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Game 23: Gore Dazzles in New York Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

The Nats continued their hot road trip as they beat the Mets 4-1 for their fourth victory in the past five games. Al begins with high praise for MacKenzie Gore who struck out a career high matching 10 hitters; and his quest to become a true ace.

(10:45) The bullpen kept their slate clean in this New York series and the bulk of the workload fell to Hunter Harvey, who put on a dominant performance. Did you know his father Bryan was also a Major League reliever?

(16:00) The Nationals collected eights hits and drew seven walks to create plenty of traffic on the bases. Jeimer Candelario homered and CJ Abrams came up with a crucial RBI single early in the game. Best of all? Dominic Smith earned his first extra base hit since joining the organization.

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Game 22: Gray Strikes Out Nine in Shutout Win Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals shutout the Mets 5-0 in New York as Josiah Gray earned his first victory of the season. Al examines Gray's excellent outing where he struck nine batters and saw his ERA dip below 3.00. Mason Thompson picked up the slack for the late innings as he tossed three blank frames to finish out the win.

(08:30) Keibert Ruiz homered for the second time this season to put the Nats on the board. It shockingly was the first bit of run support for Gray since Opening Day. Joey Meneses continued his hot road trip as he had a pair of RBI singles and three hits overall.

(14:00) Washington had two victories on Tuesday in New York; the first one coming in the morning from the New York Court of Appeals. Al runs through all the updated complicated details on where the never ending MASN dispute currently stands. Will this case make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court?

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Game 21: "Sweep Dreams" Dusted Away Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

**This episode is sponsored by shirtgoodhq.com - Custom DC novelty shirts**

The Nationals were not able to complete the sweep as they lost 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in Minnesota. Al & Mark (Live from Target Field) get very into weeds right away as they examine the bunt attempt in the top of the 5th by Victor Robles. Later in the game; Robles then made an incredible throw in the bottom of the 8th to complete a fantastic double play. It is always a roller coaster ride with Victor.

(21:00) Patrick Corbin threw a quality start, but was still dealt a "L". Corbin struck out six in his afternoon and has pitched decently in back to back outings.

(26:40) The Nats are off on Monday, but then will only have a pair of idle days in the entire month of May. The workload for the bullpen will be quite high in this stretch.

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Game 20: Abrams Goes Deep in Chilly Win Apr 23, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals won their second straight in frigid Minnesota as they handled the Twins 10-4 on Saturday afternoon. Mark (From Target Field) & Al start with CJ Abrams who hit his first HR with the organization and also made a beautiful 9th inning catch.

(08:15) Joey Meneses had himself a four hit game on Saturday; continuing his momentum from the series opener. His OPS so far is still a cause for concern as it sits at .664.

(16:45) Chad Kuhl was gifted a lot of help from his offense, but still did not last four innings as the starting pitcher. His pitching line was marred by four walks and a near 1:1 balls to strikes ratio. Patrick Corbin will take the mound for the sweep attempt on Sunday afternoon.

(20:30) The bullpen pitched well in over five innings of work; which was started by Mason Thompson. Mark lays out where he believes the young right hander fits into the bullpen hierarchy.

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Game 19: "Joey Four Bags" Sparks The Victorious Rally Apr 22, 2023

Show notes

The Nationals staged a late inning comeback in Minnesota to win 3-2 on Friday evening. Mark (Live from a very cold Target Field) & Al give props to Joey Meneses for hitting his first HR of the season in the 7th, which ended a startling drought for the franchise of 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run.

(14:00) Keibert Ruiz was slotted 2nd in the batting order and delivered with the game winning RBI in the top of the 8th. This being part of a new look order that saw Dominic Smith dropped to hitting 6th and Stone Garrett getting another start at the expense of Alex Call.

(18:00) Trevor Williams pitched well and the only runs he allowed involved some poor defensive communication. Williams has thrown three consecutive quality outings. Why do Victor Robles and Lane Thomas seem to often have miscommunication while playing together in the OF?

(27:00) The bullpen came with three scoreless frames, but the last one did not come easily for Kyle Finnegan. He notched the save despite putting two men with no outs. Is there a chance that Hunter Harvey replaces Finnegan as the team's closer?

(34:30) We close with an update on the AAA- Rochester Red Wings. Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Red Wings, lets us know about Darren Baker, Jake Alu, Matt Adams, and Joan Adon.

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Game 18: Shutout Again by Baltimore Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

The Nats were shutout yet again from the Orioles in a 4-0 loss that resulted in them being swept at home in the short series. Al & Mark focus on how the offense was helpless against a Baltimore pitching staff that typically does not dominate its opponents. It is already the fourth game this season in which Washington was unable to score.

(05:00) CJ Abrams was 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and had a 9th inning throwing error. Abrams has struggled at the plate this year and is barely hitting above the "Mendoza Line".

(14:00) MacKenzie Gore gave up three runs in six innings in his fourth start as a National. Gore struggled in the middle of his outing as he issued four walks between the 3rd and 4th innings. He finished on a high note as he retired eight in a row to conclude his day.

(25:00) The Washington Post reported that Ted Leonsis offered at least $2 Billion to purchase the organization but the Lerners did not accept.

(35:00) Tim Shovers attended the Fred Nats game on Wednesday and spoke with the Voice of the Team Eric Bach, who gives updates on Elijah Green, Brady House, Jarlin Susana, and Robert Hassell III.

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Game 17: Offense Lets Down Gray Again + Soto Eyebrow Raising Comments to SI Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

The Nats were shutout 1-0 by the visiting Orioles and Josiah Gray yet again was given absolutely zero run support. Mark & Al run through another poor evening by the offense and pinpoint just how many things went wrong in the bottom of the 3rd when they had many chances to bring home a run.

(14:00) Gray only allowed one run in five innings, but now is 0-4 on the season as the team has only scored one run in his four outings. His ERA is under 4.00 and has pitched well in the past three starts.

(20:00) The lone Baltimore run came on an Austin Hays RBI single, but Stone Garrett's throw home was extremely off the mark. Keibert Ruiz though threw out Hays at 2nd base to avoid the big inning. Ruiz also teamed up with Mason Thompson for a 6th inning strike 'em/ throw 'em out.

(23:30) Juan Soto was featured in a Sports Illustrated article by Stephanie Apstein chronicling his slow start in San Diego and had rather blunt comments regarding his final month in Washington. Al & Mark respond and we go back down the rabbit hole of last summer prior to the Blockbuster trade.

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Game 16: Garrett Leaves His Mark in Comeback Win Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

The Nats held an exciting 8th inning rally to defeat Cleveland 7-6 on Sunday afternoon in D.C. Mark & Al run through all the major moments from the Washington victory; which at one saw them trailing by three runs in the 7th. Stone Garrett, who many fans had been clamoring for on the lineup card, scored the tying run in dramatic fashion; which did not become official until after a lengthy replay review.

(08:00) The Nationals hit a pair of HRs in the series finale and they came from Jeimer Candelario and Luis Garcia. Alex Call had the day off to make room for Garrett, but made a fantastic 9th inning catch against his former team.

(15:00) Garrett had two hits as the starting LF while hitting seventh in the order. Will we see more of him this week vs. the Orioles? Patrick Corbin lasted six frames and threw his best outing of the season, but was hampered by poor defense around him. Corbin's ERA currently sits at 6.30.

(26:45) Baltimore comes to Navy Yard on Tuesday and Wednesday evening and they will face Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore. Al gives a preview of what to expect against the O's. Lastly.... we had so much to get to this episode, we wrap up with props for Joey Meneses, who delivered with the go ahead single in the 8th. When will his 1st HR of the season occur?

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Game 15: Bats Go Quiet Again in Late Innings Apr 16, 2023

Show notes

The Nats lost their fourth in a row on Saturday; a 6-4 defeat at the hands of visiting Cleveland, that began late after a nearly two hour rain delay on Jackie Robinson Day. Mark & Al discuss how the lineup gave Chad Kuhl an early 3-0 1st inning lead, but that did not last. Hear the gruesome stats of how much the offense has struggled this season as the game reaches the later frames.

(08:00) Many fans have been upset that Stone Garrett has disappeared from recent lineup cards. Mark asked Davey Martinez about Stone prior to Saturday's game and here's a hint: It has to do pitching match-ups.

(22:00) Kuhl did not make through five innings and had a difficult outing. His ERA is at 8.59 and has not pitched well in any of his three starts so far. Might he be this season's version of Aaron Sanchez?

(30:00) Mark gives his opinion of the Commanders ownership news and how it relates to those who follow the Washington Nationals.

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Game 14: Bell Leads Cleveland Rally + Nats Perspective on Commanders Sale Apr 15, 2023

Show notes

The Nats couldn't keep their early lead and lost 4-3 to visiting Cleveland on Friday night. Al & Tim Shovers begin with the bullpen who for a third time in less than two weeks could not deliver a victory. Hunter Harvey and Carl Edwards Jr each struggled as an early 3-0 Washington lead became no more. Josh Bell played a big part of it in his return to Navy Yard; as he homered and doubled in the later innings.

(08:00) Trevor Williams was in line for his 2nd victory of the season, but ended up with a no decision. The biggest knock on him so far are his high pitch counts as he threw 95 pitches in 5+ IP. One of the doubles allowed by Williams was aided by Victor Robles misjudgment, which leads to an extended discussion.

(16:00) The offense scored three runs in the 4th, but couldn't do anything after, in fact they only gathered a pair of hits after that frame. Luis Garcia did reach base four times, including a solo HR to get the scoring started. Lane Thomas had two hits, but also made a beautiful to throw out Jose Ramirez, who was trying to stretch a single into a double.

(23:30) Tim says to Al why he thinks the reported news that the Washington Commanders ownership situation is great overall for the Nationals fan base. Send in your thoughts to natschatpodcast@gmail.com

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