Nats Chat

Nats Chat emerges from its October slumber to check-in as the World Series continues in Florida.  Mark & Al begin by thanking all the great listeners that attended our Podcast party a few weeks ago at Walter's.  (03:00) According to USA Today, Mike Rizzo is under consideration for Houston's vacant GM job.  Rizzo has not taken a new job since getting fired last summer by the Nationals.(12:00) Washington is retaining all of its coaches, but making changes among their training and strength staff.(21:00) Daylen Lile has been named a Gold Glove finalist for NL left fielder's, which was very unexpected prior to Opening Day.(27:00) The Lockout is expected to begin in early December and that could lead to a flurry of Free Agency activity across the sport in November.(39:00) Earlier this month MLB proposed a 154 game regular season schedule as CBA negotiations are ramping up.  Real or performative move on MLB's part?  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tim gives a quick reminder about the end of season Podcast Party on Friday night October 2nd at Walter's Sports Bar in Navy Yard. 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 the season on a high note with a 6-4 win over the Mets on Sunday afternoon.  Mark & Al gather after the Nationals 77th victory of the year; 11 more than in 2025.(04:00) Mark relays the vibe in the clubhouse after game #162.(08:00) "The focus in 2027 is winning".(12:00) How should ownership view the 1.839M attendance this season?(19:00) Washington stunningly ended up scoring the 3rd most runs in the sports this year.(21:00) Andres Chaparro slugged a pair of homers in Sunday's victory. Chaparro ends his season with an impressive .894.(24:00) CJ Abrams had a RBI triple in the season finale and cpncludes his season with 106 RBIs.  Will he be traded this offseason? Anthony Rendon holds the Nationals franchise record with 126 RBIs in 2019.(29:00) DJ Herz made his 2nd start of the week and allowed four runs in just three innings of work.  Herz is expected to fight for a spot in the back-end of the rotation.(31:00) The bullpen combined for six shutout innings and Erik Tolman closed it out. Al notes the bullpen's season-long ERA barely dropped below 5.00 after the scoreless top of the 9th.(35:00) A discussion about Blake Butera's 1st coaching staff.(41:00) What to expect within the organization in the next few months.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 frames in just 34 pitches.  Early was injured when Washington acquired him from Boston in late July in exchange for Curtis Mead.  Early has already been slated for the 2027 starting rotation.(16:00) Jake Irvin relieved and ate some innings, but ultimately gave up two homers and five runs. Irvin ends the season with a 5.48 ERA and it is possible that he will be non-tendered in the offseason.(25:00) Al points a telling yet under-the-radar stat regarding the bullpen.(29:00) James Wood had a pair of hits with exit velocities above 100 MPH. Wood has on game left to avoid not hitting a homer in the final two months of the season.(31:00) DJ Herz will get the start in Sunday's season finale vs. the Mets.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 season.  Alvarez did not pitch well on Friday night as he allowed five runs in just under five innings of work. Alvarez's outing ended on a sour note as he gave up a pair of Mets homers in the top of the 5th.(20:00) James Wood didn't homer, but he did reach base four times out of the leadoff spot. Wood's OPS is at .895 with two games remaining.(24:00) CJ Abrams crushed a ball to deep RF, but the wind knocked it down and Abrams' lack of hustle out of the batter's box was under the spotlight as he ended up with just a single.  This is similar to an instance from the season's opening series in Wrigley Field.(29:30) Dylan Crews homered for the 13th time this season and stole two bases in the victory.  (32:00) Connelly Early will make his Nationals debut on Saturday afternoon (12:35pm start now!).  He is expected to pitch a few innings before handing the ball off to Jake Irvin.(36:00) A recap of Cavalli's press conference filled with plenty of emotion after signing his four-year extension.  All of Cavalli's teammates attended to show their support for the right-hander.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.