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The Nats lost 7-2 to the Braves on Thursday afternoon to conclude another disappointing home stand. Al examines the bullpen meltdown in the top of the 7th where Atlanta scored four runs to break the tie. Gus Varland & Cionel Perez were the culprits in the pivotal frame. (08:10) Cade Cavalli struck out 10 in just five innings for his best outing of the season. Cavalli gave up two runs and his ERA dropped down to 4.01. (14:00) Mark gives a quick update on Riley Cornelio, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, who will join the Nationals on Friday in Chicago. (16:30) James Wood homered for the 10th time, which has him atop the NL. CJ Abrams hit his 7th homer of the year in the bottom of the 4th. (21:40) The Nationals will start a two city road trip tomorrow night at the White Sox before moving to the Mets on Tuesday. (23:45) Tim is joined by Bob Black, the Voice of the Richmond Spiders, to talk about the new AAA Ballpark in Richmond and if one day the Nats could get an affiliate there.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats were out-slugged 8-6 on Wednesday vs. the visiting Braves. Al & Mark recap another rough start for Zack Littell, as he gave up a quartet of homers in six innings of work. (07:00) Littell's ERA is now at 7.56 in five appearances and he has allowed a staggering 11 homers in 25 innings. (12:30) Further examination of the evaluation process that led to Littell not signing until Spring Training was well underway. (17:25) James Wood homered yet again, and he now is atop the NL in this category.  Six of his Wood's homers have been opposite field shot so far this season. (19:30) Daylen Lile & Joey Wiemer also homered on Wednesday evening.  The Nats are on pace so far to contend with hitting 200 home runs this season as a team. (30:00) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Thursday afternoon in the series finale as Washington looks for the split with the Braves.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats routed the Braves 11-4 on Tuesday night on South Capitol Street.  Mark & Al focus on the recent offensive production and are encouraged by many of the results. Washington drew a stunning dozen walks on their way to snapping Atlanta's six game win streak. (07:30) James Wood homered for the 8th time this season, which is tied for the NL lead. Luis Garcia Jr. also had a big night at the plate as he had four hits and knocked in a trio of runs. (12:45) Foster Griffin lasted six innings to help out the beleaguered bullpen. The lefty is 3-0 with 3.38 ERA through 5 starts this season. (21:00) The bullpen did a solid job and Clayton Beeter struck out a pair in the top of the 9th. (25:05) Zack Littell will take the mound on Wednesday night and is looking to bounce back after Friday night's bad outing vs. San Francisco. (26:30) The Mets have lost 12 in a row and the Phillies are also well below .500. Believe it or not, the Nationals are tied for 2nd place in the NL East. (31:10) An update from the Voice of the AA-Harrisburg Senators, Frankie Vernouski.  Hear the latest on Seaver King & Cayden Wallace.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats led 3-2 entering the 6th on Monday night, but a series of Washington pitchers allowed five Atlanta runs to put the game out of reach.  Mark & Al sort through the 9-4 loss; which saw a lot of sloppy defense by the Nationals. (05:45) Jake Irvin hit Ronald Acuna Jr. twice and the second one came in the top of the 6th. CJ Abrams then was the recipient of retaliation, but he kept his calm and went on to score a run. (16:20) Daylen Lile homered in the 4th to briefly put the Nationals ahead 3-2.  The most noteworthy moment of the homer was Cionel Perez catching the fly ball in his hat while standing in the bullpen. (22:00) The tp of the 6th was the pivotal inning of the night and this is when Jake Irvin was lifted after just 68 pitches. Hear how Butera explained the (pre- determined) decision to pull Irvin while going through the Braves lineup for a 3rd time. (34:00) Josiah Gray will be sent for additional testing and he is currently not throwing. Gray has not pitched the Nationals since April of 2024.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats blanked the Giants 3-0 on Sunday afternoon to avoid getting swept this weekend at home. Mark & Al analyze the surprising pitching effort by PJ Poulin, Miles Mikolas, and Andrew Alvarez. It was a whirlwind Sunday for Alvarez as he traveled from Rochester in the morning, and then earned the win on the mound in D.C. after taking over in the 5th. (05:00) Mikolas was the bulk starter as he took over in the 1st for Poulin and lasted four frames. Mikolas allowed four hits and struck out four in his best outing of the young season. (15:30) Alvarez was demoted back to AAA in the middle of our taping during our discussion on his future with the club. This is the 2nd pitcher this week to get sent back to Rochester after nailing down the final out in a victory (Orlando Ribalta). (25:10) Curtis Mead hit a 2-run homer to go up 3-0 in the 5th. This was a nice bounce back for Mead, who made a pivotal base running mistake in the bottom of the 9th in Saturday's loss. (29:00) The first run of the game came on a convoluted play that resulted in Nasim Nunez coming across to score. (33:00) The home stand continues on Monday night as the Braves come to Navy Yard for four a four game series.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats made too many mental mistakes to count in their 7-6 Saturday afternoon loss to the visiting Giants. Mark & Al examine the puzzling extra inning defeat where there were plenty of examples of terrible fundamentals.  The Nationals had poor base running, awful bunting, and overall came nowhere close to playing smart Baseball. Curtis Mead had a shockingly terrible base running mistake in the bottom of the 9th and Jorbit Vivas almost out did him in the 10th. (13:40) James Wood homered again for the 7th time this season, tied for the 2nd most in the National League.   (17:00) Cade Cavalli had another disappointing outing as he only lasted four innings despite being given an early four-run lead.  Cavalli was charged with three runs allowed after yielding seven San Francisco hits. Cavalli has only tossed 19.2 IP in five starts so far this season. (24:00) Mitchell Parker lasted three innings in relief of Cavalli and gave up three runs in the process. The bullpen the rest of the way did a solid job, including two perfect innings by Richard Lovelady. (26:30) Miles Mikolas will take the mound on Sunday as Washington looks to avoid getting swept.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats were easily beaten 10-5 by the Giants on Friday night to open the home stand on a sour note. Al & Mark spend plenty of time on Zack Littell, who gave up six runs before the end of the 2nd inning. Littell wasn't signed until March was well underway and it seems like the late Spring start is still affecting him. (10:30) Why do valued Free Agent pitchers have to wait until the middle of Spring Training to sign sometimes? (13:45) Richard Lovelady pitched the 9th right after taking Oscar Ribalta's roster spot. Lovelady walked in a run with the bases loaded for San Francisco's final run. Ribalta notched the save on Thursday in Pittsburgh and was then demoted to AAA on Friday. (18:05) James Wood crushed an opposite field homer 441 feet late in the contest.  Wood is now tied with Abrams for the team lead in homers with six. (22:00) Daylen Lile hit his 1st homer of the year to bring up his OPS to .691. Lile has not yet tripled this season, after having 11 of them in his rookie year. (26:30) The Nationals just went 5-2 on the road trip, but only have one home victory. (28:45) Cade Cavalli will take the mound on Saturday afternoon vs. San Francisco. Cavalli's ERA is 4.60 through four starts this season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats split the series in Pittsburgh by emerging with a 8-7 extra-inning win on Thursday afternoon. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al run through the seesaw affair, that was scoreless after four innings of play. (05:20) The offense scored eight runs despite going 1 for 14 w/ RISP. The Pirates were a big help in that department as they committed four errors, including some terrible defense in the Nationals four-run top of the 5th inning.  James Wood's RBI single in the top of the 10th to break the tie was the only RISP to come across the plate. (10:00) CJ Abrams reached base four times for the second straight day.  This time he singled, walked twice, and was hit by a pitch in the victory.  Abrams OPS is now up to 1.191, the highest in the National League. (13:40) Foster Griffin's outing was going well until he allowed four Pittsburgh runs in the bottom of the 5th.  Griffin struck out seven hitters on 89 pitches and is currently sporting a 3.05 ERA through four starts. (16:45) Six relievers were needed to finish out the victory. Colin Beeter blew the save in the 9th, but Oscar Ribalta escaped the 10th inning jam to close it out. (24:00) Reliever Richard Lovelady was recently acquired off of waivers from the Mets.  The lefty has been in the majors since 2019 and has a career ERA of 5.25. (27:10) Washington went an impressive 5-2 on the road trip.  They open up a seven game home stand on Friday night vs. the Giants; with the Braves coming into D.C. on Monday.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats were blanked for the first time this season on Jackie Robinson Day across MLB.  Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al discuss the 2-0 defeat, where the Pirates scored both of their runs in the bottom of the 1st. (04:20) CJ Abrams reached base four times in a game with very few base runners. Abrams singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch on two separate occasions. Abrams' OPS so far is a staggering 1.175, which is the 2nd highest in the sport, only behind Yordan Alvarez. (14:30) Irvin retired 13 of the final 16 batters he faced in the loss.  Irvin continues to get roughed up in the 1st inning and has allowed seven runs in that opening frame over the course of four starts. (18:15) Brad Lord took over for Irvin and lasted for three innings on the mound.  Lord was the only reliever needed; giving the rest of the bullpen the day off during this endless stretch of games. (24:00) Keibert Ruiz is struggling at the plate and has done a poor job of challenging ABS calls. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats bullpen inherited a lead and held on for good in Tuesday night's 5-4 win over the Pirates. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al begin with CJ Abrams, who continued his recent surge with a solo homer and two other hits. (08:00) James Wood drew pair of walks out of the leadoff spot, but did strike out three times. Brady House came through with a single and a double in the victory. (12:45) The offense is averaging 5.8 runs per game through 17 games. (14:30) Miles Mikolas took over for the Opener PJ Poulin and lasted for three plus innings. Mikolas' ERA thus far is an astounding 11.49 in four appearances. (19:00) Mitchell Parker had an excellent outing just hours after being activated to the Washington roster.  Parker tossed two shutout innings and struck out five Pirates in the process. (26:30) The Nationals are 8-9 and will try and get to .500 on Wednesday evening.  Jake Irvin will take the mound in Pittsburgh. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats were crushed by the Pirates 16-5 on Monday night. Mark (From Pittsburgh) & Al run through Cade Cavalli's rough outing; as he was pulled in the bottom of the 2nd. Cavalli allowed four runs in the 2nd and was lifted in favor of Paxton Schultz.  Paul Skenes meanwhile lasted six frames and only allowed a CJ Abrams solo homer. (10:00) The bullpen had an awful night as Pittsburgh scored ten runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Jackson Rutledge had the roughest evening of all relievers as he gave up seven runs in less than two innings of work and was sent back down to AAA after the loss. (17:30) Cole Henry and Ken Waldichuk were each placed on the IL and Waldichuk might be facing Tommy John Surgery, pending a 2nd opinion. (21:40) Abrams' OPS so far is 1.024 on the season and he is in the top 20 of MLB at the moment. (23:00) Jacob Young went deep while hitting 5th in the lineup. (26:10) Miles Mikolas is slated to start on Tuesday night, but we will see how long Blake Butera gives him the ball. (29:30) An update from AAA by Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats pulled off their first series sweep in Milwaukee since 2006 on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al dissect the 8-6 victory that saw more production from James Wood at the plate.  Wood went deep for the 5th time this season and his OPS has shot up to 1.005. Wood also stole home as part of proper execution of "The Play". (09:00) Jose Tena & Curtis Mead each came through with RBIs as pinch-hitters in the top of the 7th. (14:10) Jacob Young had a single and double in the victory and his OPS is an encouraging .789. (17:30) Zack Littell allowed three runs and all of them came off of solo homers in five innings of work. (22:05) Ken Waldichuk left the mound while holding his pitching arm in pain.  Waldichuk had Tommy John surgery previously in 2023. (27:40) Gus Varland notched the save and it seems like that position is still up for grabs. (30:10) The Nationals move their road trip to Pittsburgh and the first game on Monday will feature Paul Skenes vs. Cade Cavalli.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats won their second straight game in Milwaukee on Saturday night.. Al solo hosts after the 3-1 victory and begins with Foster Griffin's shutout effort that lasted into the bottom of the 6th. Griffin issued three walks but only allowed one hit on 80 pitches. (06:00) Brad Lord relieved Griffin and struck out the side in the 7th. The Brewers didn't score until the 9th, but Clayton Better did just enough to record the final outs. (10:40) The offense collected eight hits, and the biggest was James Wood's 2-run double in the top of the 5th to open the scoring. (14:00) Washington made way too many outs on the bases, five into total, and three of them were due to pick-off throws. (17:45) Tim is joined by the great Scott Jackson from Priority Lexus Sports Radio 94.1 in Virginia Beach. Nats Chat airs every Sunday morning on the station from 9-10AM. Hear about the unique sports market and how the locals feels about Ryan Zimmerman, who attended Kellam High School in Virginia Beach.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats began their road trip with a 7-3 victory in Milwaukee on Friday night. Al & Mark have more praise for James Wood, who came through with four hits in the win.  Wood had a pair of singles and a couple of doubles to lift his OPS to .930. (04:00) Washington used plenty of small ball including two RBI sacrifice bunts in the top of the 9th. The game was tied at 3 entering the final frame, but the Nationals scored four runs in the 9th. (11:20) Brady House is showing more plate discipline so far this season. This leads to a conversation about new technology the organization is utilizing with their hitters. (17:15) Jake Irvin had a mixed outing where he allowed three runs in the bottom of the 1st after inheriting a 2-0 lead.  Irvin then settled down and lasted five frames, with five strikeouts along the way. (23:00) A strong night for the bullpen as four relievers each tossed a scoreless inning vs. the Brewers. Clayton Better took over in the bottom of the 9th after being given a four run lead.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nats ended a disappointing 1-5 home stand on Wednesday afternoon. Mark & Al analyze the 6-1 loss against the visiting Cardinals that meant the team has dropped seven of their past eight games. (05:00) Miles Mikolas was pulled after the 3rd inning in favor of Brad Lord.  Blake Butera afterwards said he wanted Lord to get more work on the mound and that the plan was for Mikolas to face the St. Louis lineup just twice. Will the tandem type start become more normal for the franchise in the near future? (13:10) Cionel Perez allowed a run in the top of the 7th and his ERA so far is up to 13.50.  The 'pen got beat up all series vs. the Cardinals and Wednesday was no different. (17:20) The offense had a quiet game and the only run came from an early Luis Garcia Jr. RBI forceout. James Wood was the only player with multiple hits as he had a pair of doubles. (22:00) Washington is off on Thursday and on Friday will begin their two-city road trip in Milwaukee.  They will face the Brewers this weekend and then open a four game series in Pittsburgh on Monday. (25:30) Davey Lopes, who had a distinguished career in Baseball, passed away this week at age 80. Lopes stole a ton of bases as a player and later on had two stints as the Washington Nationals 1st Base Coach (2006, 2016, 2017).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.