The Nats dropped Sunday's rubber match to the visiting Rangers by a score of 4-2. Mark & Al begin with the scuffling offense, which only scored 10 runs in the six game homestand.

(02:00) Help might be on the way as Nasim Nuñez was sent to AAA shortly after the defeat. As of our taping time, the corresponding move is expected to be either Brady House or Andres Chaparro from Rochester. House was the franchise 1st round draft choice from 2021 and did not play for the Red Wings on Sunday afternoon, which was quite noticeable given the circumstances.

(14:10) Keibert Ruiz only played in one game this weekend, the one time they faced a RHP. Davey Martinez pregame cited a troubling stat in terms of the constant chase rate for the veteran catcher. Ruiz's WAR is a very poor 0.1 so far this season.

(20:40) Trevor Williams only lasted 4.1 IP and gave up two runs off six hits. This came the same day that Cade Cavalli tossed five shutout innings for AAA Rochester. Is it time for Cavalli to take Williams' spot in the rotation?

(30:00) The short outing for Williams led to the need for five relievers. Jose A. Ferrer nailed down five outs and wiggled out of a jam in the top of the 6th. Cole Henry gave up a homer, his 2nd straight day of not pitching well.

(33:10) The Nationals open a three game series on Tuesday at the Mets, who have the best record in the NL.

The Nats got a taste of their own recent medicine as Texas blanked them 5-0 on Saturday afternoon on South Capitol Street. Al & Mark run through some of the recent offensive slumps as the team has only scored nine runs in their past six games.

(05:00) Nathaniel Lowe went 1 for 3 in facing his former team. Lowe's OPS is a troubling .650, much lower than when it was .785 at the end of April. His last homer came on May 16th in Baltimore.

(09:45) Jacob deGrom was dominant on Saturday in seven shutout frames and looked like the pitcher we remember from the Mets. The two-time Cy Young winner has undergone a pair of Tommy John surgeries.

(15:40) Mitchell Parker continued his trend of struggling in the 1st inning, but then settled in from there. Hear what Davey Martinez said when asked by Mark about the possibility of using an "Opener".

(24:00) It was not Cole Henry's day as he issued three walks and a balk. Eduardo Salazar has the roughest afternoon as he allowed three runs in the top of the 8th to let the game get out of reach.

The Nats blanked the visiting Rangers 2-0 on Friday night in the quickest game in stadium history. Mark & Al begin with a familiar name as Patrick Corbin returned to D.C. and only allowed a pair of runs in eight innings of work. Corbin needed just 89 pitches and the last time he tossed eight innings was May 4th, 2022 in Colorado.

(4:15) The official scorer determined the game length as 1 hour, 50 minutes and Mark feels that it should be one minute shorter. The official start time was 6:45PM and Mark says the final out came at 8:34PM. The official time ties the fastest game in franchise history as opposed to it being the stand-alone record.

(14:35) Jacob Young singled in his return to the lineup and Daylen Lile was sent back to AAA to make roster space. Lile hit .194 in 31 at-bats in his brief stint in Washington.

(18:20) Michael Soroka ended his outing well unlike previous ones as he struck out seven Rangers in six scoreless innings of work.

(22:45) Brad Lord tossed another scoreless inning in a high leverage spot in the top of the 7th. Kyle Finnegan notched his 18th save of the season; which is tied for the 2nd most in all of MLB.

(25:40) An update on Josiah Gray, who had surgery last summer. Gray only made two starts season and his last appearance on the mound came on April 4th, 2024.

(31:00) Arizona Ace Corbin Burnes will need "Tommy John" surgery after injuring his elbow last weekend vs. the Nats. Burnes is in his first year of a six year/ $210 Million contract.

The Nats dropped Thursday's rubber match 7-1 to the visiting Cubs as Ian Happ knocked in four runs. Al & Mark sort through the sloppy affair, another example of poor defense & base running in defeat.

(04:30) James Wood has a hard luck 0 for 4 evening despite every ball he hit having an exit velocity over 97 MPH.

(09:20) Why is Davey Martinez not bothered by base running miscues?

(12:45) Jake Irvin allowed three runs in five innings of work. Irvin immediately gave up a 2-run homer to Pete Crow-Armstrong; emblematic that he too has 1st inning struggles like some of his teammates.

(17:35) Jackson Rutledge gave up a 2-run Happ HR in the top of the 6th and his season has gone sideways a bit recently.

(25:00) A familiar face will take the mound on Friday night when Patrick Corbin gets the start for Texas vs. Michael Soroka. Corbin is pitching better for the Rangers than he did last year in Washington, but the hosts explain why a regression to the mean might be around the corner for the veteran lefty.

The Nats blanked the Cubs 2-0 on Wednesday night at Navy Yard. Mark & Al recap MacKenzie Gore's sterling outing where he struck out seven in as many innings worked. Gore regained sole possession for the most strikeouts in MLB this season with 108.

(07:25) What are the chances that Gore starts the All Star Game next month in Atlanta for the NL? Paul Skenes is currently the likely leader in the clubhouse on that front.

(14:00) Brad Lord stepped up in nursing the 1-0 lead in the top of the 8th. Lord has not allowed a run in six consecutive appearances. Kyle Finnegan took over for him in the 9th and notched his 17th save of the year.

(17:35) The offense was carried by bench guys in the victory as the RBIs belonged to Amed Rosario & Nasim Nuñez. Rosario homered in the bottom of the 7th to put Washington on the board and Nuñez doubled in the 8th for some insurance.

(24:10) An update on Mason Thompson, who is working his way back from a 2nd Tommy John surgery.

(30:00) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, gives the latest on Brady House, Cade Cavalli, and more from AAA.

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.