Episode notes
The Nats fumbled an 8th inning lead and lost 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. Al & Tim cite the familiar bullpen refrain as they extended their MLB record for most blown saves in a season to 42 occurrences. (05:00) Yovanny Cruz gave up the pivotal 2-run homer to Leo Bernal that gave the Cardinals the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 8th. Cruz's ERA is up to 5.27 in 15 appearances this season. (10:00) What will Paul Toboni do differently when building next season's bullpen? (16:00) Jake Irvin had a solid outing as he struck out eight Cardinals in just over five innings of work. Irvin might…
Podcast
Nats Chat
Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire · Sport · English
A Washington Nationals podcast offering recap and analysis after every game, plus all the breaking news throughout the year. Hosted by Mark Zuckerman of natsjournal.com & Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at [email protected].
More from Nats Chat All episodes →
-
E1026 · 27 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Smooth Outing for Early in Saturday Defeat
The Nats lost 7-1 on Saturday afternoon to the visiting Mets, but it a was successful game in the larger picture. Mark & Al leadoff with the news that James Wood was voted Player of the Year by the local media ahead of CJ Abrams. Wood has fewer homers than Abrams, but does have a higher OPS. (07:00) This game began at 12:35pm as opposed to its original 4pm start time due to impending weather. This worked out on Saturday and Sunday's game has been moved by two hours earlier and will begin at 1:05pm. (10:00) Connelly Early made his Nationals debut on Saturday as he tossed three scoreless…
-
E1025 · 26 Sep 2026 · 42 min
Gray's Save Cements the Mets in Last Place
Friday was busy one at Nationals Park as it began with a Cade Cavalli press conference and ended with a 7-6 win over the Mets. Mark & Al begin with Josiah Gray, who earned his first career save by holding off New York in the top of the 9th. It was the first time that Gray took the mound in Navy Yard since April 4th, 2024. (10:00) Blake Butera feels that if Washington had an average bullpen this season, then they would be preparing for the postseason. (16:00) Paul Toboni addressed the media prior to the game and seemed to indicate that Andrew Alvarez will have a spot in the rotation next…
-
E1024 · 24 Sep 2026 · 38 min
Nuñez Steals the Record in Afternoon Victory
The Nats took the series with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit. Mark (From Comerica Park) & Al examine the team wrapping upits road campaign with a winning road trip in St. Louis & Detroit. Washington finished the season with a 38-43 record on the road as they had a stretch where they lost 21 of 23 away games this summer. (6:00) It was a victorious Bullpen game that opened with Richard Lovelady on the mound. Brad Lord had the most usage of any of the six relievers as he lasted 3.1 IP. Lord struck out a trio of Tigers on 49 pitches in what seems like his best role. (10:00)…
-
E1023 · 23 Sep 2026 · 29 min
Abrams Goes Deep Twice in Detroit Win
The Nats topped the Tigers 3-1 on Tuesday night behind a pair of homers by CJ Abrams. Mark (From Detroit) & Al begin with four rookie pitchers combining to preserve the victory despite not throwing one clean inning all evening. (06:00) Riley Cornelio served as the Opener behind handing the ball off to Jackson Kent in the bottom of the 3rd. Cornelio's ERA in September is an impressive 1.84 in six appearances. (8:00) Erik Tolman notched his 4th save of the season while striking out the side. Jack Sinclair preceded Tolman and retired all four Tigers that he faced. (14:00) Cade Cavalli won't…
-
E1022 · 22 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Shaky Start for Herz in Defeat
The Nats lost 9-2 in Detroit on Monday night as we are in the final week of the season. Al & Tim begin with DJ Herz, who struggled in his first Big League start since September 2024. Herz lasted four innings and allowed four Tigers runs in the process. (06:00) Herz had Tommy John surgery in April of 2025 and originally came to the organization in 2023 in exchange for Jeimer Candelario. (10:00) Luis Perales had a nightmare outing as he gave up five runs in just two innings of work. Perales has only made six appearances for Washington, but his ERA is at an alarming 11.45. Tim takes the…
-
E1020 · 20 Sep 2026 · 35 min
Nats Outlast the Cardinals in the 11th
The Nats prevailed in St. Louis 8-5 on Saturday night in a four-hour affair that lasted 11 innings. Al & Mark convene after Washington grabbed their sixth win the past seven games. The Nationals won their 73rd game of the season; guaranteeing that they will avoid 90 losses in 2026. (06:00) Andrew Alvarez was fantastic as he tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Alvarez's ERA is at 3.17 this season and it seems for almost certain that he will part of the 2027 rotation. (12:00) The offense plated right runs off of dozen hits and a pair of Cardinals errors. Jorbit Vivas had a big…
-
E1019 · 19 Sep 2026 · 49 min
Cavalli Gets an Extension and a Win on Friday
Friday was a great day for the Nationals as it began with Cade Cavalli signing an extension and it ended with a 9-1 win in St. Louis. Al & Mark dive right into the deal with Cavalli that is worth $47M over 4 years; with a team option for 2031. (08:00) What does this move say about ownership? (14:00) What motivated Cavalli to sign this extension now? Cavalli is not a Scott Boras client. (25:00) Just a few hours after the extension was announced, Cavalli took the mound in St. Louis. Cavalli struck out six Redbirds in five innings of work and reached 200 strikeouts in the process. He is the…
-
E1018 · 17 Sep 2026 · 42 min
13 Walks Issued in a Shutout Loss
The Nats four-game win streak was halted by the visiting Phillies on Wednesday night. Al & Mark recap the 3-0 loss; which was low lighted by the bullpen issuing a staggering 13 walks in the defeat. (04:00) Jared Simpson opened the game, but only recorded one out while walking four Phillies. Simpson has combined to issue seven walks in his past two outings. (12:00) Luis Perales had a wild boxscore as he tossed two scoreless innings, but in rather adventurous fashion. Perales issued five walks, but did strike out a pair of Phillies. (16:00) Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout innings and Al…
-
E1017 · 16 Sep 2026 · 32 min
Lile's 3-Run Blast Extends the Winning Streak
The Nats win streak extended to four-games with another comeback victory on Tuesday night. Mark & Al dig into the 6-3 victory over the visiting Phillies, who are now five and a half games behind Atlanta in the NL East standings. (03:00) A quick message from Tim about supporting the podcast. (06:00) Daylen Lile did not get the start, but changed the game with his pinch-hit opportunity in the bottom of the 7th. Blake Butera loaded up a right-handed heavy lineup against Philadelphia ace Jonathan Sanchez, but then switched it up as the game continued. (12:00) Why did Butera go with Lile over…
-
E1016 · 14 Sep 2026 · 28 min
8th Inning Rally Sweeps the Angels
The Nationals rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the bottom 8th to prevail with a 6-5 win over the Angels on Sunday afternoon. Mark & Al discuss Washington sweeping the worst team in the AL during the weekend series in Navy Yard. (06:00) Daylen Lile began the four-run 8th with a RBI triple and it ended with a Dylan Crews RBI single for a 6-4 lead. (11:30) James Wood did not run hard when thrown out at home in the 1st. Ryan Zimmerman called him out on the broadcast and Wood apologized after the game. (19:00) Riley Cornelio opened for Jake Irvin and they combined for seven innings of work. Cornelio…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
