The Nats lost 2-1 to the Orioles on Thursday to stymie their attempt at a series sweep. Al & Mark convene to discuss the disappointing offensive performance as they only mustered five hits and one drawn walk. James Wood & Dylan Crews each were 0 for 3 in the defeat.

(04:00) CJ Abrams returned from the IL and went 0 for 4 after resuming his leadoff role. Will he stay there or will James Wood get another chance at the top of the order?

(11:15) It was hard luck loss for MacKenzie Gore as he only allowed a pair of runs in six innings of work. Gore struck out eight Orioles and moved ahead of Zack Wheeler for the MLB lead in that category.

(15:30) Washington had a solid performance by their bullpen. Cole Henry handled the final two innings and continued his stretch of not having yet given up a run. Henry was formerly a promising starter in the organization before needing thoracic outlet surgery (TOS) a few years back.

(23:10) Juan Soto and the Mets come to DC for a four game series beginning Friday night. New York has won seven consecutive games and have the best record in baseball.

(26:00) An update on Paul DeJong, who will have surgery on his broken nose. DeJong was hit in the face last week in Pittsburgh and has been on the IL since.

The Nats topped the Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth win in the past five games. Mark & Al leadoff with James Wood, who immediately hit his 8th homer of the season, tying him for the NL lead. It was the hardest hit homer by a National in Navy Yard in the Statecast Era (2015-present).

(07:20) CJ Abrams played all nine innings on Wednesday in his second rehab start in Harrisburg. There is a chance that he will return to Washington's lineup in Thursday's series finale. Hear what Davey Martinez's reply was to Mark's question about which lefty bat will be in the leadoff spot when Abrams is back.

(11:15) Josh Bell also homered in the 1st inning, his 4th of the year. Bell is still struggling at the plate as his OPS sits at a disappointing .577.

(15:00) Trevor Williams only gave up one run in five innings of work. Williams has made five starts thus far and after a slow start, he has thrown back to back solid outings.

(19:45) Four relievers combined to take over after Williams departed. They inherited a 3-1 lead and the O's tied up it in the top of the 8th before Luis Garcia Jr.s go ahead sacrifice fly. Kyle Finnegan thrn completed the save, he is nine for nine this year and leads the NL.

(26:30) Andrew McCutchen recently tweeted that he knows Jorge Lopez was not intentionally throwing at him last week in Pittsburgh. So why were Davey and Lopez each suspended?

Tuesday was a fun one in Navy Yard as the Nats blanked the Orioles 7-0 to open the three game series. Al & Mark heap plenty of praise upon Mitchell Parker, who lasted eight frames for the first time in his career, and retired the final 17 Baltimore hitters he faced. Parker's ERA sits at 1.73 through five starts this season.

(12:30) The offense broke out with 10 extra base hits and 14 hits overall. Nathaniel Lowe & Dylan Crews each went deep and three players each had a trio of hits in the victory (James Wood, Keibert Ruiz, and Jose Tena). The team so far has hit 25 homers in 23 games, a more prolific pace than in years past.

(18:30) Tena's big night leads to a discussion on the status of Brady House, who is playing 3B in AAA. House was the team's 1st Round Pick in 2021.

(23:00) A brief recap of CJ Abrams' rehab assignment in Harrisburg on Tuesday night.

(25:10) Colin Poche only faced the minimum three Orioles hitters even though he was pitching with a seven run lead. Poche walked the first two batters he saw and that immediately forced Cole Henry to get up and ready in the bullpen. Poche's ERA is currently at a staggering 15.00.

(31:15) Josh Whetzel, the Voice of the Rochester Red Wings, shares the latest from AAA. Hear about lefty reliever Konnor Pilkington, who is having a good start to 2025.