Nats Chat

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire
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A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of natsjournal.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

  1. 14 hr ago

    Swept After Another Blown Late Lead

    The Nats limped their way into the All-Star Break with a 5-3 loss to the visiting Yankees on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al convene after the New York sweep that put Washington a game below .500 through 97 games. All three losses included the Nationals fumbling away a lead that they took in the 7th inning stretch. (08:00) Any chance the organization "rents" a reliever at the Trade Deadline? (12:00) Analyzing if Dylan Crews could have made the catch when Ben Rice tripled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 8th off of Andrew Alvarez. (17:30) Cade Cavalli returned from suspension and only allowed two runs in six innings of work Cavalli struck out five Yankees and he will enter the All-Star Break with a 3.83 ERA. (21:20) James Wood led off the game yet again with a homer for the 10th time this season.  Wood is now up to 28 homers and last year he did not reach that stage until September 23rd.  Wood is ahead of Juan Soto for the highest OPS in the NL (.985). (27:00) Abimelec Ortiz was called from AAA on Sunday and doubled while hitting in the 3rd spot. Ortiz was sent back down to Rochester after the game because the pitching staff was one man down on Sunday due to the impending pause in the schedule.  Ortiz was one of the players acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade with Texas. (29:15) James Wood will not participate in Monday's Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.  The Nationals resume play on Friday in Sacramento against the Athletics. Link to this episode sponsor: https://ccanactionfund.org/2026-ev-raffle/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    35 min

  2. 1 day ago

    Yankees Strike Back in the 8th

    The Nats coughed up another lead on Saturday due to the continued ineptitude of the bullpen. Mark & Al dig into the 4-2 loss to the visiting Yankees that served as the team's 27th blown save this season.  Washington led 2-0 entering the top of the 8th, but three Yankee homers later they trailed by two runs entering the bottom of the frame. (07:00) The Nationals are now back at .500 after dropping these two games vs. New York.  What would the record be with a halfway decent bullpen? (10:30) Blake Butera went with righty relievers this time against the lefty Yankee lineup and it not work out at all.  Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter combined to allow four decisive runs in the 8th. (22:00) PJ Poulin served as the Opener and pitched into the top of the 2nd.  Miles Mikolas then took over and tossed four shutout innings.  Mikolas' appeal has been heard and he will begin his five game suspension on Sunday afternoon. (25:00) The offense slugged a pair of homers off of CY Young candidate Cam Schlittler.  James Wood homered on the first pitch he saw and Curtis Mead also went deep early in the affair.  Wood is now up to 27 homers on the year and nine of them have come in the lead-off spot. (29:00) Sunday is the final game before the All-Star Break and it also will decide which side of .500 the Nats find themselves. Cade Cavalli is expected to take the mound fresh off of serving a five game suspension. (31:00) Foster Griffin was a late addition to the NL Roster on Saturday evening.  Griffin's recognition is well deserved as his ERA is sub 3.00. (33:30) Learn about Chris Hacopian, who the Nats selected at #11 overall from Texas A&M.  Hacopian grew up locally as a diehard Nationals fan before playing at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD. (36:00) Checking in on last year's #1 pick Eli Willits.  He is currently in High-A Wilmington and is the 3rd ranked Prospect in the MLB Pipeline.  Willits is still only 18 year old and his stated goal is to be in the Big Leagues by the age of 20.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    44 min

  3. 2 days ago

    Blown Save for Krook in the 9th

    The Nats suffered a familiar gut punch on Friday night as the Yankes rallied with three runs in the top of the 9th.  Mark & Al examine the 5-3 defeat that was highlighted by a questionable pitching decision by first year Manager Blake Butera. (05:00) Diving into the choice to replace Clayton Better with LHP Matt Krook in the 9th inning. It was only the 15th career appearance for Krook and his career ERA is a astronomical 16.62 with saves. (08:00) Beeter retired the only batter he faced in the 8th after inheriting a jam. His ERA this season is just 2.96 and he has notched seven saves thus far. (12:00) It is a new process in charting pitching matchups and scenarios for the organization. (15:30) Why Krook instead of fellow southpaw PJ Poulin? (22:00) Carson Palmquist was the Opener but stayed on the mound for three innings of work.  Littell then took the baton and struck out five Yankee hitters as he lasted for four innings. (24:30) Keibert Ruiz and James Wood went back-to-back in the bottom of the 7th to take a 3-2 lead.  Wood now has 26 homers on the season and his OPS currently sits at .962. (26:00) Brad Lord has been placed on the 15-Day IL due to left side tightness. Link to this episode sponsor: https://ccanactionfund.org/2026-ev-raffle/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    30 min

  4. 4 days ago

    Griffin Has No Problem with Houston

    The Nats took care of the Astros 8-2 in Wednesday night's rubber match. Mark & Al open with Foster Griffin's excellent outing where he only allowed one run while striking out nine Houston hitters in seven innings of work.  Griffin's All-Star snub is growing more stark as he will head into the break with 10 wins and a sub 3.00 ERA (2.77). (07:30) The case for signing Griffin to an extension in the middle of the season before he reaches Free Agency. (11:15) Luis Garcia Jr. & CJ Abrams each launched their 20th homer of the season in the win.  Garcia Jr. only had four homers at the end of May, then slugged 11 in June, and already has hit four home runs this month. (16:00) The offense stunningly has three players with 20+ homers and 60+ RBIs (Abrams, Garcia Jr., & Wood). (21:20) Daylen Lile had a RBI double and he has over 20 doubles this season with an OPS at .713.  How to evaluate his season thus far? (24:00) The Nationals host the Yankees this weekend in a three game series. New York is eight games over .500, but is in 2nd place behind Tampa Bay. (28:10) Jake Irvin is on track to make a few rehab starts as he works his back from the IL.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    30 min

  5. 5 days ago

    Wood Hits 25th Homer in Defeat

    The Nats fell 6-3 on Tuesday night to the visiting Astros.  Al & Mark gather after Washington's 9th inning rally came up short with the bases loaded and Dylan Crews facing Josh Hader. Crews stuck out in a pinch-hit appearance as he stepped in for Keibert Ruiz. (07:00) Nasim Nuñez was caught sealing for just the 4th time on the season, but it came in an inopportune spot to conclude the bottom of the 8th. (14:00) James Wood led off with a homer for the 8th time this season.  Wood has the 2nd OPS in the NL and is now up to 25 home runs on the season. The franchise single-season record was set by Alfonso Soriano in 2006 with 46 homers. (18:30) Andrew Alvarez only gave up four hits, but issued five walks in his outing.  Alvarez pitched into the 6th inning and ultimately allowed five runs while taking the loss. (25:15) Blake Butera apologized pregame for sending Cole Henry out for a 2nd inning of work on Monday night.  Henry has since been optioned to AAA-Rochester. (33:00) A few more pitchers were added to the All-Star Game, but Foster Griffin is not one of them.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    40 min

  6. 6 days ago

    Nats Outslug Houston 12-11

    The Nats rallied for a hectic 12-11 victory over visiting Houston on Monday evening.  Mark & Al dive into the comeback effort where Washington trailed by five runs in the bottom of the 3rd; yet were ahead by the bottom of the 5th after scoring eleven unanswered runs. (05:30) The Nats hit three homers in the victory.  CJ Abrams' 3-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd tied the game and was part of a five run frame.  Abrams has 19 homers so far on the season. (07:30) Curtis Mead's solo shot put Washington on top in the bottom of the 5th. (10:00) James Wood changed the entire game with his Grand Slam to put his squad ahead 12-6.  Wood is up to 24 homers on the season and his .939 OPS is the 3rd highest in the NL. (14:00) Miles Mikolas' appeal has not yet been ruled on and he took the mound on Monday night.  Mikolas earned the win despite allowing seven runs in his outing.  Mikolas likely will begin his suspension sometime later this week. (19:30) Cade Cavalli's appeal was ruled on and his suspension was trimmed from seven to five games.  Cavalli began his suspension with Monday's game. (24:45) Cole Henry returned to the team and tossed a perfect top of the 7th. He returned for the 8th and the Astros responded with four runs in the inning.  Henry was then replaced by Clayton Beeter.   (34:00) Andrew Alvarez will pitch on Tuesday night vs. Houston as the Nats look to move to three games above .500.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    34 min

  7. 6 Jul

    Hassell DFA'd Prior to Pittsburgh Loss

    The Nats were beaten 11-5 by the Pirates on Sunday afternoon in the series rubber match.  Al & Mark begin with Cade Cavalli's very brief outing on a very hot day in D.C. Cavalli was dealing with dehydration and dizziness while getting removed in the top of the 3rd.  Pittsburgh scored four runs off of Cavalli via six hits. (10:15) Eddie Yean pitched well in his MLB debut after taking over for Cavalli.  Yean stuck out three Pirates during the stretch of the game where the Nationals battled back to take the lead in the middle innings.  Yan was optioned back to Rochester following the contest in favor of LHP Matt Krook. (14:00) Brad Lord took the mound in the top of the 8th with a 5-4 lead, but allowed five Pirates runs in that frame. A few weeks ago Lord gave up six Phillies runs in a painful top of the 9th. (17:00) Luis Garcia Jr. continued his red-hot summer with his19th homer of the season.  Could Garcia find his way to Philly for the All-Star Game? Garcia has already surpassed his previous career high for homers hit a few years ago. (23:00) Robert Hassell III was designated for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Yean.  Hassell's OPS was just .593 this season in Rochester and it is clear that the franchise's outfield is filled with depth. (30:00) Checking in on Brady House's situation as his OPS is currently .779 in Rochester.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    33 min

  8. 4 Jul

    Routed but Wood & Abrams are All-Stars

    The Nats were trounced by the Pirates 7-1 on July 4th in Washington D.C. Al & Mark dig into the defeat where the local holiday tradition continued of beginning the game at 11:05AM. (04:30) Cade Cavalli & Miles Mikolas will flip their spots in the rotation as they await for their suspension appeals to be heard.  Cavalli originally was gong to the take the mound on Monday night, but now will pitch in Sunday's rubber match vs. Pittsburgh. (10:00) James Wood hit another lead-off homer; his 23rd of the season. Wood reached the third deck and will get a future red seat in honor of the feat.  Wood's OPS is at .931 and that is the 3rd highest in all of the National League. (15:00) Why did Andres Chaparro pinch-hit for Luis Garcia Jr. w/ runners on the corner in the bottom of the 7th?  The Nats trailed 5-1 at the time and Chaparro ultimately struck out swinging. (20:10) Carson Palmquist flopped as the team's Opener on Saturday. Palmquist was charged with four runs as Zack Littell inherited a major mess in the top of the 2nd. (27:00) Riley Cornelio gave up a pair of runs in two innings of work.  Cornelio has really struggled when pitching for Washington as his WHIP is up to 2.21 after five appearances. (30:00) It was revealed on Saturday night that both James Wood & CJ Abrams will head to Philadelphia for this month's All-Star Game. Each of them have previously reached the Midsummer classic and Wood was noncommittal when asked about returning to the Home Run Derby. (35:30) Will Foster Griffin be a late addition to the NL roster as other pitchers drop out? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    39 min
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About

A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of natsjournal.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    963
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Nats Chat
  • Show Website
    Nats Chat

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