The Nats lost 8-3 to the visiting Cubs on Tuesday evening to open their six game home stand. Al & Tim start with Trevor Williams; who was taken out in the pivotal top of the 5th and was charged with five runs allowed. Williams threw a shutout last week, but this outing was in line with his season that sports a 6.03 ERA in a dozen starts.

(07:30) Five bullpen arms were needed and the first one used struggled the most. Andrew Chafin relieved Williams in the 5th and walked two of the three hitters he faced. Jackson Rutledge interestingly was used in the top of the 9th in mop-up duty.

(11:45) The offense scored three runs right away, but did nothing in the final six frames. Luis Garcia Jr. had a trio of hits and had a RBI single in the bottom of the 1st.

(15:30) Jose Teña did not properly handle a grounder in the top of the 4th and it led to a big inning for Chicago to tie the game.

(19:00) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Wednesday vs. the Cubs. Gore is tied with Boston's Garrett Crochet for the most strikeouts at 101.

(23:25) ESPN's Jeff Passan handicapped every team and where they fit into the eventual Trade Deadline. Al & Tim respond to what he wrote about Kyle Finnegan and the Nats organization.

The Nats four game win streak was snapped in Sunday afternoon's 3-1 loss in Arizona. Mark (From Phoenix) & Al open with DBacks Ace Corbin Burnes leaving the game in the top of the 5th due to a potential elbow injury. Burnes will have a MRI on Monday just a few minths after signing a 6-year/ $210M deal.

(07:30) James Wood was hitless, but both team doubles came from the new guys in Robert Hassell III & Daylen Lile. Nathaniel Lowe's RBI single in the 5th was the only source of offense.

(09:30) Mitchell Parker struggled yet again the bottom of the 1st and all three Arizona runs came in that frame. Should the team experiment going with an Opener in future Parker starts to try and right the ship? Parker's ERA in the 1st inning is astonishingly over 10.50 this season and roughly 3.50 in all other innings.

(19:45) The three relievers used combined for three scoreless frames. Eduardo Salazar escaped a jam in the bottom of the 6th his first appearance since he replaced Jorge Lopez on the roster.

(22:00) The Cubs come to D.C. on Tuesday and are tied for the best record in the NL. The hosts note that Chicago is far ahead of Washington despite the two franchises beginning their rebuilds at the exact same time in the summer of 2021.

(25:05) If the Nats are in the Wild Card hunt ahead of the Trade Deadline, will they be buyers? The Deadline this season is on Thursday July 31st at 6PM.

The Nats won their fourth straight on Saturday night by defeating Arizona 11-7. Mark (From Phoenix) & Al marvel over the team's 10-run opening inning that set a tone for the entire evening. No homers were hit and the first 11 batters safely reached base.

(9:40) James Wood's biggest impact came defensively as he nailed a runner out at the plate to stymie a Dbacks rally in the bottom of the 8th.

(11:30) Are the Nationals a good offensive team?

(15:45) Jackson Rutledge really struggled as the first pitcher to relieve Michael Soroka. Rutledge gave up three runs in the bottom of the 6th that cut the lead to four runs.

(19:00) Jorge Lopez was DFA'd prior to the game and is the third veteran reliever that was signed in the off-season to have already been let go. Davey Martinez said before the game that Washington "was not the right fit" for Lopez.

(28:05) A shoutout that leads to an extended conversation about the future contractual situations of young stars like James Wood.

The Nats beat the Diamondbacks 9-7 on Friday for their 3rd straight victory. Mark (From Phoenix) & Al gather early in the morning after Washington moves past Atlanta for 3rd place in the NL East.

(05:30) James Wood slugged his 16th homer of the season and it is the 3rd time he has left the yard on this road trip. The last time someone in the franchise hit 30+ homers was Juan Soto in 2019.

(08:30) Josh Bell crushed a homer for the 3rd straight evening and is beginning to turn his season around. His shot went 430 feet; above the pool at Chase Field.

(10:45) Robert Hassell III collected a pair of hits and made an impressive throw to the plate to nail Eugenio Suarez. "Bobby Barrels" already has three multi-hit games since making his debut on May 22nd.

(18:00) There multiple instances of great defensive play, including a crucial leaping catch at the wall by Daylen Lile to keep the game tied in the bottom of the 3rd. Luis Garcia Jr. also turned a nifty 4-3 Double Play to help Brad Lord get out of a jam.

(22:10) Kyle Finnegan notched his 16th save of the season; which is 3rd most in all of MLB.

(23:40) Jake Irvin really struggled and allowed four runs in the 1st inning. His season has taken on a seesaw approach, but his ERA is still under 4.00 at 3.93.

(28:30) The Nats are 14-12 in May and this is the first month that they will be over .500 since August 2023.

The Nats took the series in Seattle by scoring seven runs in the top of the 10th for a 9-3 victory. Mark (From T-Mobile Park) & Al discuss the Nationals eighth victory in their past eleven games. They are just a half game back of the Braves for 3rd place in the NL East.

(05:20) Luis Garcia Jr. had four hits that included a 2-run extra inning double to give Washington breathing room.

(07:00) Josh Bell homered for the second straight game; his 8th of the season. Bell's 3-run shot firmly put the game out of reach and gave the Nats a seven run lead.

(10:00) James Wood didn't go deep, but did begin the scoring with a 2-run double in the top of the 6th. The Mariners brought in their lone lefty to face Wood and he still managed to come through with a big hit.

(17:30) MacKenzie Gore struck out eight hitters in six innings of work on 95 pitches. Gore now has 101Ks on the season to lead Baseball; seven ahead of Zack Wheeler.

(23:10) Four relievers were needed and it was a big evening for Jose A. Ferrar, who retired all five batters he faced. Kyle Finnegan pitched the bottom of the 10th, his first action in a week due to shoulder fatigue.

(27:15) An extended conversation on Keibert Ruiz's defensive struggles behind the plate.

The Nats crushed the Mariners 9-0 on Wednesday night on an evening where they hit four homers. Mark (From Seattle) & Al note how the team continued its pattern of the early innings dictating the rest of the way as they hit Back to Back home runs in the top of the 2nd.

(06:00) James Wood hit a moonshot for his 15th homer of the season. Wood's OPS is at .949 and is the 5th highest in the NL.

(12:10) Robert Hassell III hit his 1st career Big League homer. Hassell had a big evening as he collected a trio of hits in the victory.

(14:45) Josh Bell also homered and had three hits in the victory. There is added pressure on Bell as Andres Chaparro has been activated in AAA.

(20:30) The embattled Trevor Williams had a great outing as he tossed six scoreless frames on just 76 pitches. It was good timing for Williams as Cade Cavalli pitched well in AAA on Wednesday afternoon.

(28:00) MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Thursday night in the rubber match. Gore leads all of MLB with 93 strikeouts so far this season; one ahead of Detroit's Tarik Skubal.

The Nats were routed 9-1 in Seattle on Tuesday to begin their six game road trip. Mark (From T-Mobile Park) & Al convene after the Nationals fell to 24-30; putting them on pace for just 72 wins this season. Mariners starter Logan Evans cruised through the lineup as he only needed 88 pitches to last eight innings.

(09:15) James Wood clubbed his 14th homer of the season and was the only source of offense for the team. However, Wood struck out three times and the hosts explore why he tallies so many Ks.

(16:10) Mitchell Parker struggled again on the mound and gave up a trio of homers. Parker's troubles began right away as he gave up Back to Back HRs in the bottom of the 1st, continuing his recent trend of not pitching well in the opening inning.

(25:15) Extended discussion of Ken Rosenthal's scathing piece of the Nationals rebuild woes in The Athletic.

(39:30) Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Rochester Red Wings, swings by for his weekly AAA update. Hear his latest on Cade Cavalli, Yohandy Morales, Brady House, and more.

The Nats fell 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to the visiting Giants. Al begins with the sluggish offensive performance, that was punctuated by the curious decision to pinch-hit Josh Bell for Amed Rosario in the bottom of the 9th. James Wood had a RBI double, but the bats only collected five hits in total.

(07:30) Alex Call and Robert Hassell III each had disappointing outfield defense in the pivotal top of the 3rd. Most notably, Call lost a fly ball in the sun at the wall that turned into a Sam Huff homer instead of an out.

(12:15) Michael Soroka had a solid outing, but still was tagged with the loss. His six innings of work is the most he has pitched in five starts this season.

(15:00) Al answers a listener email. Feel free to send your thoughts to natschatpodcast@gmail.com.