The Nationals began a new era on Wednesday morning as Paul Toboni was officially introduced as the new President of Baseball Operations. Mark & Al react to Toboni's first time meeting with the D.C. media in the press room at the ballpark. Toboni was joined on the podium by three members of ownership in Mark Lerner, Ed Cohen, and Robert Tanenbaum. (07:00) Spending by ownership was brought up multiple times during the press conference. (15:35) Toboni's answer on if he will hire a General Manager beneath him. Mike DeBartolo was in attendance at the press conference. (21:20) Toboni's response about the young talent within the franchise. (24:00) Discussion on the managerial situation and what Toboni had to say about interim skipper Miguel Cairo. (36:45) How should Toboni handle the current staff within the Front Office? (39:05) NATS CHAT PODCAST PARTY ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 10TH AT 7PM AT WALTER'S. FIRST BEER ON THE HOUSE!

The Nats closed their last place season on a sour note as they were shutout 8-0 on Sunday afternoon by the visiting White Sox. Mark & Al put the 66 win campaign under a wide-angle lens on the heels of their 14th shutout defeat. It should be a more active October than the past few years as they remake the front office and likely will make a change at manager. (13:20) Hear what Dylan Crews said afterwards as he seems to be gearing up for more of a leadership role on the team. (21:15) James Wood went 0 for 3 and struck out in every at-bat. Wood finishes the year w/ 221 strike outs, by far the most in Baseball, but still two shy of Mark Reynolds' record from 2009. (23:45) A wrap-up of just how the bad the Washington relief pitching was this season. (32:00) A thank you to our great listeners as our numbers grew this season on the podcast despite the terrible performance on the field.

The Nats overcame an early four-run deficit to edge the White Sox 6-5 on Saturday afternoon. Mark & Al begin with an ode to Bob Carpenter, who is calling his final Nats games this weekend for MASN. Carpenter was honored prior to the game after 20 years of being the TV voice of the team. (10:00) James Wood hit his 31st homer to take the lead for good in the bottom of the 7th. Wood has four homers this week to end his season on a high note. (15:00) "Mr. September" was at again as Daylen Lile bolstered his NL Rookie of the Year with his 8th home run of the month. Hear how Lile's season stacks up against the other top candidates for the award. (20:10) Josh Bell & CJ Abrams are surprisingly neck and neck for OPS this season (.751/.752). (23:00) Jake Irvin allowed four runs in six inning to close his season. Irvin's rough 2025 ends with a 5.70 ERA and his future in the rotation is in jeopardy. (29:15) Julian Fernandez pitched a perfect top of the 7th and that led to earning his 1st career Big League win. Fernandez was picked up off of waivers in Mid August after he was DFA'd by the Dodgers. Jose A. Ferrer recorded a bumpy save one night after blowing it in the 9th.

The Nats rallied all the way back from a seven run deficit, but Jose A. Ferrer could not close the door in the 10-9 loss to the White Sox. Mark & Al gather after maybe the craziest game of the season that saw the Nationals hit six homers, but also commit four errors. (06:00) Luis Garcia Jr. hit a trio of homers for the first time in his career. Garcia's third homer of the night briefly put them up 9-8 in the bottom of the 8th. The last time Washington lost when a player hit three homers in a game was in 2013 in Baltimore when Ryan Zimmerman went deep three times. (09:05) Daylen Lile tied the game with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th. Lile is having an all-time month as he has five homers and seven triples in September. (13:20) CJ Abrams & Josh Bell each went deep, but both committed errors in the top of the 1st. Abrams is now up to 19 homers; one behind his total last season. (19:30) Cade Cavalli finished his season on a bit of a down note as Chicago tagged him for four unanswered runs in the top of the 1st. Cavalli ended up making ten starts with the Nats after his very long rehab from Tommy John surgery. (24:10) Ferrer's disastrous 9th inning began with a throwing error from the lefty; before have gave up the game deciding 2-run HR to Colson Montgomery. (26:45) When should we expect the formal announcement about Paul Toboni taking over as Head of Baseball Operations?

The Nats won 4-3 in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, but the major news came from ESPN's Jeff Passan. Mark & Al spend plenty of time reacting to the report that Paul Toboni, Red Sox Asst. GM, will take over as Washington's new head of Baseball Operations. Toboni is 35 years old and has spent the last decade working in the Red Sox Front Office. (21:10) James Wood homered twice to reach the 30 home run milestone. Wood homered as many times this series (three) as he had in the past two months. Wood also did not strike out all series and remains eight Ks behind Mark Reynolds' 2009 record pace. (25:50) Josh Bell hit his 21st homer of the season in the win. It is the 5th year in which Bell surpassed the 20 homer plateau. (30:20) Andrew Alvarez lasted until the bottom of the 5th and did not allow a run. Alvarez was called up on Labor Day and had 2.31 ERA in five starts. (35:30) Jose A. Ferrer notched his 7th Save of the month and his 10th of the season. It was a rough day for the bullpen as they allowed a trio of Braves solo homers.

The Nats fell short 3-2 on Tuesday night as the Braves have now won ten games in a row. Al & Tim begin with James Wood's 28th homer of the season, just his 4th since the All-Star Break. Wood did not strikeout and remains eight Ks shy of Mark Reynolds' single season record. (08:00) Luis Garcia Jr. played 1B on Tuesday as it seems like his days at 2B are coming to an end. Daylen Lile was also in the lineup just a few days after exiting Sunday's game early due to a knee contusion. (15:10) The Nationals yet again unsuccessfully attempted a staggered double steal with runners on the corners. This came in the top of the 4th as Washington was unable to increase their one-run lead. (17:30) Brad Lord pitched well, but the two solo homers he allowed led to him taking his 9th loss of the year. Lord's ERA is at 4.12 as is his season is likely over. Could Lord win Nationals Pitcher of the Year this upcoming weekend? (22:30) MacKenzie Gore's season is also over as he was placed on the IL due to an ankle impingement. Gore made the All-Star Game, but his ERA continued to climb in the back half of the year. Gore did set a career high with 185 strikeouts; four more than he had last season. (30:00) Reaction to MLB instituting an ABS challenge system for 2026. ABS stands for "Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System" and would serve as a version of Robo Umps.

The Nats were no match for the Braves in Monday's 11-5 loss. Al & Tim convene after the Nationals pitching staff needed six pitchers just to make it through six innings and combined for nine issued walks. (06:00) MacKenzie Gore was pulled in the top of the 3rd after having already thrown 71 pitches. The Braves lineup fouled off 24 of them and now Gore's ERA is up to 4.17. (09:00) The bullpen really struggled until Shinnosuke Ogasawara stabilzed the final few innings. Jackson Rutledge was the first reliever out of the 'pen, but gave up three runs while only recording one out. (13:45) Both James Wood & Daylen Lile were out of the lineup in the series opener. Lile suffered a left knee contusion in Sunday's victory in New York. CJ Abrams did return after jamming shoulder on Saturday, but served as the DH as opposed to taking the field. (15:45) Nasim Nuñez & Dylan Crews each homered in the loss. Nuñez played at SS and now has four homers in September since getting called up from AAA. (19:00) Jacob Young made another excellent catch on a sliding attempt that survived a few bobbles. This was Young 3rd fantastic grab in the past two days. (23:50) Josiah Gray's season is over after his three minor league rehab starts. Gray will not take the mound this weekend vs. the White Sox as some had hoped in his recovery from "Tommy John" Surgery. (27:00) Brad Ciolek , the National Director of Amateur Scouting, is leaving for a role with the Tigers.

The Nats took the weekend series in Queens as they held off the Mets 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. Before we get to Mark & Al's analysis, Executive Producer Tim Shovers comes on to deliver an annual end of season message. If you would like to donate to the podcast, visit natschatpodcast.com and click on Merch to get directed to our Donation page. (04:30) Daylen Lile exited the game early after crashing into the side wall on a sliding catch in the bottom of the 3rd. Mark was at the game in New York and relays what he saw and learned afterwards. (11:10) Nasim Nuñez hit his 3rd homer of the month to put the Nats ahead 3-0. Nasim got the start after CJ Abrams jammed his throwing shoulder in Saturday's 11th inning. (14:30) Jacob Young made possibly the catch of the season in CF in the bottom of the 5th. (20:00) Jake Irvin & Mitchell Parker have been awful this year, but on Sunday they teamed up for the entirety of the game. Irvin exited in the top of the 6th and Parker got out of the jam. The lefty was making his first career relief appearance and turned that into the longest save in team history as he almost lasted four innings.

The Nats handed the Mets a crucial defeat on Saturday afternoon in Queens. Mark (From NYC) & Al meet after the Nationals blew an early 3-0 lead, but Daylen Lile's exciting 2-run Inside-the-Park-Home run put them ahead for good 5-3. (05:00) It looked initially that Lile's big hit would be a triple as he is one away from setting a franchise record. Lile's OPS is now ahead of James Wood (.814 vs. .807). (08:45) CJ Abrams made a brutal TOOTBLAN in the top of the 11th just before Lile's homer. Abrams was then replaced in the field in the bottom of the 11th. (13:10) Cade Cavalli had another good outing as he tossed five shutout innings. Cavalli has only had one bad stat since getting called up from AAA in early August. (17:30) Jose A. Ferrer took over in the 8th and could not protect the 3-run lead. New York scored a pair off the lefty in the 8th and then Juan Soto's 9th inning single sent the game to extra innings. (25:00) Reaction to the expansive story from the Washington Post on the current ownership situation with the Nats. (37:30) Brief mention of recent comments by Ted Leonsis.

The Nats dropped their 5th straight on Friday night as they were beaten by the Mets 12-6. Mark (From NYC) & Al gather after Washington guaranteed itself of having more losses this season than the previous two years. (04:30) The pattern of sloppy defense continued on Friday as the outfield combined for three errors; two of which were on Dylan Crews. (07:15) James Wood struck out two more times and committed a fielding error himself. Wood is now up to 212 Ks on the year; 21 more than AL leader Riley Greene. (09:20) Daylen Lile tripled for the 11th time this season and 7th time in September. Lile is now tied with Denard Span for the most triples in Nationals history since 2005. (14:20) Andrew Alvarez's fourth outing was his worst so far as he gave up six runs in less than four innings of work. The Mets lineup was the hardest test yet for the young lefty. (23:30) Mitchell Parker is being moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season. This is not much of a surprise as his ERA is now up to 5.85 and this will be the first time he will take the mound as a reliever. (26:45) Josiah Gray pitched on Friday for AAA-Rochester as he struck out a pair, issued three walks, in just under 3 innings. Will he pitch next weekend in Washington against the White Sox? (30:00) Another update on a potential candidate for the vacant GM position, this one being Eddie Romero, the Assistant GM for the Red Sox.

The Nats lost 9-4 on Wednesday and dropped all four games this week against the Braves. Mark & Al evaluate the team's tired legs as they have shown recent signs of fatigue. It has been a busy stretch for the team as they have played 14 games in the past 13 days. (07:30) James Wood had a RBI double and a single on his 23rd birthday. Wood did strikeout for the 210th time this season, extending his own franchise record. (13:10) Brad Lord had a shutout through five innings, but it all came apart in the top of the 6th. Lord was charged with two runs in the four run 6th and his ERA is now up to 4.18. (25:00) Sauryn Lao is a recently acquired right hander who was called up to replace Orlando Ribalta. Lao gave up a pair of runs in his two innings on the mound. (30:15) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives an update from AAA as they are in their final week of the season.

Tuesday was a long one on South Capitol Street and neither game went the home team's way. Al & Tim convene following a day/night doubleheader where the Braves won 6-3 in the afternoon and then took the evening session 5-0 in extras. (05:45) James Wood struck out four times in the Game 1 loss. Wood sat out Game 2 and is now up to 209 strikeouts this season, 23 more than Riley Greene who leads the American League. (10:30) Daylen Lile tripled for the 10th time while only having played in 82 games. Lile set a franchise record for a rookie in this category and Denard Span has the most in a season with 11 since the franchise relocated to D.C. in 2005. (15:00) Jake Irvin had a typical 2025 start as he allowed six runs and his ERA is up to 5.76. (16:45) MacKenzie Gore lasted into the top of the 6th and didn't allow a run in his outing. Gore dropped his ERA to exactly 4.00 and our new mantra is for him is "Gore Under 4". (21:45) The series finale is on Wednesday and Thursday will be the team's first day off in two weeks.

The Nats were pounded 11-3 by the Braves on Monday night in Navy Yard. Mark & Al begin with Daylen Lile yet again impressing as he homered and lifted his OPS to .816, just six points behind James Wood. Lile has the highest OPS of any NL Rookie with 300+ at-bats. (05:45) Dylan Crews went 0 for 3 and his batting average is now down to .202. (08:00) Mitchell Parker was pushed into the the top of the 6th and ended with a grisly line of allowing six runs off of ten hits. (15:45) Jarlin Susana recently had surgery on his right lat after going on the IL in early September. (19:00) More updates on the team's search for a new President of Baseball Operations.

The Nats took the series rubber match in Sunday afternoon's 4-3 win over the Pirates. Mark & Al note that the Nationals are 9-4 to start September and need only one more victory to avoid a 100 loss season. (04:35) Daylen Lile was the offensive hero as his 8th inning RBI double put Washington ahead for good. Lile reached base four times and his OPS is now up to .796 on the season. (09:00) CJ Abrams made his 20th error of the season, the 2nd most of any short stop in Baseball. (17:45) Cade Cavalli struggled in the opening inning as he immediately fell behind 3-0. Cavalli adjusted from there and didn't give up any more runs. (20:35) The bullpen got the job done with four scoreless innings, but the choice of Clayton Better instead of Jose A. Ferrer was curious. (28:15) The Braves come to D.C. on Monday for four games in the next three days.

The Nats lost 5-1 on Saturday afternoon to the visiting Pirates. Al & Mark convene after the offense was only able to muster one run in the defeat. (06:00) Dylan Crews had multiple instances of aggressive and heads up base running in the bottom of the 6th. His play that inning is emblematic of the kind of player Crews wants to be. (13:10) Andrew Alvarez was superb on Saturday as he tossed six shutout innings in his third Big League start. (22:40) Washington's 1-0 lead evaporated in the top of the 8th and the Pirates off score four runs in that frame off of Cole Henry and PJ Poulin. (28:05) Josiah Gray threw just shy of two innings for AA-Harrisburg on Saturday. Will he make it to Washington in 2025?

The Nats opened the homestand with a 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh despite an early three run deficit. Mark & Al begin with the defensive exploits by James Wood in the top of the 9th as his perfect throw nailed the tying run at the plate. It was an up and down evening for Wood as he doubled twice, but also struck out twice, thus setting a single season franchise record with 200Ks. (10:15) Brady House & Dylan Crews each went deep in the victory. Crews is now at nine homers on the season. (15:00) Brad Lord had a decent outing as only gave up three runs in six innings of work. Lord's ERA is now at 4.21 for the year. (18:30) Jose A. Ferrer struggled in the 9th as he almost blew the 6-3 lead. This was after he entered the game with a light show to signify that the closer was coming on the mound. (25:05) Interesting details on Brad Haas, who was officially announced as the new Special Assistant to the Orioles GM. Haas just left the Nationals role as their Director of Scouting.

The Nats had to settle for a series split in Miami after dropping Thursday night's finale 5-0. Al & Tim gather after Washington was shutout for the 12th time this season to conclude their otherwise winning road trip. (04:00) MacKenzie Gore returned from the 15-Day IL to toss five innings in the loss. Gore allowed two runs in the first inning and struck out four Marlins in the outing. (08:05) CJ Abrams had a throwing error and it was his 18th of the season. Abrams has the 3rd most errors in Baseball and his defense is called into question. Abrams did however steal his 30th base of the season, reaching the milestone for the 3rd straight year. (11:20) James Wood had the day off and the offense was quite anemic in his absence. RIley Adams was back behind the plate and hit 3rd in the lineup. (14:30) Response to a report by the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga about the latest phase in the GM search. (23:45) Terry Byrom, the long time voice of the AA-Harrisburg Senators, is calling his final game on Sunday. We replay an interview that Tim held with Terry back in late May of 2023 when James Wood was still in AA.

The Nats led 3-0 entering the bottom of the 6th, but an ensuing comedy of errors tilted the evening in the Marlins direction for an 8-3 loss on Wednesday. Mark (From Miami) & Al though begin with the very encouraging news that MacKenzie Gore not only is coming off the IL, but will take the mound on Thursday night in South Florida. (08:00) Jake Irvin tossed five scoreless innings, but it all came apart in the four run bottom of the 6th. The defense made a pair of errors, Miguel Cairo was ejected after a replay didn't go Washington's way, and Jake Irvin was also ejected just after he was removed from the mound. (15:20) The sloppy defense leads to a conversation about what kind of Manager could be in the dugout in 2026. (23:35) James Wood struck out three times and now is up to 198 on the season. It is the 2nd most in franchise history and he is only one behind Adam Dunn's dubious mark from 2010. (24:40) Daylen Lile tripled for the fourth time this road trip and he is stunningly just two behind the team record since moving to D.C. Denard Span, who coincidentally called the game on MASN, has most in Nats history with 11 triples. The most impressive part of all of this is that Lile has basically only played half of a season. (30:00) Seaver King & Jake Bennett are the main organizational names headed to the Arizona Fall League. (33:45) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the AAA-Rochester Red Wings, provides his weekly update on players such as Nick Schnell, Andrew Pinckney, and Phillip Glasser.

The Nats scorching start to September continued on Tuesday night as they held off the Marlins 7-5 for a 4th straight victory. Mark (From South Florida) & Al take note that Washington is now within striking distance of both Atlanta & Miami in the NL East. The Nationals are six wins behind the Marlins with 18 games remaining. (06:30) Josh Bell crushed a 3-run HR in the top of the 1st for his 4th homer in the past three games. Bell is now up to 20 HRs on the season and it is now plausible that he could be back in 2026. (10:10) Daylen Lile also went deep and his past few months are becoming reminiscent of Joey Meneses back in 2022. Lile's OPS is now up .777 and he is just behind CJ Abrams in that category. (14:40) The catching situation continues to have its obstacles as Riley Adams got hit in a tough spot. He was replaced by Jorge Alfaro, who himself suffered a similar fate in the bottom of the 9th. Alfaro stayed in the game, but Andres Chaparro was waiting in the wings as the team's emergency catcher. (17:30) Mitchell Parker had a real solid outing as he pitched into the bottom of the 8th. It is the longest the lefty lasted since all the way back to April 22nd. (23:00) Washington led 7-2 entering the bottom of the 9th and the inning turned into a bit of a circus. Jose A. Ferrer was needed to relieve Cole Henry for the final out as the Marlins unexpectedly brought the tying run to the plate. (27:15) Sorting through reports about the Nationals search for a new Head of Baseball Operations. Carter Hawkins, Cubs GM, is among those who apparently have interviewed for the position.

The Nats hot start to September continued on Monday night in their 15-7 pasting of the Marlins. Mark (From Miami) & Al have four Nationals homers (two by Josh Bell) to sort through as the team has won six of their past seven games. (05:00) Dylan Crews hit his first homer since May 20th, which came just before he landed on the IL all summer. Crews had a big game on Monday night as he had three hits and knocked in four runs. (10:15) Luis Garcia Jr. began the scoring barrage with a solo homer into the empty second deck at LoanDepot Park. This leads to a discussion on if his bat might merit a move to 1B for next season. (16:30) Cade Cavalli the past few years has joined the team in Miami in the clubhouse, but this time he got to take the mound in South Florida. Cavalli lasted five innings and earned the win despite only recording one strikeout. (25:40) Keibert Ruiz is experiencing a re-occurrence of mild headaches after taking a foul ball to the face mask in a recent rehab assignment with AA-Harrisburg. Ruiz will next meet with the team's doctors and it is unlikely for him to return to the field this season. (31:30) MacKenzie Gore will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and that is a very encouraging sign. The lefty was placed on the 15-Day IL on August 30th due to shoulder inflammation.