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.

The Nats split their doubleheader on Sunday after winning Game 1 by a score of 3-2 before losing the nightcap 3-1. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al start with the offense, which only mustered four runs in 18 innings of action. Dylan Crews though continued his hot weekend by getting a hit in each game, manufacturing a run in Game 1 and by stealing his 6th base of the season in Game 2.

(08:45) We point out Luis Garcia Jr.'s struggles this far as his OPS is at .569. He only has one homer in 2025 and his batting average sits at .209.

(13:15) Jake Irvin pitched well in the victory as he struck out nine in just over six innings of work. Brad Lord started Game 2 and lasted four frames while only surrendering a pair of runs to keep Washington in it.

(17:20) The bullpen certainly had a much better day on Sunday than on Saturday. The highlight came in Game 1 as Jose A. Ferrer & Kyle Finnegan combined for the final eight outs. Finnegan is 8 for 8 on saves this season and at 96 career saves; he is 2nd all time in Nationals history behind Chad Cordero.

(27:00) The Nats open a seven game home stand on Tuesday when the Orioles come to Navy Yard for three games. CJ Abrams has been on the IL since April 12th and there is a chance he could return to the lineup vs. Baltimore at some point.

INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS THIS WEDNESDAY AT 5PM PRIOR TO NATS/O'S

The Nats emerged victorious on Saturday in Colorado, but a 12-2 lead turned into a 12-11 escape act. Mark (From Coors Field) & Al run through the dizzying afternoon that saw four Washington homers, a dominant outing by MacKenzie Gore, and the bullpen allowing eight Rockies runs in the bottom of the 7th.

(05:30) Dylan Crews had his best game yet in the majors as he went deep twice and snagged a great catch in the bottom of the 8th. Crews knocked in four runs, which is thus far a career high.

(07:35) James Wood slugged his 7th homer of the season out of the leadoff spot. Wood is currently tied for the NL lead in homers with four others players including Kyle Schwarber. Wood was lifted in the middle of the game for Alex Call for defensive reasons and Al vehemently explains why he disagrees with this decision by the manager.

(17:00) It got lost in the shuffle of the late game dramatics, but MacKenzie Gore was fantastic on Saturday afternoon. Gore tied a career high with 13 Ks on 104 pitches in six frames and now leads the majors with 45 strikeouts this year.

(22:30) The bullpen inherited a 12-2 lead entering the bottom of the 7th and an inning later Colorado was now behind 12-10. Lucas Sims only recorded one out yet gave up four runs and his ERA this season is up to 15.26. It still is better than Colin Poche's 19.29, this after he surrendered a pair of runs while also only securing one out. What can be done to fix this?

(37:10) Jorge Lopez's suspension was reduced from three to two games. He will be eligible for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.

(40:00) INFORMAL NATS CHAT HANGOUT AT WALTERS ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 23RD AT 5PM UNTIL FIRST PITCH AGAINST THE ORIOLES.

The Nats lost 6-1 on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Mark (Live from PNC Park) & Al recap the hectic bottom of the 7th that saw the benches & bullpens clear shortly before an Oneil Cruz Grand Slam broke the game open. Jorge Lopez was ejected after throwing inside on Andrew McCutchen and that was presumed to be retaliation for Paul DeJong getting hit by a pitch in the face on Tuesday night.

(13:10) The Cruz Grand Slam came against Eduardo Salazar who relieved the ejected Lopez. Salazar has had a bad series and his ERA this season is a staggering 7.56. Salazar has options remaining and is a candidate to be demoted in the near future.

(17:00) Mitchell Parker had a fourth straight quality start to begin his 2025. The lefty only allowed one run in six innings of work on Wednesday. Parker's ERA is an extremely impressive 1.85 and has been the team's best pitcher so far.

(20:10) Davey Martinez confirmed that DJ Herz has undergone Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. Herz was placed on the IL just a few days prior to Opening Day.

(23:00) The hosts reset the ever increasing increasing amount of injuries within the organization.