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. 8 hr ago

    Cavalli Gets an Extension and a Win on Friday

    Friday was a great day for the Nationals as it began with Cade Cavalli signing an extension and it ended with a 9-1 win in St. Louis.  Al & Mark  dive right into the deal with Cavalli that is worth $47M over 4 years; with a team option for 2031. (08:00) What does this move say about ownership? (14:00) What motivated Cavalli to sign this extension now? Cavalli is not a Scott Boras client. (25:00) Just a few hours after the extension was announced, Cavalli took the mound in St. Louis. Cavalli struck out six Redbirds in five innings of work and reached 200 strikeouts in the process.  He is the first Washington pitcher to record 200 strikeouts in a season since 2019. (32:00) Josiah Gray tossed a scoreless bottom of the 9th in his first major league appearance since April 4th, 2024. Gray was called up on the off-day after pitching this past week in AAA.   (36:00) Will Gray be a starter or reliever next season? Or could he be non-tendered? (41:00) CJ Abrams stole his 30th base of the season and Dylan Crews clubbed a 2-run HR to put the Nationals up 5-0 in the top of the 3rd. (47:00) Tim recently caught up with reliever Richard Lovelady, who describes what an off-season at Driveline looks like in Arizona. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. 2 days ago

    13 Walks Issued in a Shutout Loss

    The Nats four-game win streak was halted by the visiting Phillies on Wednesday night. Al & Mark recap the 3-0 loss; which was low lighted by the bullpen issuing a staggering 13 walks in the defeat. (04:00) Jared Simpson opened the game, but only recorded one out while walking four Phillies. Simpson has combined to issue seven walks in his past two outings. (12:00) Luis Perales had a wild boxscore as he tossed two scoreless innings, but in rather adventurous fashion.  Perales issued five walks, but did strike out a pair of Phillies. (16:00) Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout innings and Al notes how impressive he has been coming off of thoracic outlet surgery.  Wheeler's ERA is down to 2.29 and he has recorded 177 strikeouts this season. (22:00) Andrew Pinckney was sent back to AAA after the game and presumably will be replaced on the roster by a pitcher. (24:00) Will Connelly Early, DJ Herz, and/or Josiah Gray get called up to Washington before the year ends? (27:00) An extended discussion about the franchise having seven consecutive losing seasons this decade. (38:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives an update from AAA.  The report begins with Connelly Early's rehab start on Tuesday night in Buffalo.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. 3 days ago

    Lile's 3-Run Blast Extends the Winning Streak

    The Nats win streak extended to four-games with another comeback victory on Tuesday night. Mark & Al dig into the 6-3 victory over the visiting Phillies, who are now five and a half games behind Atlanta in the NL East standings. (03:00) A quick message from Tim about supporting the podcast. (06:00) Daylen Lile did not get the start, but changed the game with his pinch-hit opportunity in the bottom of the 7th.  Blake Butera loaded up a right-handed heavy lineup against Philadelphia ace Jonathan Sanchez, but then switched it up as the game continued. (12:00) Why did Butera go with Lile over Wood in the 7th? Wood then hit Chaparro immediately after Lile's homer in the 7th.  Chaparro tied the game in the 5th with a solo homer. (22:00) Jackson Kent allowed three runs in five innings of work, but he also issued three walks. (27:00) Yovanny Cruz retired all five batters that he faced in his 2nd appearance since getting called back up last week. Erik Tolman took the mound in the top of the 9th and notched his 3rd save of the season. (30:00) Cade Cavalli's next start was pushed to Friday in St. Louis and it will be a bullpen game on Wednesday vs. the Phillies.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. 5 days ago

    8th Inning Rally Sweeps the Angels

    The Nationals rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the bottom 8th to prevail with a 6-5 win over the Angels on Sunday afternoon.  Mark & Al discuss Washington sweeping the worst team in the AL during the weekend series in Navy Yard. (06:00) Daylen Lile began the four-run 8th with a RBI triple and it ended with a Dylan Crews RBI single for a 6-4 lead. (11:30) James Wood did not run hard when thrown out at home in the 1st.  Ryan Zimmerman called him out on the broadcast and Wood apologized after the game. (19:00) Riley Cornelio opened for Jake Irvin and they combined for seven innings of work. Cornelio struck out four in just two frames on the mound. (24;20) CJ Abrams committed an error at shortstop and it is his 20th of the season. He trails Trea Turner by one error for the most in baseball. (28:00) Washington is a percentage point ahead of the Mets for last place in the NL East.  New York hosts the Orioles on Monday while the Nats have the day off.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. 6 days ago

    Nats Battle Back to Walk it off in the 10th

    The Nats blew a late 4-run lead but ultimately emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon over the Angels.  Al & Tim examine the 6-5 walk-off victory after Harry Ford's comebacker was not fielded cleanly in the 10th and that brought across CJ Abrams for the winning run. (07:00) Andrew Alvarez struck out eight Angels in seven innings of work; while allowing only one hit.  Alvarez seems to be on the path towards locking up a rotation spot for next season. Alvarez is an organizational success story as he was a 12th round pick in the 2021 Draft. (11:30) Brad Lord gave up three runs in his 8th inning appearance and changed the dynamic of Washington's lead as it dwindled to 4-3.  Lord's struggles recently has reached the point that his ERA is back above .400. (12:30) Will Dion could not close it out and in turn gave up a pair of Los Angeles runs; which put his team behind 6-5 in the top of the 9th.   (20:00) Abimelec Ortiz's 2-run double gave Washington a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd. Andres Chaparro then pinch hit for Ortiz and tied the game with RBI single in the bottom of the 9th.  Is the organization all set for 1B in 2027? (25:00) James Wood is up to 21 steals and CJ Abrams is now one stolen base away from a 30-30 season. (30:00) Keibert Ruiz had a trio of hits and his OPS is up to.... .789! (35:00) Frankie Vernouski, the voice of the Harrisburg Senators, gives an update on Eli Willits and the rest of the AA club. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. 12 Sept

    Cavalli Whiffs 9 Angels in Comeback Win

    The Nats snapped their seven game losing streak on Friday night as they rallied past the Angels 4-3 in Navy Yard. Before Al & Mark dig into the dramatic bottom of the 8th, they address a significant shake up in the team's medical personnel. (04:00) Mark reported prior to the game that the team parted ways with Harvey Sharman, the franchise's executive director of medical services.  Sharman has been with the organization since 2016 and he came over from Leeds United Football Club in Europe. (12:00) Cade Cavalli struck out nine in six innings of work.  Cavalli is up to 194 Ks on the season as he likely has two starts remaining. (21:00) Erik Tolman notched an adventurous save as he almost gave up a game-tying homer in the 9th to Christian Moore.  It ended up being a double and Tolman settled down to keep the lead intact. (26:00) Clayton Beeter tossed a scoreless bottom of the 8th, but was sent to AAA following the victory.   (29:00) The Nats trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the 8th, but the offense came through in the frame.  Andrew Pinckney's sacrifice fly tied the game and then Jorbit Vivas stepped in the batter's box.  Vivas doubled down the line to give Washington a 4-2 lead. (32:00) Update on Harry Ford, who exited the game early due to hurting his left wrist. (35:00) Will Seaver King get called up before the end of the season? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. 10 Sept

    A Winless Trip to California

    The Nats were swept by the Padres on Wednesday for their 7th straight loss.  Mark (From San Diego) & Al jump right into the reality that is an 0-6 road trip in Southern California after falling 9-2 in the Petco Park matinee. Adding extra insult to injury, Maryland native Jackson Merrill drove in six runs in the midst of his two homer effort. (05:30) Blake Butera was ejected in the bottom of the 3rd when the Padres took a 3-2 lead. (11:00) Jackson Kent only lasted four innings as he allowed five runs off of eight hits.  Kent has made six starts since August, but only one of them has been impressive. (19:00) The bullpen didn't blow a save, but all three relievers gave up at least one run.  Brad Lord ceded a pair of runs and his ERA currently sits at 3.76. (23:30) Craig Stammen made a bullpen move that worked out in the 3rd, but did he make a rookie mistake along the way? (26:00) Keibert Ruiz hit a solo homer and Dylan Crews continued his solid September with a RBI single to put Washington up 2-0. (29:00) An extended discussion about CJ Abrams as he has struggled at the plate in the past month. Abrams' OPS was .898 prior to the announcement of the position switch and it now down to .827. He really struggled in August as his OPS for that month was at .519.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. 9 Sept

    Record-Setting 38th Blown Save

    The Nats bullpen set a dubious MLB record in Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Padres.  Mark (From San Diego) & Al examine the bullpen implosion that occurred in the bottom of the 8th as Washington fumbled away their 3-run lead.  This was the 3rd blown save of the five game winless road trip in Southern California and their 38th of the season.  That sets a record for blown saves; surpassing the 37 blown saves committed by the 2024 White Sox (stat began in 1988**). (08:00) Riley Cornelio threw three scoreless frames as he started the bullpen game.  This was Cornelio's first career start at the major league level. (12:30) The game came apart for the Nats in the bottom of the 8th with a pair of recently called up rookies on the mound.  Jared Simpson walked the bases loaded and Erik Tolman could not escape the jam. (19:00) Is this worst Nationals bullpen of all time? (28:00) YoYo Morales and Andres Chaparro each homered in defeat. Chaparro's OPS is at .881 after getting called up for good in mid May. (31:00) Eli WIllits is getting promoted to AA-Harrisburg after spending three months in Wilmington.  Willits went 0 for 4 with two walks in his debut with the Senators on Tuesday while hitting 2nd and playing SS. (36:00) Mark gives an update on catcher Drew Millas who needs another surgery on his finger. Also hear some quick updates on Connelly Early and Josiah Gray's rehab efforts.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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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
    1k
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Nats Chat
  • Show Website
    Nats Chat

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