Nats Chat Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

The Nats lost 7-2 in Detroit on Thursday afternoon to end their five game winning streak. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al begin with the faltering bullpen as they allowed five runs in the bottom of the 7th. Derek Law and Robert Garcia combined to give up six runs while recording just four outs.
(12:00) Patrick Corbin had a no decision and was only charged with one run in just over five innings of work. This leads to a discussion on the rehab for both Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli. Gray is taking the mound on Friday for AA-Harrisburg and Cavalli is currently on pause.
(17:00) The Nationals tied a franchise record with six sacrifice flies in a three game series. Ildemaro Vargas on Thursday had two of them, which were the only runs that the team scored in defeat.
(24:00) Lane Thomas was ejected in the middle of an at-bat and it seems like Thomas got a raw deal from the home plate umpire.
(30:00) All three Washington starting pitchers this weekend vs. Miami will be lefties.
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The Nats beat the Tigers 7-5 on Wednesday evening for their fifth win in a row, their longest win streak in three years. Washington is currently just one game back in a crowded NL wildcard race. Mark (From Detroit) & Al examine another solid outing by Jake Irvin as he only allowed one run in six innings of work.
(08:00) A hat tip to Keibert Ruiz for being part of the success of the pitching staff so far this season while serving as catcher.
(16:00) CJ Abrams doubled and homered in the victory. His OPS for the month of June is at .882, much higher than what he had in May (.520).
(19:00) Jesse Winker reached base four times and currently has the 11th highest on base percentage in all of baseball for this season.
(26:00) The Nationals tallied their 100th stolen base of the season as a team on Tuesday. Jacob Young currently leads the squad with 17 stolen bases and five players have reached double figures already.
(30:00) Joey Meneses started at 1B after Joey Gallo was moved to the IL. Trey Lipscomb was the player called up from AAA-Rochester to take Gallo's spot. This is Lipscomb's third stint at the majors this year and Al discusses why he hopes that he stays at this level for the rest of the season.
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The Nats won 5-4 in ten innings on Tuesday night in Detroit for their fourth consecutive victory. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al begin with the clutch bullpen effort that combined for over five innings of shutout work. Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan were responsible for the final nine outs.
(06:30) Mitchell Parker might have had his worst start yet as he was removed in the 5th inning. Parker did himself no favors as he committed a simple error that precipitated four unearned Tigers runs. Emblematic of Parker's difficult start was that his first "swing & miss" pitch did not come until the 4th inning.
(15:00) It was a quirky night for the offense as they scored five runs off just five hits, but went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. CJ Abrams tripled and then scored on a foul ball for a sacrifice fly, one of two sacrifice flies that Lane Thomas had on Tuesday night.
(19:00) Joey Gallo left the game early due to hurting his left hamstring. There is a good chance that he lands on the IL and an infielder might be called up from AAA-Rochester to take his roster spot.
(24:00) Joey Meneses has quietly not been in the lineup a lot lately and only started in three games during the homestand. Al points out his lower usage as the team figures out what to do with the Gallo injury at 1B.
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The Nats topped the Braves 8-5 on Sunday afternoon to end the weekend with three consecutive victories. Mark & Al discuss the Nationals second series win over Atlanta in just the past few weeks.
(05:00) Keibert Ruiz had a big day as he hit a 3 run homer and knocked in four runs. Ruiz's home run was part of a seven run inning for Washington in the bottom of the 4th while facing a rookie pitcher (Hurston Waldrep).
(16:00) DJ Herz had a short outing and Mark analyzes what he has seen from the lefty so far. Before the game it was announced that Patrick Corbin's next start was pushed back a few days and won't pitch in Detroit. Is this a sign that he is on way from being out of the rotation?
(23:00) Kyle Finnegan was unexpectedly needed to record the final three outs as Jordan Weems struggled with a six run lead in the final inning. Weems had a bad homestand and his ERA for the year is at 7.13.
(29:00) Sean Doolittle was elevated for the weekend as the pitching coach Jim Hickey was away. Will the positive press that Doolittle is garnering lead to him getting other job offers after the season?
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The Nats defeated the Braves 7-3 on Saturday afternoon in D.C. for their second straight win. Mark & Al have a dozen hits to sort through as the offense scored in five of the initial six frames on Saturday. It was the second time in the past few weeks that the Nationals handed a loss to Atlanta starter Charlie Morton.
(07:00) Nick Senzel had a pair of doubles and hit a late homer to give Washington a comfortable lead. Al points out how Senzel's offensive production has floated below the radar this season.
(17:00) MacKenzie Gore earned the win but it was another inefficient outing in terms of pitches thrown. Gore was charged with two runs in five innings of work and was replaced after his 99th pitch in the top of the 6th. Mark explains whether or not Gore is on a pitch count for this season.
(24:00) Kyle Finnegan was not used and three relievers combined to record the final twelve outs. Dylan Floro threw a scoreless 8th and his ERA is at 1.15.
(29:45) The horse co owned by Jayson Werth won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday (Dornoch) despite being listed at 17-1 before the race.
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The Nats beat the Braves 2-1 on Friday to end their four game losing streak. Al & Tim recap Jake Irvin's six shutout innings that came on 96 pitches. Irvin's ERA is at 3.12 and he has put himself into contention to make next month's All Star game.
(10:00) The bullpen held onto the lead despite a few sloppy mistakes late in the game. Hunter Harvey returned to the mound just one day after giving up a trio of runs against Atlanta. Kyle Finnegan notched his 17th save of the season, which ranks fourth in MLB. Nick Senzel helped turn a pivotal double play to keep the lead intact for Finnegan in the final frame.
(17:00) Both of the Nationals runs came in the bottom of the 4th and it was propelled by the running game. That element was prevalent for Washington early in the season, but has tapered off in the past month, as evidenced by CJ Abrams getting his first stolen base on Friday night since May 4th.
(25:00) A wide angle lens view of the season so far that leads an examination of Keibert Ruiz's contract.
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