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Blue Wire

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi

A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

Nats Chat

The Nats bullpen let them down on their way to a season opening 7-3 loss in extra innings vs. the visiting Phillies. Mark & Al start with a major positive for Washington as MacKenzie Gore set a franchise Opening Day record with 13 strikeouts. Gore was fantastic as he did not issue any walks and only gave up one hit.

(10:30) Keibert Ruiz homered off of Zack Wheeler and threw out a runner trying to steal 2nd base. Davey Martinez mentioned pregame that Ruiz lost weight in the offseason and he was pleased with his Spring.

(17:00) Jacob Young was caught stealing despite James Wood at the plate with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 6th inning.

(21:15) Opening Day was not a good one for the Nationals bullpen as five relievers combined to allow seven runs in just four innings of work. Colin Poche really struggled in his first outing with the Nats as he gave up four Philadelphia runs in the top of the 10th to put the game out of reach.

(27:45) Derek Law will begin the season the 15-Day IL due to right forearm inflammation. Mark explains what led to him not being ready to pitch for Washington on Opening Day.

(32:00) The Nationals were dealt bad news this week as DJ Herz was added to the 60-Day IL and is getting a 2nd opinion on his sprained elbow ligament that could lead to Tommy John surgery. Al notes that this continues a troubling pattern of a pitcher getting a significant injury at some point in Spring Training.

Gore Strikes Out 13 but Bullpen Falters on Opening Day

The Nats earned their first victory of the season on Sunday as they defeated the Phillies 5-1. Mark & Al have plenty of positives to run through and begin with Mitchell Parker, who continued the good starting pitching to begin the Washington season. Parker pitched into the 7th and didnt allow any runs.

(10:00) The two Nationals homers on Sunday came from new additions to the lineup in Josh Bell & Nathaniel Lowe. The team combined for six home runs in the opening series.

(13:45) Paul DeJong came through with a trio of hits, two of which were doubles. DeJong entered the day without a hit through two games while starting at 3B.

(19:40) Keibert Ruiz caught all three game this series and hit cleanup in the order.

(22:05) The bullpen only gave up one run, but it sure made things interesting in the top of the 9th. Brad Lord made his Major League debut in the final frame, which came across as a curious decision. Kyle Finnegan came in for Lord to preserve the win in just five pitches.

(29:00) The Nats begin their first road trip of the season on Monday when they open a three game set in Toronto with Michael Soroka making his franchise debut on the mound.

Parker & a Pair of HRs Power the Win

The Nats fell 5-3 in Toronto on Tuesday night to drop to 1-4 on the season. Mark (Live from Canada) & Al begin with the bad pitching luck for starter Trevor Williams & flame throwing reliever Jose A. Ferrer. They both were victims to instances such as infield hits and defensive miscues behind them. Hear what franchise record Williams is quietly threatening Max Scherzer for.

(17:45) The Nats offense had another subpar night in scoring just three runs. Dylan Crews, who has been struggling at the plate, rested in favor of Alex Call in RF. Call rewarded his manager's confidence with a pair of hits while hitting 8th in order.

(21:00) CJ Abrams was by far the biggest bright spot for Washington as he filled up the box score in a franchise SS type of performance. Abrams had a trio of hits, two of which were doubles, and made a tremendous defensive play up the middle.

(25:35) Keibert Ruiz knocked in a pair of runs and continues to impact every game. Ruiz drew a walk and has a five game hitting streak to start the season.

(29:05) The Nats will have MacKenzie Gore on the mound on Wednesday in their hopes to avoid the sweep. Should we be caught up in the 1-4 record?

Williams Allows 10 Hits in Toronto Loss

The Nats halted their four game skid with a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon over Arizona. Al & Mark have plenty of praise for Mitchell Parker, who has started both games that the Nationals have won this season. Parker cleanly fielded a tough comebacker at the end of his outing, notable because of how poorly he fielded his position last season.

(10:00) The bullpen was handed a three run lead with three innings to go and did just enough to prevail. Kyle Finnegan recorded his 2nd save of the season while navigating through traffic on the bases. The final out of the game was a first in franchise history as Riley Adams threw out an attempted steal of 2nd base in order to end the affair.

(16:45) James Wood had a hot start on Saturday as he made a nifty catch near the wall and then hit a 2 run double in the bottom of the first. Wood was slotted in the 5th spot in the lineup, a rarity for him.

(21:00) Josh Bell had a triple in the win. You read that right.

(24:50) Answering a listener email about the possibility of Amed Rosario getting reps at 3rd base in expense of Paul DeJong for offensive purposes.

(28:00) There was some question as to who would start on Sunday as it was the injured Michael Soroka's turn in the rotation, but instead Trevor Williams moves up on full rest due to the day off on Thursday. There had been speculation that Brad Lord could move out of the 'pen, but instead the organization opted to figure out the vacant spot on Tuesday night after MacKenzie Gore pitches on Monday.

Nats Hold Off Arizona

The Nats won the series rubber match 5-4 on Sunday afternoon against the Diamondbacks. Al credits Washington's offense for getting to Arizona ace Corbin Burnes, who only lasted five innings. The bats came out early as they put up four runs in the opening three innings.

(06:00) Paul DeJong had a pair of hits and drove in as many runs. DeJong was slotted 8th in the order and is hitting .240 so far in the young season.

(08:45) Dylan Crews hit right behind DeJong and also had two hits on Sunday. Crews had a good weekend series with three total hits and a stolen base. Hear what Davey Martinez had to say about the reasons for his recent success.

(13:00) Trevor Williams earned the win by striking out six in five frames. The bullpen picked up the slack behind him as they only allowed one run; at the expense of Jorge Lopez. Kyle Finnegan notched the save for the second straight day.

(19:30). Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will come to Navy Yard on Monday night for a three game series. 

(21:45) The closing highlight of Alex Ovechkin's record breaking 895th career goal is courtesy of John Walton and Ken Sabourin on the Capitals Radio Network.

Nats Beat Burnes to Take the Series

The Nats did not have effective pitching in their 7-6 loss on Saturday afternoon in Miami. Al recaps the not so pretty totals for Trevor Williams, who allowed six runs off of eight hits, before getting pulled in the bottom of the 5th. Williams so far on the season is sporting a 7.36 ERA.

(06:00) The bullpen did not allow a run on Friday night for the first time all season, but that luck did not carry over into Saturday. Colin Poche allowed. Marlins run across, but the trio of relievers that followed him did not allow a further run. Al points out the grisly stats so far for the lefty Poche, who pitched for Tampa Bay last year.

(10:05) Washington's offense only had singles despite scoring six runs. Keibert Ruiz had three hits while hitting third in the order and leads the team with a .985 OPS.

(13:00) Alex Call drew a pair of walks in the loss and has walked a staggering nine times out of 37 plate appearances this season. 

(17:15) CJ Abrams has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a hip flexor strain. Abrams left Friday night's game early after re aggravating the injury that kept him out of the lineup earlier in the week.

(20:00) A special listener birthday shoutout. To learn more about the opportunity, email us at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

Abrams to the IL Before Loss in South Florida

The Nats were routed 11-4 on Sunday afternoon in Miami for their 2nd straight defeat and it was their largest margin of loss so far this season. Al begins with MacKenzie Gore, who's pitching line saw four runs scored off of eight hits in six innings of work. Gore threw 105 pitches, another example of the lefty's pitch inefficiency.

(05:40) Jorge Lopez & Lucas Sims combined to surrender seven runs, while only retiring the Marlins. Sims' ERA is up to 12.79 so far this season; he was a reliever that the team signed to a one year deal at the beginning of Spring Training.

(07:40) Cole Henry was called up prior to the game and pitched the bottom of the 8th. Henry was originally a starter in their minor league system and is coming off of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.

(11:00) The Nats drew 20 walks this weekend and combined for eight of them on Sunday. James Wood walked three times in the loss and Alex Call had one in the leadoff role.

(13:30) Dylan Crews did not play for a 2nd straight day in what seemed to be in favor of giving the at-bats to Call. His OPS thus far sits at .625.

(15:00) Keibert Ruiz had an inexplicable base running gaffe in top of the 5th. Ruiz got thrown out trying to steal 3rd base with only out and the game tied, which killed the rally with the heart of the order up.

(17:30) Washington faces Paul Skenes for the first time on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

Marlins Take the Series Rubber Match

The Nats ended their three game skid with dominant pitching in Tuesday night's 3-0 victory in Pittsburgh. Mark (From PNC Park) & Al have plenty of praise for Jake Irvin, who lasted seven frames and only allowed three hits. This was Irvin's 4th outing of the season and by far his best. 

(07:00) Following a pregame meeting, the bullpen responded with two scoreless innings by Jose A.Ferrar & Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is 6 for 6 in save opportunities and trails only San Diego's Robert Suarez for the league lead. 

(12:45) James Wood led the game off with a towering 445 foot home run. Wood has six homers already this season and is tied for the 2nd most in the majors, trailing Tyler Soderstorm of the Athletics who has hit eight home runs.

(17:00) Dylan Crews went 1 for 3 while hitting 7th and playing RF. Alex Call was the odd man out of the lineup as Jacob Young got the nod in CF.

(22:05) Nasim Nunez continued to do a solid job filling in for the injured CJ Abrams at SS. Nunez gave Washington insurance with a 2-run single in the top of the 6th at the end of a 10 pitch plate appearance. 

(24:30) Paul DeJong exited the game early after getting hit in the face during an at-bat. He was sent for a CT scan and it is unclear whether or not he is headed to the IL.

(28:00) A quick update on Andres Chaparo, who was placed on the IL the day before Opening Day due to an oblique strain.

(31:45) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, provides an update from the Nats AAA affiliate.

Irvin Blanks the Pirates

The Nats lost 6-1 on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) & Al recap the hectic bottom of the 7th that saw the benches & bullpens clear shortly before an Oneil Cruz Grand Slam broke the game open. Jorge Lopez was ejected after throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen and that was presumed to be retaliation for Paul DeJong getting hit by a pitch in the face on Tuesday night.

(13:10) The Cruz Grand Slam came against Eduardo Salazar who relieved the ejected Lopez. Salazar has had a bad series and his ERA this season is a staggering 7.56. Salazar has options remaining and is a candidate to be demoted in the near future.

(17:00) Mitchell Parker had a fourth straight quality start to begin his 2025. The lefty only allowed one run in six innings of work on Wednesday. Parker's ERA is an extremely impressive 1.85 and has been the team's best pitcher so far.

(20:10) Davey Martinez confirmed that DJ Herz has undergone Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. Herz was placed on the IL just a few days prior to Opening Day.

(23:00) The hosts reset the ever increasing increasing amount of injuries within the organization.

Benches Clear Before Pirates Slam Dooms the Nats

The Nats were dealt a curve ball Thursday morning when they learned shortly before the matinee that Davey Martinez was immediately suspended for one game as a result of Jorge Lopez throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen on Wednesday night (Lopez appealed his three game suspension). Mark (Live from Pittsburgh) & Al discuss how curious of a decision MLB made in opting to suspend Davey. All of this began with Paul DeJong getting hit in the face on Tuesday night, which resulted in him landing on the IL with a fractured nose. 

(14:00) The offense was quite anemic in 1-0 loss on Thursday afternoon. Nathaniel Lowe was the only member of the lineup to have multiple hits. Washington only scored four total runs in the final three game of this series in Pittsburgh. 

(17:30) Trevor Williams' best outing of the season was wasted as he only allowed one run in his five innings of work. The bullpen for only the 3rd time this season was not charged with a run. Lucas Sims had an encouraging appearance as he tossed a scoreless bottom of the 6th. 

(23:40) The final leg of the road trip moves to Colorado for a three game series. The weather forecast calls for potentially three inches of snow in Denver on Friday, so a doubleheader this weekend is possible. 

(26:00) Terry Byrom, Voice of the Harrisburg Senators, provides an update on the Nats AA affiliate. Hear the latest on prospects such as Daylen Lile, Yohandy Morales, and Jarlin Susana.

Davey Surprisingly Suspended Prior to Shutout Defeat

The Nationals doubled up the Braves 4-2 in a game that saw a contentious opening inning. Mark & Al recap Sean Nolin being ejected after just eight pitches for throwing at Freddie Freeman. They explain what led to the retaliation and how it was explained afterwards by the Nats. Was it right to throw at Freeman after what happened to Soto on Tuesday night?

(17:14) The bullpen stepped up big time by recording 26 outs from six different pitchers. How creative will Washington need to be the next few days after so many guys had to throw on Wednesday evening?

(20:30) Juan Soto crushed the go ahead solo HR in the 7th and memorably blew a kiss in the direction of the Atlanta bullpen and Will Smith (who plunked Soto on Tuesday). Soto & Josh Bell each went deep and finally caught up to Kyle Schwarber (!) for the team lead in HRs (25).

(35:09) The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony curiously took place on Wednesday afternoon in Cooperstown, NY. The hosts critically examine the decision to hold the event in the middle of the week with little to no fanfare; despite the high profile induction of Derek Jeter. Why does Baseball continually not market itself as well as other sports?

 

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Game 139: Bullpen & Soto Get the Last Laugh After Nolin's Ejection

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