Nats Chat Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

The Nats came from behind in the 9th to win 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Colorado to take the series. Mark (From Denver) & Al begin with Kyle Finnegan, who was able to quickly move on from Saturday night's rough ending with his 22nd save of the season, which is the 2nd most in the National League.
(12:00) Jake Irvin had another very good outing as he struck out ten hitters for the second time this season. Irvin has pitched himself into contention to be an All-Star next month.
(20:30) The offense didn't register a hit off of Kyle Freeland until the top of the 6th and didn't plate any runs until the final frame. Lane Thomas and Joey Meneses had the big hits in the 9th inning and the other two hits in the win came from Jacob Young.
(28:45) The Nationals trail the Padres by just a half game in the wildcard standings and have a three game series beginning Monday night at Petco Park.
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The Nats became the first team to ever lose on a pitch clock violation Saturday night in Colorado. Mark (From Denver) & Al convene after Kyle Finnegan made MLB history in an ominous way in Washington's 8-7 loss. This is not too much of a surprise as he leads all pitchers in pitch clock infractions this season and it came after the bullpen had a rough night as three relievers combined to allow four runs in the final three frames.
(14:00) It was another night of poor base running as the Nats made a blunder and were thrown out three times trying to steal. The top of the 7th was particularly egregious as two runners were thrown out; thus costing the Nationals a big inning.
(20:00) Jesse Winker laid down a sacrifice bunt, which of course was not popular with Al. He also was ejected a few innings later for arguing with the home plate umpire and the hosts note that Winker did not make a wise decision.
(26:00) Keibert Ruiz was curiously replaced by Drew Millas after drawing a walk in the 7th. Millas made a nice defensive play later in the game and it seems like the backup catcher is getting increased playing time.
(32:00) Mitchell Parker lasted six innings and gave up four runs for the first time since getting called up. The low point of his outing was a three run homer that he allowed early in the game.
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The Nats crushed the Rockies 11-5 on Friday night in Coors Field to move to just one game below .500. Mark (From Denver) & Al have a lot of offensive contributions to sort through as four members of the lineup collected a trio of hits.
(05:00) Drew Millas was one of them and it included his first homer of the season. CJ Abrams returned to the field after a missing a few games (due to a cyst on his left wrist) and had a pair of doubles in the victory.
(09:30) Lane Thomas was a homer shy of the cycle and his OPS this month is at .912. Jacob Young also had three hits and flashed leather as well in the field.
(19:00) DJ Herz had a brief outing as he was removed in the bottom of the 4th. The positive note from his start is that he struck out five hitters and did not issue a walk.
(24:00) Tanner Rainey recorded the final six outs and has been pitching better lately as he has not allowed a run in five June appearances.
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The Nats lost 5-2 to the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon. Al breaks down another disappointing offensive performance for the team (1:31) before discussing catcher Keibert Ruiz's poor season at the plate and behind the dish (8:42). He also talks about an unlucky start for MacKenzie Gore (11:40) and briefly discusses Jordan Weems' tough recent stretch of relief (15:48).
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The Nats beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon in D.C. Mark & Al break down a good start from Patrick Corbin and question if it might be his last start for the Nats. They also discuss the stellar performance from the bullpen this season (7:26). On the offensive side, they talk about Jesse Winker's great season and why he is the most likely player to be traded ahead of this year's deadline (10:51) as well as dissect the important role Ildemaro Vargas has held for the 2024 Nats (16:05). They end the show by discussing a rare starting lineup appearance for Rule 5 draftee Nasim Nunez (18:40).
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The Nats lost to the Diamondbacks 5-0 on Tuesday evening as James Wood returned to the AAA lineup while Dylan Crews made his Rochester debut. Mark & Al discuss the prospects' progress so far and break down when we might see them in the majors. They also discuss a bad offensive performance from the Nats (13:45) and what might have been Jake Irvin's worst start of the season (17:01). They end the show by talking about updates on Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli's rehab assignments and touching on the passing of baseball legend Willie Mays (21:55).
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