The Nats 9th inning comeback came up short in Sunday's 11-9 loss to the Phillies. Al & Mark open with the performance of Dylan Crews who singled, doubled, and threw out a runner at the plate from RF. The offense collected 13 hits on a day when James Wood & Josh Bell were each given the day off. (12:30) Mitchell Parker was awful again as he was pulled in the 2nd inning after giving up six runs. Parker's ERA has ballooned to 5.83 and the question is whether or not he gets optioned to AAA. (16:45) Jose Tena was sent down after the game and reportedly it will be Andres Chaparro taking his spot. Chaparro was with Washington briefly earlier this season and he could see a lot of playing time at 1B. Paul DeJong made his first start at 1B on Sunday as the team is still searching for a new option after DFA'ing Nathaniel Lowe. (24:00) The Nationals acquired reliever Julian Fernandez and assigned him to Rochester. Fernandez came available after the Dodgers had a roster crunch on their 40-man.

The Nats had one of their best days in awhile in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the visiting Phillies. Mark & Al discuss the young building blocks that contributed to the win; headlined by Cade Cavalli, who tossed seven shutout frames. Miguel Cairo showed trust in the young right-hander by allowing him to pitch the top of the 7th and last 90 pitches. (12:15) Jose A. Ferrer handled the final two frames and needed 24 pitches in order to do it. Ferrer notched his second save after taking over closer duties for the recently traded Kyle Finnegan. (20:45) James Wood's 2-run double in the bottom of the 5th provided the only offensive production of the day. Josh Bell was the lone member of Washington's lineup to have multiple hits in the afternoon. (29:00) Mitchell Parker will take the mound for Sunday's 11:35AM start time in the series finale. Aaron Nola will go for Philadelphia and it will be his first outing since he was placed on the IL in mid-May due to a sprained ankle. (30:45) Mark has more information on Keibert Ruiz fielding grounders at 1B on Friday during pregame warmups.

The Nats and Phillies were tied entering the 7th, but Kyle Schwarber & Bryce Harper went Back-to-Back to put Philadelphia up 6-2 for good. Mark & Al gather after a Friday night that saw a repeat Opening Day pitching matchup between MacKenzie Gore & Zack Wheeler. (06:10) Daylen Lile homered while getting the start in LF. Lile is having a very good August as he is hitting .319 and has a .849 OPS. (09:00) Brady House was not in the starting lineup in favor of Paul DeJong at 3B. House has only played in two of the past five games and that is causing Al a lot of frustration. (13:05) MacKenzie Gore immediately gave up two runs, but settled down from there. Gore struck out seven and his ERA dropped a bit to 4.04. (19:00) Schwarber continued his MVP campaign as he hit his 43rd HR of the season and 5th this year vs. Washington. Mark points out just how costly his injury was back in July of 2021 while with the Nationals. (24:10) Keibert Ruiz & Jose Tena were seen pregame working at 1B with Miguel Cairo. Is it a possibility that Ruiz will take reps at 1B after he eventually returns from the IL? (30:15) What does it say about Mike DeBartolo after making a bold move like DFA'ing Nathaniel Lowe?

The Nats topped the Phillies 3-2 on Thursday night to open a four game set in D.C. Al & Tim have a lot to get to as prior to the game Dylan Crews was not only activated, but the corresponding roster move likely raised a few eyebrows. (04:30) Crews returned from his minor league rehab assignment and made a diving catch in RF in his first fielding opportunity. Crews also singled in his first Big League At-bat since May 20th. (08:30) Jose Tena was not sent down and rewarded the Nationals with a go-ahead 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th for a 3-2 lead. Tena has not played much since returning from AAA and many expected that he would be the odd man out when Crews returned. (11:40) Another good outing for Brad Lord as he lasted six innings. Lord has reached the back fringe of the crowded NL Rookie of the Year race with his solid season thus far. (15:00) Miguel Cairo decided to use Jose A. Ferrer in the 8th against Philadelphia's heart of the order. This led to Cole Henry pitching the 9th to earn his first career save. (22:40) Nathaniel Lowe, the highest paid player on the team, was designated for assignment to make room for Dylan Crews. This surprised many, but if you listen to our episode recapping the win in Kansas City, Mark laid out why it was becoming increasingly unlikely that Lowe would be back in Washington in 2026. Lowe was acquired last December from Texas in exchange for reliever Robert Garcia. (33:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives us an update from AAA.

The Nats won a wild one on Wednesday afternoon as they prevailed 8-7 at the Royals to avoid the sweep. Mark (From KC) & Al convene after Washington immediately jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Kansas City tied it up in the bottom of the 8th. Daylen Lile's RBI single scored Luis Garcia Jr. to take the lead for good in the top of the 9th. (05:00) The Nationals are planning on activating Dylan Crews on Thursday night when their home stand begins vs. the Phillies. Who will be the odd man out when Crews joins the roster? (14:10) Nathaniel Lowe hit a Grand Slam in the top of the 1st and it was the first time they've had one since Jesse Winker did so last April. CJ Abrams also homered and Brady House collected a pair of hits. (18:30) Lowe is the highest paid player on the team and the franchise has an option to tender him in the off-season. There is a good chance that Lowe is not retained for 2026. (20:45) The bullpen had a great day as they combined to only allow one run in five innings of work. Clayton Beeter was surprisingly tabbed to pitch the bottom of the 8th before Jose A. Ferrer came in for a four-out Save. (23:30) Jake Irvin did not pitch well after inheriting a five run lead. Irvin's 1st inning struggles continued as he gave up two runs and his ERA in that frame is 10.08 for this season. (29:30) Terry Byrom, the Voice of the Harrisburg Senators, gives an update from AA, which includes the latest on Jarlin Susana.

The Nats fell 8-5 on Tuesday night in Kansas City in a game that saw a bizarre pitching line. Mark (From KC) & Al examine Mitchell Parker's outing where he only allowed two hits, but ultimately gave up five runs. It was Parker's 13th loss of the season and his WHIP is the worst among qualifying pitchers in all of MLB (1.46). (06:00) James Wood continued his latest surge with a RBI double and a single. The double had an exit velocity of 118MPH; one of the hardest hit balls in recorded team history. (11:45) Dylan Crews is expected to come back within the next few days and that will require someone being sent down to Rochester. Will Jacob Young's Bobblehead Night on Saturday play a factor in the decision? (19:30) Comparing Riley Adams & Drew Millas as the pair have been the two catchers for over a month. Adams had two hits on Tuesday night and his OPS is at .608. (25:00) Jake Irvin will take the mound on Wednesday to try and avoid the sweep. Will Brady House get his first start of the series?

The Nats lost 7-4 on Monday night at Kansas City as they begin a new phase of the road trip. Mark (From KC) & Al open with Cade Cavalli's first road outing where he allowed four runs in five plus innings of work. Cavalli gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 6th to mar his pitching line. (12:30) Josh Bell hit his 15th homer on the season early in the game for a 2-0 Washington lead. James Wood had his 4th consecutive good game as he had a pair of singles and Paul DeJong also went deep while hitting 3rd in the order. (17:15) Daylen Lile had a single and a double while playing RF in the defeat. Lile is in danger of being sent back to AAA when Dylan Crews returns this month. (21:35) Jackson Rutledge gave up the decisive 2-run HR to Kansas City's 9th hitter, Kyle Isbel. Will Rutledge still be with the organization at Spring Training? (27:00) MLB Pipeline came out with their new rankings and Eli Willits is atop the Nats list. LHP Alex Clemmey was just promoted to AA-Harrisburg and is 5th on the list, behind Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana, and Luke Dickerson.

The Nats cruised past the Giants 8-0 on Sunday afternoon for their first series win since the trade deadline. Mark (From San Francisco) & Al have another all positive set of topics to dissect as both James Wood & MacKenzie Gore had big days. (04:10) James Wood continued his strong weekend from the lead-off spot as he had a pair of RBI doubles. Wood however did strike out three times. (07:30) MacKenzie Gore really bounced back from Tuesday's disastrous outing. Gore struck out 10 in six innings of work and it was the first time he had threw double digits strikeouts since June 14th. (11:05) The offense was very hot with 17 hits and Josh Bell collected three of them. Bell this summer has elevated his OPS to .731, almost 100 points higher than it was at the end of June. (16:15) Luis Garcia Jr. was out all weekend due to a back issue, but it remains to be seen if he is headed to the IL. (20:00) Cade Cavalli will the take the mound on Monday in Kansas City. It will be Cavalli's first ever start on the road in the Big Leagues. (21:45) Dylan Crews played all weekend in Nortfolk for Rochester and it is unclear in when he return to the Nationals.

The Nats hit three homers in Saturday afternoon's 4-2 victory at the Giants. Mark (From San Francisco) & Al meet after James Wood leadoff the game with his first home run in a month. Wood is now up to 25 homers on the season and also added a RBI double in the top of the 6th. (07:00) Paul DeJong and Josh Bell went Back-To-Back in the top of the 3rd to put Washington up 3-0. The offense totaled 11 hits in a rare successful game against a lefty starter (Carson Whisenhunt). (11:15) Should Wood stay in the top spot of the lineup? Shoehei Ohtani & Kyle Schwarber would be comparable examples of power hitting lead-off men. (14:05) Brad Lord had another solid outing as he only allowed one run in six innings while striking out five Giants hitters. Lord's ERA this year is 3.28 while flipping back and forth between being a reliever and a starter. (21:15) Jose A. Ferrer recorded his first save of the season and second of his career. Ferrer took over the closer role after Kyle Finnegan was dealt away and this was his first save opportunity after the trade deadline. (28:30) MacKenzie Gore will take on Justin Verlander in Sunday afternoon's series rubber match. Gore is coming off a terrible start vs. the Athletics where he gave up eight runs in just three innings on the mound.

The Nats were blanked for the second straight day in Friday night's 5-0 loss at the Giants. Mark (From San Francisco) & Al examine the new look lineup that saw James Wood double out of the lead-off spot. (06:45) Brady House went 0 for 4 while slotted 3rd in the lineup, House has been up for nearly two months and his OPS so far is a disappointing .585. (09:00) Dylan Crews is with Rochester this weekend as his rehab stint continues. Will he join the Nats in Kansas City on Monday? (12:10) Jake Irvin immediately fell behind 2-0 but settled down to allow three runs in just over five innings of work. This leads to an examination of the potential Opening Day 2026 starting rotation. (21:30) Shinnosuke Ogasawara recorded seven outs and lately Miguel Cairo has been using him in a long reliever role.

The Nats were blanked 6-0 on Thursday afternoon by the Athletics to end a dismal 1-5 homestand. Al & Tim convene to marvel at how bad Washington has been in day games this year; a starling 14-34 thus far. (06:30) James Wood struck out twice and went 0 for 4 in the loss. Wood only gathered two hits all homestand and his OPS this season has dipped to .832. (14:05) Mitchell Parker gave up four runs in just five innings of work. Parker's ERA is an alarming 5.43 and his 1.48 WHIP is the worst in the majors among all qualified pitchers in the majors. Should the Nationals send Parker down to Rochester? (24:20) We respond to listener emails. Please send your thoughts to natschatpodcast@gmail.com if you would like for us to read it on air. (33:45) It is unclear when Dylan Crews will end his rehab stint in AAA, but there is a decent chance it could come during the upcoming two city/ six game road trip.

The Nats got a much needed feel-good win on Wednesday to snap their six game skid. Al & Mark gather after the 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics where Cade Cavalli took the Navy Yard mound for the first time in almost three years. Cavalli did not allow a run in just over four innings of work where he had six strikeouts. (11:00) Jose A. Ferrer pitched the top of the 9th and after the game Miguel Cairo declared him the closer for the rest of the season. (16:15) CJ Abrams committed a throwing error, but came through with a walk-off single to score Robert Hassell III. The ball beat Hassell home, but was misplayed by the Athletics catcher Tyler Soderstrom. Mark had the perfect vantage for the final sequence and gives his opinion on the decision by Ricky Gutierrez to send Hassell in to score. (22:45) Riley Adams homered in the bottom of the 6th to break up Jeffrey Springs' Perfect Game bid. The conversation leads to Keibert Ruiz, who has been on the Concussion IL since for over a month now. (28:00) We had a successful Nats Chat Hangout at Walter's prior the game. Stay tuned for info on the End of Season Party in October. (30:30) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of Rochester, gives his weekly update from AAA. Dylan Crews is currently rehabbing with the Red Wings.

The Nats were crushed by the visiting Athletics 16-7 on Tuesday night for their 6th consecutive defeat. Mark & Al run through all the awful totals as the Nationals were routed by the last place team in the AL West. (03:20) MacKenzie Gore had a nightmarish start that only lasted three innings. Gore immediately fell behind 5-0 in the top of 1st and ended up giving up eight runs. Gore's ERA is now 4.29 and he did not record any strikeouts in the outings. The lefty's ERA was at 2.89 back on June 15th when he was on his way towards the All-Star Game. (16:00) The bullpen had to go six innings and allowed eight runs in the process. Andry Lara had a brutal outing as he allowed six runs in his two innings of work. The 'pen has an unthinkable 5.98 for ERA this season. (21:05) The offense has been outscored 54-20 in this homestand. Eleven of those 20 runs have come in the bottom of the 9th when the game is already well out of hand; including four in the bottom of the 9th on Tuesday. James Wood had another game without a hit, but did not strikeout in the loss. (22:45) Cade Cavalli will return to the Navy Yard for the first time in three years on Wednesday evening. Cavalli has struggled mightily in Rochester, but there are not seemingly any better options. Cavalli's only Nats start came in August 2022 before he got hurt for the rest of the season.

The Nats were clobbered by the Brewers 14-3 on Sunday afternoon for their 5th straight loss. Mark & Al point out that Milwaukee is an organization worth emulating as they continue to win every year despite not having a high payroll. (09:00) What is the bigger need for the organization? Pitch depth or offensive firepower? (13:30) James Wood's summer swoon continued as he went 0 for 3 w/ 2 Ks while in the DH spot. Wood's slugging percentage has now dipped below .500 for the season. (16:05) Brad Lord gave up three runs in just five innings of work. Lord lasted 92 pitches and his ERA this season now sits at 3.42. (19:20) The bullpen was torched, including allowing seven runs in the top of the 7th. Zach Brzykcy was responsible for six of them and Ryan Loutos after the game was sent down to AAA. (27:45) Who will start for the Nats on Tuesday vs. the Athletics? Could it be Cade Cavalli?

The Nats lost 8-2 to the visiting Brewers for their fourth consecutive defeat. Al & Tim dig into another rough start for Jake Irvin where he allowed five runs in four innings. Irvin immediately allowed three runs; continuing his recent trend of not pitching well in the top of the 1st. (08:30) Shinnosuke Ogasawara tossed three scorless innings before giving up a pair of runs in the top of the 8th. It is unclear if the lefty will stay in the bullpen or move into the starting rotation. (11:45) Robert Hassell III got the start in CF and promptly homered to cut the early deficit to 5-2. Hassell spent the past month and a half in AAA-Rochester. (15:00) Wood went 0 for 4 with a pair of controversial strikeouts in the loss. Wood had a brutal July as he struck out in 46% of his at-bats last month with only two homers. (24:05) We read your emails, please send your thoughts to natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

The day after the Trade Deadline did not go well for the Nats in their 16-9 loss vs. visiting Milwaukee. Mark & Al discuss the rough start to August as Washington gave up a franchise most 25 hits on Friday against the Brewers. (5:30) Mitchell Parker was hammered in allowing eight runs off of 12 hits. Parker's ERA has now moved up to 5.35 in what is increasingly becoming a rough year for the lefty. (16:45) Shinnosuke Ogasawara was called up on Friday and is currently part of the bullpen. Will the open spot in the rotation go to him or the struggling Cade Cavalli, who has a ERA of 6.09 in AAA. (22:00 Robert Hassell III is back in the Big Leagues and came through with a pair of hits after replacing Jacob Young mid-game. (26:10) James Wood entered Friday night 1 for his last 42 against non fastballs. Is the Home Run Derby a culprit in all of this? (30:05) The Washington Post reported that Kyle Finnegan has been on a pitching 1-year/ $6M deal with deferrals this year. This seems unusual for a contract of that rate in the sport.

The Nats made a few more trades in the closing hours of the MLB Trade Deadline on Thursday. Mark & Al convene after the Nationals made five trades in total and three in the final 24 hours. They in total shipped away six players and five of them were on expiring contracts (all but Alex Call). (04:45) MacKenzie Gore was not traded away and will remain with the Nationals. Did Mike DeBartolo have full authority to deal away the lefty from ownership? (08:00) Michael Soroka was dealt to the Cubs on Wednesday in exchange for two prospects. Soroka was working off of a 1- year $9 million deal. (09:10) DeBartolo came off very crafty in the Alex Call deal with the Dodgers. L.A. sent back two top 20 prospects in exchange for Call who was battling for playing time in crowded and young outfield. (15:45) Kyle Finnegan was traded just before the deadline unlike last summer. Finnegan was the longest tenured National and now will pitch for the first place Tigers. (19:00) Who will be the new closer? Could it be Konnor Pilkington? (22:05) Josh Bell was not moved and Al wonders if Bell will continue to get DH at-bats at the expense of younger players in the final two months. (25:45) Mike DeBartolo had a very busy July after taking over as the Interim GM. Will he get the job permanently?

The Nats were crushed 9-1 by the Astros on Wednesday afternoon to end their road trip at 3-3. Mark (From Houston) & Al start with the trade that was made prior to the game which sent relievers Andrew Chafin & Luis Garcia to the Angels. Washington in return received a pair of prospects in 1B Sam Brown and LHP Jake Eder. (06:00) A discussion about the crowded outfield entering the final hours of the MLB Trade Deadline. As Dylan Crews is expected to return in August, could Jacob Young or Alex Call get traded? (09:45) MacKenzie Gore had an awful outing as the sport was very much paying attention to the lefty on Wednesday afternoon. Gore has not pitched well since the All-Star Break and is his last three starts he only has a combined 10 strikeouts. (13:20) Miguel Cairo was ejected after standing up for his departing starting pitcher. It was the first time he was tossed since taking over interim Manager. (17:30) Josh Bell reached base three times and two of them were infield singles. This could be the fourth year in a row that the Bell might be dealt at the deadline. (22:45) Cole Henry has regressed recently as he allowed a three-run homer in the loss that moved his ERA to 5.40. (26:30) **Special Nats Chat episode will be out Friday morning to cover whatever comes the final day of the MLB Trade Deadline. The deadline is at 6PM Eastern on Thursday July 31st. (30:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, provides his weekly update from AAA.

The Nationals three game win streak was snapped in Tuesday night's 7-4 loss at the Astros. Mark (From Houston) & Al open with Michael Soroka's likely final outing in a Washington uniform. Soroka allowed a pair of runs in under four innings of work as many expect him to be moved ahead of Thursday's deadline. (12:00) Stunningly, yet again there was a runner's interference call along the 1B line during a Nats/Astros game in Houston. This came during Andry Lara's brief but rough relief outing as he allowed four runs. Most importantly, for the first time the call went in Washington's favor. (19:00) The offense struck out 14 times and they have done so an astonishing 33 times in just the past two games. The slumping James Wood had a single and Luis Garcia Jr. clubbed his 9th homer of the year. (21:45) Dylan Crews began his rehab stint in AAA-Rochester. When Crews returns to Washington, what will the corresponding move be in the outfield? (25:30) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale as all eyes across the Baseball world will be tilted towards the lefty just one day of the deadline.

The Nats won their third straight on Monday, but pregame were dealt tough organizational news. Mark (From Houston) & Al begin with injury news as the Nationals highest rated pitching prospect Travis Sykora is likely out for 2026 due to Tommy John Surgery. Sykora was promoted to Harrisburg last month and only made a pair of starts in AA before getting hurt. (13:30) Brad Lord had a solid start in Washington 2-1 victory on Monday night. Lord only need 59 pitches to toss just over five innings of work vs. the Astros. (18:00) Konnor Pilkington picked up the win in another impressive outing out of the bullpen. Kyle Finnegan notched his 20th Save of the season as Thursday's Trade Deadline approaches. (20:30) James Wood was given the day off as Miguel Cairo noted that he could use some extra rest after a busy All-Star Break. Wood has been mightily slumping recently as he struck out ten times in Minnesota. (21:15) The Nats struck out 19 times as a team yet came out on top. The offense though did come up with major moments as a Nathaniel Lowe double scored Josh Bell from 1st and later Riley Adams hit the go-ahead solo homer in the 7th.