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 &amp; Al Galdi, host of "The Al Galdi Podcast". For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tim Shovers at natschatpodcast@gmail.com.

The Nats were on their way to another loss, but rallied for a 5-4 victory on Wednesday night in Atlanta. Al & Mark hop on after the losing streak ends at seven games; their longest of the season.(04:00) Offensive contributions came from the youthful trio of CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Dylan Crews.  Wood's RBI double in the top of the 8th gave Washington the lead for good. Abrams had a pair of hits and is hitting .311 so far on the season.(11:30) Jose Tena got another start at 2B while Luis Garcia Jr. is on Paternity Leave.  Tena was then moved to 3B late in the game when Nasim Nunez took over at 2B.(16:45) Mitchell Parker started off well, but ultimately gave up four runs in 4.2 IP. Parker was removed from the game after taking a come backer in the knee and was relieved by Jackson Rutledge.(23:50) Brady House & Robert Hasell III both homered on Wednesday night in AAA Rochester.  It is time to keep House on your radar as there is a decent chance that he is called up by next month.(30:00) Mark reacts to Tuesday's breaking news that Pete Rose and others have been removed from the Permanent Ineligible List.  Mark gives insight to what the upcoming process will be for Rose to determine whether or not he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Nats Chat

Late Inning Rally Snaps the Skid

The Nats lost 5-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday night for their 7th consecutive defeat. Al & Tim run through the rotten state of affairs and wonder if any big changes are on the horizon as Washington is now nine games below .500 (17-26) through 43 games.(09:30) CJ Abrams homered on the first pitch of the game, his 5th of the season, and his OPS is up to .880.(10:45) Dylan Crews struck out to end the game on a questionable call. Crews' struggles at the plate are continuing as his batting average currently sits at .181.(17:30) Michael Soroka only lasted four innings on 81 pitches. Brad Lord relieved him and didn't do well as he allowed the Braves to take the lead for good, but also did not get much help from the defense behind him.(22:05) Cole Henry tossed a scoreless inning and has not given up a run in the month of May.  Henry only has one bad outing this season, when he gave up 5 runs in the series finale vs. the Mets in late April.(28:00) Pete Rose was removed from MLB's Permanently Ineligible list by Commissioner Rob Manfred and this could lead to him eventually getting into Cooperstown.(34:00) The weekly AAA report from Josh Whetzel, the voice of the Rochester Red Wings.

7th Loss in a Row

The Nats rallied in the top of the 9th, but couldn't make it to extras in Monday night's 4-3 loss in Atlanta.  Mark & Al dig into the decision to not use Kyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 9th, where it was tied 3-3. Jackson Rutledge initially stayed in the game, but then was relieved by Andrew Chafin as opposed to Finnegan.  The All-Star closer has not pitched since Game 1 of last Tuesday's doubleheader.(15:30) Jake Irvin gave up three runs off of seven hits in six innings of work.  Al points out the troubling trend regarding Irvin's strikeouts, as he only had one on Monday night.(20:35) James Wood chopped his 1th homer of the season, but it was another quiet day at the plate for his teammates.  Washington went 0 for 7 with RISP and struggled against Braves starter Grant Holmes.(27:10) The six game losing streak is now the longest in MLB and it seems that they are playing form behind every game. Michael Soroka takes the mound against his original team on Tuesday night.

Finnegan Not Used in Walk-off Loss

The Nats were swept by the Cardinals on Mother's Day Sunday as they lost the series finale 6-1. Mark & Al address the growing elephant in the clubhouse after the 5th straight loss: Is the seat getting hotter for Manager Davey Martinez?(12:05) Nathaniel Lowe's solo homer was the only source of offense in defeat.  The bats were so quiet this weekend, that the only other Washington runs scored in the entire series were off of Dylan Crews' 2-run HR on Saturday. Hear Mark point out how much better Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas is against the Nationals than he is against most other opponents in the past few seasons.(17:30) Dylan Crews made a beautiful diving back-handed catch in the top of the 9th and it is an example of his great outfield defense since getting called up.(23:10) MacKenzie Gore gave up a 1st inning homer and four runs overall in just shy of seven innings of work.  Gore's exit was a tad curious as it seemed like he asked out of the game with two outs and about to face the 9th hitter.(31:00) Jarlin Susana, the highly rated AA pitcher , has been placed on the 7-day IL due to a Grade 1 UCL sprain. Susana was part of the trade package in the 2022 Juan Soto trade to the Padres.(35:00) Cade Cavalli has been optioned to AAA and was pulled in the 3rd inning on Saturday.  Mark explains the ramifications of Cavalli's roster status and most importantly when he might take the mound for the Nationals this year.

Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

Nats Chat by Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

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