023

Show notes

The Nats split the series against New York as they routed the Mets 10-3 on Monday afternoon in D.C.. Mark & Al tip their caps to Joey Meneses who had a menacing day at the plate with 4 RBI hits to squarely put his average at .300.

(07:35) Lane Thomas had a big afternoon as well as he had 3 hits out of the lead-off spot. Thomas leads the team in OPS at .761. The lineup beat up New York pitching on Monday to the point that they scored in 7 of the 8 innings.

(13:25) CJ Abrams had an adventurous game as he homered, collected 2 hits, and stole a base. However, he lost focus on how many outs there were one inning and did not complete an expected double play. Hear how Davey Martinez's responded to Abrams' mistake. Despite the large margin of victory, but Washington had their final share of sloppiness on Monday.

(25:00) Patrick Corbin continued his positive momentum as he tossed a quality start for the 5th time in the past 6 outings. This leads to Al floating what sort of trade currency an adequate Corbin might fetch this summer. Corbin's ERA in the month of May is 2.84 and it is under 5.00 on the season.

(35:10) MLB Pipeline released its latest top prospects list and OF James Wood is ranked #8 overall. Wood is currently with High-A Wilmington and has hit 5 HRs so far this year. Is he indeed the best OF prospect in the organization?

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Games 39 & 40: Mother's Day Split May 15, 2023

Show notes

The Nats & Mets split the pair of games concluded on Mother's Day Sunday in D.C. (Nats won 3-2 & later lost 8-2). Mark & Al begin though with reaction to how logistics were handled on Saturday night during the roughly four hour rain delay. Those negatively affected by this were ticket holders to both Saturday and Sunday due to the decision to resume the suspended game at 12:35pm on Sunday.

(21:40) Jake Irvin pitched well in Game 2 on Sunday, but the wheels completely fell off in the 5th inning. Washington lead 1-0 entering the frame, but New York scored 8 runs; 6 which of were charged to Irvin.

(26:25) The bullpen had a heavy workload on Sunday as they picked up the slack for the final 7 innings of Game 1. This leads to a discussion on the recent struggles by relievers Carl Edwards Jr. and Mason Thompson.

(34:45) CJ Abrams came through with the bat in Game 1 as he had a RBI single (vs. Max Scherzer) and a 7th inning solo HR that gave the Nationals the lead for good. Abrams currently leads the team in RBIs with 21 this season.

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Rain Delay Quick Edition May 14, 2023

Show notes

Saturday was a long day at the ballpark, but not much baseball was played as the game was suspended until Sunday afternoon. Tim Shovers quick a very update on where things stand between the Nats the Mets, who only played two innings on Saturday. Mark & Al will be back Monday morning to recap Sunday's now doubleheader.

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Game 38: Gore's High Pitch Count Ends His Night Early May 14, 2023

Show notes

The Nats could not hold onto their early lead and lost 3-2 to the Mets on Friday evening. Al recaps MacKenzie Gore's laborious yet scoreless outing that only lasted 4 innings. Gore's evening was truncated due to his high pitch count of 96.

(09:00) The offense only scored a pair of runs while mustering just four hits. Alex Call had two of the hits himself on the evening and Jake Alu came up with his first career MLB hit in his 2nd career game.

(12:15) Al runs through all the latest updates in prospect rankings, which have plenty of representation from the Nationals organization. What's the latest with Brady House?

(15:30) We get very "Washingtonian" as Al looks at the recent column in the Washington Post by Thomas Boswell on the latest with the team's rebuild. It's a must read for all Nats fans.

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Game 37: Gray & the Offense Carry the Day May 11, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals cruised Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco 11-6 in the series rubber match. Mark (Live from Oracle Park) & Al start with Josiah Gray's victory; where he lasted seven innings and struck out three Giants in the process. Gray continues to pitch well and his ERA sits at 2.96 for this season. The Nats so far in the month of May are 6-4 and have a chance to leapfrog the Mets this weekend in the standings.

(14:30) The offense had huge game as they scored eight runs by the 3rd inning. Ildemaro Vargas was a HR shy of hitting for the cycle and Riley Adams went deep while getting a rare start behind the plate. Vargas started at SS as CJ Abrams got a day off after struggling on Tuesday evening.

(30:00) Where does the "Rebuild" currently stand? How tethered is the timeline due to prospects in the minors as compared to the quality pitching they are getting at the Major League level? We dive into after a fun day at the Ballpark.

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Game 36: Nats Fall Behind Right Away in Defeat May 10, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost 4-1 on Tuesday evening to even the series as the Giants scored two runs in the 1st inning and never looked back. Al & Mark (Live from San Francisco) begin with CJ Abrams, who struggled in the field and committed a 1st inning error. He had a rough night at the plate as well as he went 0 for 4 with a pair of K's.

(06:15) Jake Alu did not have a memorable MLB debut after going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Alu got the start in LF; a position that has seen musical chairs as of late.

(13:45) Patrick Corbin threw a quality start, but most importantly was able to stay in the game after surviving a come-backer line drive; which narrowly avoided hitting him directly in the face. Mark explains what he saw during that moment and Corbin's demeanor after the game. Corbin not only stayed in the game, but recorded four more outs.

(21:00) Mason Thompson allowed a run and did not look sharp in the process. Thompson has allowed five runs in four May outings.

(29:45) Jackson Rutledge, the Nationals 1st Round pick from 2019, has pitched well so far this with AA Harrisburg. Could he get called up this year or will he likely be sent to Rochester?

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Game 35: Irvin Shines in San Fran Victory May 09, 2023

Show notes

This time the Nats offense delivered in the 1st inning and gave Jake Irvin a lead he would never relinquish in Monday evening's 5-1 victory at the Giants. Mark (Live from San Francisco) & Al dissect Irvin's first career MLB win; that saw him throw just over six scoreless frames. Where might Irvin fit in long term?

(13:10) The lineup gave Irvin a 5-0 lead before he even took the rubber. CJ Abrams continued his hot stretch (10 for 18 on the road trip) with a 2 run single to gave Washington a big lead. They could have had a bigger inning, but hear about the unusual base running gaffe cand how three players all share the blame for the unnecessary out.

(25:00) Jake Alu was called up from AAA Rochester as Victor Robles was placed on the 10-day IL due to back spasms. Alu's path is an odd one as he was drafted in the 24th round. Alu figures to be a utility man with the Nationals.

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