Nats Chat

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire
  • 4.9 (579)
  • Baseball
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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. 12h ago

    Nats Drop the Rubber Match

    The Nats fell 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon to lose the series with the visiting Blue Jays.  Mark & Al convene after the Nationals missed an opportunity to gain ground in the standings while facing a below .500 team.  They conclude their homestand at 3-3 and are headed to a pivotal eight game road trip in Atlanta & Philadelphia. (06:00) Do the win and losses this week affect Paul Toboni's approach at the Trade Deadline? (08:00) Washington only scored one run in the bottom of the 8th and it was a major missed opportunity.  James Wood led-off with a double, Luis Garcia Jr. immediately singled him home, but that was it for the rally. (10:30) Why did Jacob Young lay down a bunt in the top of the 7th? (17:00) Five relievers took the mound on Wednesday after Zack Littell lasted 4.2 IP.  Paxton Schultz allowed three runs in the top of the 8th and was sent down to AAA following the defeat. Jake Irvin is expected to take his roster spot and pitch on Thursday in Atlanta after returning from the IL (shoulder). (21:00) Trevor Williams pitched the final four outs and it was first time he appeared in the majors in over a year.  Williams is expected to be a reliever on the staff this season instead of acting as a starter. (26:00) What are the chances Littell is traded ahead of the deadline?  This would be similar to when Jon Lester was flipped for Lane Thomas in the summer of 2021. Littell's ERA is currently below the 5.00 threshold (4.94). 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.

  2. 12h ago ·  Bonus

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  3. 1d ago

    Nats Triumphantly Draw 6 Walks in the 1st

    The Nats beat visiting Toronto 8-6 on Tuesday night to even the series.  Al & Tim dig into Washington tying a franchise mark with six walks drawn in the bottom of the 1st.  It was a nightmare outing for Shane Bieber; who issued three RBI walks along the way. (08:10) Luis Garcia Jr. slugged his 22nd homer of the season off of a lefty. Garcia Jr. is a Free Agent after the 2027 season and therefore he is very much a candidate to be dealt away before this Trade Deadline. (14:30) Dylan Crews followed up Garcia's blast with his own in order to go Back-to-Back in the 4th. Crews has been playing better lately and his OPS is currently at .706. (17:00) Cade Cavalli lasted six innings and earned the win despite not having his "Best stuff" according to Blake Butera.  Cavalli is in the midst of a hot stretch and his ERA is down to 3.55 for the season.  Is Cavalli the team's Ace or is it Foster Griffin? (25:00) Trevor Williams is taking Gus Varland's roster spot and is expected to join the bullpen.  Williams hasn't pitched in the majors in over a year as he has been recovering from internal brace surgery. (29:00) Arizona outlasted Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to move one game ahead of both the Nats & Pirates. Zack Littell will take the mound on Wednesday as Washington is two games above .500.  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.

  4. 2d ago

    Scherzer Starts the Blue Jays Win

    The Nats lost 3-2 to Toronto on Monday night to begin the three game series in Navy Yard.  Al & Mark focus on the familiar Blue Jays starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, who was returning from the IL (back).  Scherzer tossed 75 pitches and was pulled in the 3rd inning amid a standing ovation. (12:00) Will Scherzer go into the Hall of Fame with a Nats hat on his plaque? (17:00) The offense struggled against Toronto's stout bullpen. Andres Chaparro's 5th inning solo homer was the only run that the Nats mustered against that unit. (23:30) Eddie Yean served as the Opener and pitched into the top of the 3rd. Yean only needed 11 pitches to get through the first two innings, but then allowed two Blue Jay runs. (25:30) Alvarez took the ball from Yean and then was sent down to AAA following the loss.  Will Jake Irvin take his spot in the rotation? (34:00) The Pirates and Diamondbacks are playing each other this week in Pittsburgh.  The Pirates won 3-2 in extras on Monday night to even Arizona for the final wild card spot.  Washington is just a game back in the standings of these two teams. 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.

  5. 3d ago

    House Replaces Mead & the All-Stars Victoriously Combine for 4 Homers

    The Nats grabbed a rare home series victory after Sunday's 10-7 win over Arizona. Al & Mark have an avalanche of team news to sort through in this edition as Curtis Mead was traded to Boston late on Saturday evening. (06:45) Washington acquired lefty starter Connelly Early from the Red Sox in exchange for Mead.  Early is currently on the 15-Day IL for elbow inflammation, but Paul Toboni laid out an encouraging timeline for his return this season. Early is a rookie with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts in 2026. (15:30) How does this affect Foster Griffin as the Trade Deadline approaches on Monday August 3rd? (19:40) Projecting the potential starting rotation of the future for the organization after trading for Early. (23:00) CJ Abrams continues his red-hot stretch with a pair of homers in Sunday's win.  Abrams now has 27 homers and leads all of MLB with 82 RBIs. (25:30) James Wood also went deep twice and is up to the 30 homer plateau.  Wood surpassed Juan Soto on Sunday for the highest OPS in all of the NL at .953. (29:00) Brady House was called up from AAA on Sunday morning following Mead being traded away.  House immediately was impactful as he doubled twice and drove in an insurance run while starting at 3B. House had an OPS of .842 while spending two months with Rochester. (32:00) Miles Mikolas only lasted four frames while serving as the true starting pitcher on Sunday. Mikolas allowed three runs and his ERA now sits at 5.65. (34:00) Five relievers were needed in order to preserve the victory.. Matt Krook began the inning with a five-run lead in the top of the 9th, but needed Clayton Beeter to take over for his 10th Save of the season. (38:00) Max Scherzer is returning from the IL on Monday and will take the mound at Nationals Park for the visiting Blue Jays on his 42nd birthday. Scherzer has had a rough season as he has a 10.23 ERA in six starts. (43:00) The Nats trail Arizona by just one game for the final wildcard spot.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. 4d ago

    Abrams Homers in Griffin's Win

    **Late Saturday night the Nats traded Curtis Mead to Boston in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Connelly Early.  Tim gives a very brief update in the lead-off spot. The Nats moved back above .500 with a 5-3 win over Arizona on Saturday afternoon.  Mark & Al hold a lengthy discussion about the unusual situation the franchise finds itself in with Foster Griffin, who earned his 12th victory of the season. Griffin is a Free Agent at the end of the year and it is still possible that he is dealt before the August 3rd Trade Deadline. Is it possible that the team and Griffin could reach an extension in the middle of the season? (12:00) Griffin pitched into the 7th and allowed three runs along the way.  His ERA now sits at 2.76, the 9th lowest among qualifying NL starting pitchers. (19:00) CJ Abrams drove in three runs as he now leads all of MLB with 79 RBIs. Abrams tied the game in the 3rd with a 2-run double and then later slugged his 25th homer of the season. Abrams' OPS is now up to .924 and the only NL hitters ahead of him are Juan Soto, James Wood, and Pete Crow- Armstrong. (25:00) Daylen Lile's 2-run triple put Washington ahead for good in the bottom of the 3rd.  Dylan Crews hit a few spots ahead of Lile in the lineup and drew three walks in the win.  This follows an encouraging trend as Crews drew five walks on the six game road trip. (28:00) Miles Mikolas will take the mound at some point in Sunday's rubber match. The Nationals currently trail Arizona by two games for the final wild card spot.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. 5d ago

    Home Woes Continue

    The Nats continued to struggle at home in Friday night's 3-2 loss to Arizona.  Mark & Al convene after Washington returned to .500 through 104 games played thus far. (08:00) The only Nationals runs came off of Dylan Crews' 2-run HR in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game.  Crews went deep off of Arizona lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and it reflects his wide disparity in hitting righties vs. lefties this year. (14:40) Carson Palmquist allowed two early Arizona runs before Zack Littell took over in the top of the 2nd.  Palmquist has not pitched particularly well as an Opener and he is likely being used in the role due to being a lefty. (23:00) Orlando Ribalta struck out three Diamondbacks in just over an inning of work.  Ribalta's quietly impressive season continues as his ERA is now down to 3.64. (26:30) The Nats introduced Chris Hacopian, who they drafted number 11 overall a few weeks ago, prior to the game.  Hacopian grew up in Montgomery County (Maryland) and attended Winston Churchill High School before embarking on a college career at Maryland & Texas A&M.  (32:30) Breaking down the financial approach to signing draft picks.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Jul 23

    Cavalli & the Nats Shutout the Rockies

    The Nats blanked Colorado 8-0 on Wednesday afternoon for a rare shutout in Coors Field.  Mark (From Denver) & Al convene following another road series win by Washington to finish their West Coast road trip at 4-2. (04:00) Cade Cavalli tossed six shutout frames to drop his ERA to 3.58 for the season. Cavalli struck out eight Rockies and he has the 7th most Ks in the National League (127). (12:10) Eddie Yean & Max Kranik combined to pitch the final three innings in the victory.  This was Yean's first appearance since getting called back up from Rochester. (17:30) The Nationals broke the game wide open with six runs in the top of the 7th.  It was nightmare inning for the Rockies defense as they committed three errors in the frame. (19:00) CJ Abrams gathered four hits to conclude his red hot road trip. Abrams is one of only six NL hitters with an OPS above .900. (22:30) Luis Garcia Jr. homered for the 21st time to put the team up 5-0.  Al points out the unusual contractual quandary that Garcia Jr. is in as he is due to be a Free Agent following the 2027 season. (28:00) Washington welcomes in Arizona on Friday evening to begin their six game home stand. The Diamondbacks are a game and a half ahead of the Nats for the final wild card slot.  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
    976
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Nats Chat
  • Show Website
    Nats Chat