Playoffs, Chaisson Tape, Nats wild card?

This week I touch briefly on the NHL and NBA playoffs, give my thoughts on K'lavon Chaisson and my cautious optimism for the new Daronte Jones defense, and ending with my thoughts on the Nats recent road trip to Arizona and San Fran? Are the Nats a serious wild card contender?

Questions? Comments? Let me know at carl.lanore1@gmail.com

Transcript

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Yo, what's up? It's the DC Die Hard Podcast for Friday, June 12th, 2026. I'm your host, Carl Lenore, just another overweight white guy with a mic talking about some sports here today. Been still been watching the NHL Finals, been actually tapping into the NBA finals and been enjoying it. Got Clavon Chase on tape to go through to get excited for the upcoming football season. And we're definitely going to be talking some Nats. Got a lot to unpack with the recent road trip out west against the D backs and the Giants. So here we go. It feels like nobody's out of it, no matter what. That game where Marner had a hat trick and then the canes come back in the third period down four nothing. They're getting pumped for goose into the third period and then come back. Oh, excuse me. Uh they come back. Uh which was just crazy. Like I I was just like, ah, this one's this one's done. I might just go to bed and then you know I go and do some things and I come back and I'm like, oh shit, it's four four two game. And then they scored two times more and then went to double overtime. It was that was an absolutely amazing game to watch. It was so much fun. Um so and and the other way, it just seems like both teams are kind of puking and rallying uh when they're down. Vegas almost did last night, but they did it just a little bit too late. I think they needed a little bit more time on the clock to to be able to actually pull that off. Um and uh yeah, but it it just seems like uh one team will come out hot and then the next team uh you know, next over the next few periods, they just don't quite put them away. And I just I don't know. Um it's I I'm just I'm just enjoying watching it. I know I'm supposed to have like a visceral hate for the canes being, you know, a rival to the caps and whatnot, but I don't know, fuck it. I don't know. Maybe maybe I just don't have enough hate in my heart for for the canes right now. I think I'm just just glad to watch some finally some some good playoff hockey after you know round one being great, but then the two rounds after were kind of kind of duds, if you ask me, except for you know, like those those Buffalo series, like I said before. So I'm hoping Vegas uh takes game six tomorrow and uh pushes it to a game seven. Um I would I would really love to see this uh see Sirius go seven games. Um as far as the NBA finals I've been going, um I haven't it's it's been actually a long time since I've actually keyed in on a on an NBA final series. Uh I think the last one that I really really watched was um the like back to 2017 when it was Golden State and the Cavaliers with LeBron and Steph Curry going back and forth at it. Um I think that was I think that was their uh 73-1 season for Golden State. And um that was wild because I mean every people that I didn't even think would be watching basketball were in on that one. Um so it's it's been a while. Uh I think the reason I really like fell out of it was because it was when Kevin Durant, which you know, Kevin Durant being from PG County, um I'm still you know a fan of his. I'm not I guess you could say I like I didn't have a problem with him going to Golden State, but when he went to Golden State, I was like, oh well I mean we know who's winning the w winning it all now. Like I think that came out maybe like a couple weeks or a month after after the finals. And I was just like, well, I'm I mean there's no point in watching that. Like and you know, surprise, surprise, they won it all that year. So that was when I I just I was just like, well, this is just gonna be boring. Like it's not I guess to me, like when I feel like there's not like a true underdog that I feel like has a chance, uh I I just find a league to get really boring when when something like that happens. Um so but this one's been fun to watch. I'm glad uh I I'm I'm honestly I'm just really glad that it's um the Spurs in the Knicks instead of OKC uh in the Knicks because you know for how you know talented Shane Gileus Alexander is uh I just I can't do the flopping anymore, man. Like all the bodies just going all over the floor. It's just kind of a I don't know. I just I I think I get it. Like you you want to give yourself the competitive advantage to try and get the call and whatnot, but it's just it's kind of too much, man. I like to watch guys get in a paint and bang, and when I see a guy flopping all the time, I just it just kind of rubs me the wrong way. Um I still think he's like super talented. He's definitely one of the best players in the league right now, but um it's just not a fun way to watch watch the game. I just I I just don't enjoy it. Just not really my brand of basketball. I don't think it's a lot of people's brand basketball, honestly. Um so yeah, that that's why I'm glad you know I'm I'm watching just two teams just go at it and bang, and um it's been it's been a fun series. I know the Knicks are up 3-1. I hope I hope that one goes 7-2. Um, because it's been it's been really fun compared compared to the NHL. You know, it's just been two really competitive teams going back at it. I can't believe um the Spurs collapse being up 29 points in the first half going into the second half. I I couldn't believe that they gave up a 29 point lead. You know, they were up like 10, and it's like five minutes in the fourth, and it's like, dude, they're not they're not gonna choke this, are they? Are they? And then I see OG come through and uh you know tap the ball back, and it was I I I I was just like shocked. Like my jaw was on the floor, like I cannot believe they've pulled this off. And uh so but hey, we'll we'll see what happens. Maybe maybe Spurs shake it off, puke and rally for two games, and then maybe we'll get a game seven. So uh yeah, just just really fun um playoffs all around between NHL and NBA Bravo. Uh definitely got down to you know two good teams in both leagues that um are just making it really, really enjoyable to to watch. Um a lot of fun. Lot of fun. Um I also know the World Cup's going on right now. Uh I feel kind of sacrileged because um I'm just not that into it. Uh there's some people that work that were like, oh, let's start a pool, and I'm like, dude, I couldn't even tell you one person's name on at least that's like not like Messi, and I know Messi's, you know, like he's kind of like might be as old as Brady. I don't know. I know he's pretty old for for at least old for an athlete. Um I just I don't know. I just everyone's like excited for the World Cup, and I just I don't know. I I just I can't get there, you know. I can't, I can't uh I can't really get all that excited. Um but I mean if USA does well, I mean that'd be cool, man. Maybe I'll turn it on. Maybe I'll try to like, yeah, all right, here we go. Put it on, let's see what we got. And and I that this is not like disrespect to the players of the sport or anything like that. Um I think it's just soccer's just not my cup of tea. I know those guys are like super athletic and they've run like 11 miles a game or something. Um, so I mean you can't be you know, it's it's definitely a sport that you definitely have to have a certain athletic program to be really good at. I just I don't know, it just doesn't just doesn't do it for me for some reason. Um I'm sure the crowds are awesome that way too. I'm you know, I like like if somebody came up to me and was like, hey, I got a couple tickets to go to a World Cup game. Like I'm going. Like I want to experience that crowd, and maybe then I would like like I would actually like really get into it. But uh when it comes to I think I think uh I just didn't really grow up around any friends that really uh really cared about soccer. I didn't grow up like my parents didn't really care about soccer. My uncles who are who are big sports fans didn't really care about soccer. Uh yeah, I th I think that's it. I think just nobody in my circle really cared about soccer all that much. Um so even though I have a tremendous amount of respect for the sport and the athletes that play it, especially at a high level, um just I don't know if I'm gonna be uh motivated to to put it on. Uh, but we'll see. You know, maybe maybe I will. Maybe I'll catch it now that I've like really laid it out there. Maybe maybe I just convinced myself to turn on a couple games. But uh anyways, um so yeah, that's just like me being casual fan of of just some you know sports in general with some NBA with some NBA and uh NHL playoffs. Um if you're not watching it, you should be. I honestly. Like I I don't have any like in-depth kind of analysis like I do for you know the DC teams, but you know, overall, if if if you're not watching playoffs right now, I I don't know what you're doing. You you better be watching a really good show or something, or or playing a really good video game that you're into. I don't know, something because if you're not watching this stuff, man, you're you're definitely missing out. So all right. On the Calavon Chason tape. Uh let's just roll through some stats really quick. So Kalavon Chason had 30 tackles with seven and a half sacks with 52 pressures and a 14.2 pressure rate. He is an ascending player, if you ask me. He had two sacks in 2023 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, had five the year a year later, and then had seven and a half sacks last year. Um, which in my opinion, after looking at the tape and um looking at all of I watched I watched all of his pressures and I watched all of his sacks. Um and then I I was able to tap in a little bit on the run defense, because I don't know if that's his strong suit. I'll I'll get to that in a second. Um but watching watching just the pass rush where he got pressures and he um and he got sacks, I think he he could have absolutely been a double-digit sack guy last year. Um he definitely got enough pressure rate. Some of the top guys in sacks that had, you know, 15-16 sacks. I was looking at the pressure rates. I was because I saw the 14% pressure rate and I'm like, is it like I think that's pretty good, but let me verify. And some of the guys that had you know 13 plus sacks had you know 13 to you know, you were in that 13 to 16 percent range of uh QB pressures. So I think uh yeah, 14 14.2% pressure rate is I I think is is really good, especially for the amount of snaps that he played rushing a passer. Um so I think I think he could have been, you know, definitely a uh 10 to 11 sack guy last year. He just there were a few plays where he just missed. Um I think he might have just been getting too downhill, getting at somebody, and you know, just missed. Um now some of that, you know, is still good because it gets the QB off the spot and it it makes the quarterback have to reevaluate. He can't really make the throw that he wants to throw, and then he steps up into you know another person, another another player coming downhill. So it's still he still causes a sack, um, or at least an incompletion, whatever. But as far as I I would like to see him finish some of those uh a little bit better. And I'm I'm totally splitting hairs here, totally splitting hairs. Um, I I just see I think I'm just trying to outline the potential of this player that we acquired in the offseason. Um, I think I think he's I think he'll be good as far as like you know, everybody's been bitching that we don't have an extra pass rusher. And uh we went out and got a couple, man. We went out and got Oway. We went out and got this guy, and um don't get it twisted. Uh Dorrence Armstrong was on pace for a double-digit sack season. I don't I I can't I don't think he got there. I think he got injured pretty early in the season, but he was he was absolutely don't forget about Dorrance Armstrong, he was doing really well up up until he got injured. So um hopefully he bounces back from the injury really well, and I I think he will. Um I haven't heard anything crazy about like the injury, like uh no one's really said anything. So I'm taking it as like, okay, no news is good news. He's probably the same player that he was. I don't think he had like a substantial injury or anything that like like an injury that's that you can't come back from. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I don't remember really being noteworthy either. So uh anyways, back to Calavon. Um I thought he had he had really good pursuit. Um I think he gets off the ball really, really well. Uh he's he's got he's definitely got like a you know how like you have a quick first step in basketball. He's definitely has that off the edge. Um really gets vertical really well. Um I thought he uh set good edges on the pass rush. I thought um like he and to add on to that, I think he he maintained his uh pass rush lanes really well. So the quarterback couldn't really escape on his side uh too easily, anyways. I I didn't see I might have saw maybe like one or two plays where like Josh Allen or another mobile quarterback uh was able to to kind of escape. But outside of that, man, um I I it it seemed like they were the Patriots were really good. They were really good at running stunts, they ran a lot of stunts and they were really good at rushing four. Like very seldom did I notice them rushing five or six. Um something like there would be times they rushed five, but for the most part, man, they they rushed four. And I think Kalayvon was a big part of them uh being able to get home with four. Seemed like they really just constricted and maintained their pass rush lanes uh really well. And Cala Von is especially. So I I really was impressed by that. Um you know, I I saw I I might have just touched on this, but he definitely can can win one-on-ones. Um, and and I think he's you know, he's got some good bend. Um, you know, he he gets vertical, and it's just like the the tackle just can't even keep up. And he uh he definitely gets home. He definitely gets home. So if if I I'm gonna be I'm gonna be super excited to see how um Devontae uses him and and what what he does. Um I thought he I thought he uses his hands well, so he had a swipe um that that I saw him use where uh he he was a that helped him just beat the tackle immediately. And then he also had a really good bull rush. I I remember there was one play, I can't remember exactly which uh play, like which team it was against, but he he bull rushed the tackle, got his hands inside, kind of stood him up, and just kind of like stayed there and waited for the quarterback to make his move and then and then went after him. Um so kind of just like caged him in and and set a good edge. And I I really uh I was really impressed by that. Um I I thought he's another guy, just like I was talking about with Leo, just like I was talking about with Owe. Um he's got a good motor, man. He's got a good motor, he never gives up on the play, and and he's definitely relentless, like he's constantly just until until the whistle's blowing, man, he he's getting after it. He's definitely getting after it and doesn't give up. And so with all that said, man, um I'm really really starting to see why Kinlaw is excited to to play with these guys with his quote that we got some motherfuckers, because he's you know, some of these guys that I'm watching, you know, Leo and and Owe, especially, uh fuck it. Shout out, shout out to me too, even though he's a corner. Um but when uh but I'm when I'm talking about the front seven and uh Javon with his quote and what he said, like I'm starting to see it now, man. Like I'm starting to see why this guy is excited to play with some of these players. I think uh, you know, like you you got Owe on one side, Calavon on the other side, and then you can put you know Kinlaw um and Payne in the middle, Tim Settles coming back, you can put him in the middle, um, and then we got Dietrich Wise coming back and and Dorren Sarmstrong coming back. I mean, now that I'm starting to point it out, like I think because of the last year, I'm I've been kind of pessimistic, you know, saying like I gotta see it, but now I'm starting to kind of be like, man, this this is kind of a deep room. This is this can be this could be one of the better, this could go from one of the worst defensive lines in football last year to one of the best defensive lines in football this year. Now, I do think there's some question marks around Calavon on his run stopping ability, but I think he's gonna be specifically used on in passing situations, so your second and long and and third down passing situations because we Dietrich Wise is coming back, and that was who was supposed to be our like edge run stopper. Um, it was just unfortunate we didn't get to see it because he got hurt in week two against the Packers, uh, you know, injuring his quad. So I'm really excited to see Dietrich Wise back and watch the run game. Um, but I'm also excited to watch the pass rush game. I mean, you put you put Owe and Calavon on one side, and then like I was saying, Kinlaw and Payne or Settle or uh Johnny Newton. Johnny Newton is you know, he had three sacks in the last game of the year. Was it last yeah, the last game of the year last year? He had uh he had three sacks in one game, so like he definitely flashed, and I was and I'm definitely excited to see him get back out there and and some definitely some more situational football and and just see what happens, man. Because um I mean I just just thinking about it, I'm kind of having analysis paralysis of like because you got Sonny Styles, Frankie Louvu, Leo Chenal, and Jordan McGee behind you. I mean, take your pick of whatever combination you want of those four guys. I think it'll be Louvu, Chennaul Styles for the most part, unless Jordan McGee absolutely fresh flashes and takes a step up. I I will not um discount that as a as a possibility at all of McGee you know ascending because he he was injured his his first year and then you know just couldn't quite find a way to like stay on the field. So um, but but he definitely flashed at times last year. So um but but anyways, I'm just thinking of like Durante Jones and this um Brian Flores, Mike Zimmer style, blitz happy, maybe not as blitz happy. I don't know. I I I just have no idea what Durante Jones defense I like. We have an idea, but what it's really gonna look like, I'm so excited to see. Because the creative things that you could do in a 3-4 defense with two pass rushers that can get after it both have the potential to be double-digit sack guys, you have D-tackles that can take on double teams really well, and if like like for Kinlaw, especially, I'm really, really just intrigued to see how these pressure packages come and can you isolate and get Ken Law one-on-one more often. I feel like if you got Kenlaw into some one-on-ones more often by having really nice pressure pressure packages, I bet you he has a great year too. Because I I haven't seen him I saw him in person from like the 400 section of Northwest and like the 300 section of of uh um US Bank. So like, you know, they those guys they that you know they they all just they all look little from up there. I mean you can still kind of see, but um anyways, as what I was saying is uh the way that the beat reporters and the commanders media, the way those guys talk about Calavon, uh not Calavon, uh Javon, uh like how massive he is, but then the way he moves, and they're just like, dude, you're not supposed to be that big and and move like that. You know, so I'm super excited to see some pressure packages and if um you know we can isolate and make rush lanes like you know because sunny styles can rush to pasture Leo Chenal can rush to pasture Frankie Louvre that's his shit and so you get Frankie Louvre coming downhill and blowing up some blocks with and so it's just like who do you stop first? So I'm I'm super I'm starting to get super excited to watch this front seven for sure because I I think it it's gonna be a night and day difference from last year just from a personnel standpoint uh just from just from a personnel standpoint it's I think it the room is definitely much improved now like I was saying before I'm trying to like hold it back a little bit because because uh I was definitely super excited for last season and we know all how that went so I I want to see it first before I get like really really excited for these guys um but hey I I definitely I I'm starting to see a path where this defense at the very at the very least is middle of the road next year um but that's assuming uh we stop the run which you know Dietrich wise Tim Settle um Daron Payne's good against the run these guys uh uh you know Adafe Owe is is I I mean I don't think you pay a guy $100 million and he's like not you know and he's you know terrible against the run right but I'm starting to I don't know man I'm st I'm starting to kind of see uh see a path where where this could be a really really good defense next year um and I think it definitely still depends on the secondary we'll definitely have to see how Amique does we'll have to see how what they do with Mikey. Mikey had a down lear ear last year I want to see him come back to that 2024 year um and then Trey Amos got injured 10 games in but I thought Trey Amos played great for you know a second round pick coming out of coming out of Ole Miss um the 10 games that he played I I thought he did really well there was maybe there's maybe one like bad instance that I remember um but he was going up against uh JSN uh Jackson Jackson Smith in Jigba um and he was arguably uh you know at the very least top three wide receiver in the in the league last year if not the best um so we'll uh I'm starting I'm starting to get pumped for this season man I'm I'm grinding some tape I'm I'm watching some ball I'm you know starting to really really pay attention to the X's and O's again and just kind of shape an idea around what this defense could be I mean the sim pressures the um you know the stunts they could run uh the just the way they could create lanes for the the linebackers could to get downhill um I I don't know man it it's gonna be it's gonna be something to definitely keep your eye on for sure for sure so um man I I think that's all I got on that I think that's it just uh stay tuned stay tuned I I'm gonna uh who should I do next week maybe I'll shift it to the offense and uh do Chig Chugaconquo because I don't know if if the Titans really unlocked what Chig could do. He's he definitely could be one of the missing puzzle pieces. Like I know we had a had Zach Ertz last year as far as pass catching goes and I I think he did do you know pretty good for as old as he is and um you know what what he brought to the table I thought you know great route running and and all that but you know towards the end of his career it's like maybe if we had the Eagles version of Zach Ertz maybe maybe we're talk talking a different story. But um Chig Chigman I you know definitely has a great athletic profile. I don't know how the Titans really used him um but I'm I'm intrigued because I know everybody is talking about the wide receiver room being kind of underwhelming like it's Terry and then who I know there's a bunch of brain and Iuk stuff coming out um I'm getting to the point where you know what even with the Instagram posts and everything going on I don't really care. If we sign we sign him and if we sign him and he plays great football awesome if we sign him to you know a low contract and he doesn't play good football and we cut him also whatever like I don't know I uh I've thought about Stefan Diggs so many times and I I wouldn't mind seeing Stefan Diggs in Washington um especially on like a you know one year rental you know uh I I think I don't know um I I just I just have a hard time putting all of my chips into the fourth round pick of Antonio Williams as much as as as good of a player as he probably is um especially with the skill set of him being a really good route runner um which tends to stick around in the NFL I don't I just don't want to put all my eggs in that basket quite yet because he's just he's a fourth round rookie. Now sometimes maybe you do get an Amon Ross St. Brown but those guys are exceptions to the rule. Most of the time those later round picks they're just kind of like uh you got the athletic profile and I can see a path where you're a good player in this league but very rarely do they become great players. Uh there you know there's a few outliers of that um but most of the time doesn't that's not really where you're wanting to head your bets so we'll see and now now if Antonio Williams comes out and fucking kills it I'm gonna be absolutely ecstatic for the kid. So don't don't don't get it twisted that way. I I'm gonna be super I'm I'm super excited to watch him in general just to see what we've got um but I just feel like we need to add one more which brings me back to maybe there was some some talent that didn't get unlocked in Chigaconquo. So if it's Terry and then who well maybe it's Chig. Maybe you were you know trotting out um 21 personnel uh on on majority of downs under center where John Bates is your blocker and he caught a couple pass he can he can get slippery and uh catch a few passes I've I wouldn't rely on that for sure but maybe you're running you know Bates and Chig and maybe even Colston Yankov is out there. Maybe we're getting three tight ends out there. Who knows? Who knows? I that that's one of the biggest question marks to me. Everybody's kind of hyping up David Blau and his offense and Jaden's getting under center and we're gonna be able to move him and move to Pogan blah blah blah blah blah blah all those things that that come with going under cent center which I am excited for. I'm just pumping my brakes on this guy as a first time play caller building a brand new offense that we are thinking we're predicting it's gonna be Ben Johnson right but we don't I don't know that for for sure um I I mean probably I I think we can say probably but we don't know exactly what it's gonna look like the schemes blah blah blah blah blah I just think there's a there's a big chance that we come out with two tight ends and if Chigakonquo is one of those guys that can be a really good pass catcher and the Titans just didn't use it for whatever reason then I see a path for the offense too to be really really good and bounce back um from a down I mean we say down year but the year that they had in 2024 was kind of nobody saw it coming and unheard of and and it I think it's absolutely an outlier. So if we can if we can average it back up man I I think I think this can be overall I I think this is gonna can be a really good football team. Alright I'm gonna I'm gonna quit running my suck about the about the com commanders so uh we're we're gonna roll into what's happening right now the team that's in season right now in the Washington Nationals and here we go they are still the best offense with the worst with the worst defense and by defense I mean pitching um they are so so I looked it up I was like are we still the number one in runs technically no but the Dodgers have played an extra game with us and we're run one run behind them so I think uh yeah I in my head we're still the best offense in the league which is absolutely crazy to say I would have never if you would have told me that the Nats would be a game back from a wild card spot with the best offense in major league baseball I would have told you you're absolutely crazy. So I mean that's super I'm I'm really excited to keep watching this team um despite the collapse that happened against the Giants where they blew a 11 run lead but I'll get to that in a sec. But still best still the best offense man wood is still would still hot he's the top one percent in barrel percentage hard hit percentage and exit velocity so he's still hitting the fuck out of the ball and he's six and home runs with 18 on the year. Luis Garcia over the road trip definitely popped he had I I remember just watching like because I couldn't catch the start of every game uh because you know life but I I would just turn on the TV or look at my phone like check the score and it would be two to nothing in the top of the first and I'm like Luis Garcia did it again or Curtis meade did it again. Luis Garcia is I think the two spot he's starting to kind of solidis solidify himself there. I was kind of lukewarm on him at first being in the being in the two spot but he's alright man like he's starting to really his bat is really starting to come around um not that it was terrible to start the year it just wasn't Wood or Abrams which is a very high standard to try to match but he's he's definitely um coming in to his own and you know putting in some RBIs putting some putting some out of the park man um it's been super I've been super happy for Luis um as far as as his bat coming around is is concerned um he's been it seems like he's just been a guy that the Nats can count on in some bigger spots um and in some spots to be able to drive in runs and that's been just kind of a relief to see um Curtis Mead has also been killing it he's given the Nats a lift with four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 15 games um he's he homered against the Giants last game he's hit a few you know gapper RBIs like Curtis Mead is absolutely killing it too um he's definitely doing above average for his career he's bounced around a little bit I think he was drafted in either like 2021 or 2022 I can't remember exactly I just saw it I just can't remember the exact year but he's he's been around the league for a little bit um I think he started out west and now he's now he's with the Nats and he's been uh he he's been doing really well for us both uh overall I think defensively I can't remember I think there might be one or two bad plays but overall I mean defensively I think he's been good and his bat has been great for the months of May and June. So shout out Curtis Mead man um it was a good road trip despite the collapse versus the Giants um you know you took two in Arizona you took two in San Francisco it it's just that that giants collapse really really stung because I feel like we should have we should have swept we should have absolutely gotten our first sweep of the year. I don't think we swept anybody we might have swept some who do we did we sweep somebody I feel like we swept somebody maybe not anyways point being we should have swept the Giants even though like because we stole a game from them the first game of the series we won decidingly the second game and then we were winning decidingly it was like nine to one like the equivalent of losing nine to one is like dude you could win this golf tournament if you bury this five footer um well not bury this five footer if you don't three putt this five footer and then you four putt it like that's how it felt man like you were right there and you found a way to fuck it up. Um so uh I don't know that collapse I I hope it it woke somebody in that bullpen up of of of just how poor the bullpen pitching has been historically over the past couple years it's it's just been it just hasn't been good and I just feel so bad for the offensive side of the ball because it's like dude we we score 10 runs and we still can't get it done what is going on man like like what is that like someone has got to get a fire under their ass besides Brad Lord um and and give us you know kind of a guy that we can lean on those are my my freaking iPod freaking my earbuds my bad anyways um we need uh we need a guy that we can rely on in in those later high leverage innings man because I mean obviously it hasn't all been a complete catastrophe but almost you know we're one game back from the wildcard but there's been so many games this year like if we had a decent bullpen we could be you know second to the Braves at the very least in a wild card spot but we just give up too many runs in the late innings we give up too many runs in the early innings sometimes and I'll get to that in a second. I just that that game just really stung and um the that game I I'll explain how I feel about us being a wild card tender later. I got some other things I want to get through from the from the road trip out west but um yeah it just that one just just really stung I I think the only I'll reel myself back a little bit and say it happens sometimes. I can remember sometimes growing up I've been on that side of it and I've been on the other side of it where you're the one that comes back. It just sucks man like I I just feel like I just feel like good teams don't let that shit happen. You know that that's all it is uh when when I heard Blake Butterra he was like yeah I you know he's you know he said that he told the team that this should sting and then he was like it's pretty it's pretty quiet in there right now um so hopefully it it set in and they come back they come back better because it doesn't get easier from here. We got the Mariners who I think are a decent who are a decent ball club coming in we got and then I think we have a uh yeah we got the mariners coming in then we got the Royals who are not doing all that great right now and then but then we got the Rays after that so and then you got a four game uh homestamp with the with the Phillies so it doesn't get much easier from here um you're gonna have to play some gritty baseball and if you're serious about the playoffs you're gonna have to find a way to win some of these games man and I think they can I'm not gonna say they will but I I think they can so um anyways um as of late though we've got a positive run differential we're plus seven um which is which is good like we were negative there for for the majority of the season so seeing us having a positive run differential has been good um I I just harped on the bullpen I'm not gonna harp I'm I'm going down my notes I'm sorry um it's just getting to the point uh I don't have I have very little confidence in in anybody in the in the wild card right now um hold on I gotta go take care of my dog real quick and I'm back um so I have very little confidence in anyone coming out of the bullpen right now not named Brad Lord Brad Lord has been kind of the only one that I'm like all right give us give us some good innings um but uh and they're like I was saying before I don't think we'd be one game back from the wild card and guys not giving us good innings it just feels so rocky that the wheels could come off of any of these guys at any time I'll say this I have been a big fan well not a big fan but I've been rooting hard for Mitchell Parker I don't know if I'm not gonna try to defend him because the last few outings that he's been out there have not been good. I am surprised I haven't seen any news but I'm very surprised that he hasn't been optioned back down to triple A because he just hasn't he hasn't been good man I don't know what you do with him because I don't think he's good enough to be a starter I thought he might be able to be the Brad Lord type with the starting pitching the way it was going where guys only giving us three to four innings and him being able to come in and you know give us you know two to three more um and get us into the to the later innings. I don't know if he's that anymore and he's been put into some high leverage situations I don't know why outside of I don't have anybody else to put in I think that's why Blake's been putting him in he's definitely said that in a few press conferences of guys I didn't have anybody else I could put in uh bullpen's thin so so we have a you know thin bullpen with guys that aren't good in high leverage spots um one of them being Mitchell Parker so I don't know what you do with him I really don't I really don't know what you do with him um but hey it you know is what it is they'll they'll either call up somebody or we'll just have to keep rolling with it because I mean I don't know what else you do. Otherwise like I I was trying in my head I'm getting I'm getting a little bit on a tangent here but I was trying in my head to think about like what kind of a package do you put together to get some bullpen guys like I don't want to move CJ Abrams. CJ Abrams is one of the major reasons that the Nats are in the position that they are you don't you definitely don't move I don't even know why that crossed my mind you don't move James Wood at all you got to extend him um and I can't think of anybody else that you want to move that would be able to give us um some good bullpen rotation guys in return I don't I don't know who I would want to trade like Nasim Nunia is as good as he's been in the field um and the fact that he's you know top two in the league uh in stolen bases I don't know if he's still leading the league in stolen bases that's why I said that um he was leading the league in stolen bases but I don't know if that's enough to be able to trade for some for some depth in the bullpen um I love Jacob Young so I don't want to move him and I don't know how much he he draws because his bat While it's been a lot better, it still isn't, you know, bringing, you know, a I I don't know if anybody's parting away with good bullpen guys for for him. Um I don't know, like I was like, maybe there's a prospect package, but I don't want to let go of Seaver King that's killing it. We just moved up a bunch of guys from high A or into high A who are killing it right now. So I don't know if you want to put a prospect package together. I have no idea. Paul Tabone definitely he's in like the best worst position right now, I feel like, where he has a team that is seemingly overperforming, and if they and if they keep going the way they are, maybe maybe this is just as good as the offense really is. I'm waiting for the rug pull, but it's it hasn't come yet. Um knock on wood, knocking on some wood there, so I don't jinx it. But and Paul Taboni is in like one of the best worst positions you can be in, because it's like, well, I don't know if I want to trade anybody, but I feel like if I really want to make a push this year, I gotta go do something. So I'm gonna be really interested as the uh trade deadline comes on, depending on if if the Nats have a good rest of this month in a good July, August gets really, really interesting. In August, you are going to have some wild, wild uh it it that's a tough month for the Nats. Because you've got you've got starting out, you've got the Braves, then a four four games at Philadelphia, then the Reds come to town who aren't a slouch, they could get hot, then the Cubs come to town, then you play the Mets, you know, that's an at least it they've we always just for some reason the Marlins and the Mets, it doesn't matter if they're good, bad, indifferent, for some reason, we just play each other tough. Um then the Rangers who aren't a slouch of a team, then the fucking fish, who we somehow always choke on a dick against, and then we host the Rockies, so that's a little bit of a break, and then it's the Marlins again. So that's gonna be a really important month if we're still in the wild card race. And we'll have to see what Paul Taboni does. Um the starting pitching has been much better. We've had good outings from Griffin, who's who went six innings, I think maybe one run scored. I didn't write it down, maybe one run. I don't think he gave up any really. No, he gave up, he gave up like one or two runs. Um, and then we had good work work from Michael's, who I was absolutely trashing. Maybe I gotta cop keep talking shit about him and he'll keep doing better. Same with Lattell. Lattel had another good start. He's had a he's had a good, you know, half a month to a month now of starts. Where you know, last last outing he only gave up one or run through five. Pitched really well. I mean, you can you can win ball games like that. If you can get through five and let your offense just do the rest and feel like they're just right there in the game and like they have a chance, dude. You're you're killing it. You know what I mean? Um so maybe I'll just keep talking shit about these guys of Lattell and Michaelis. I still don't fucking believe in ya. I still think you stink. I can smell ya all the way at the Rocky Mountains, man. So I'll just leave it there. Alvarez was Rocky, got out of some jams, his pitch count got up there. I think he's got good stuff. I think he just needs to settle in. I think Alvarez will be good. He can end up being a good rotational peeps. Um Brad Lord ended up coming in and picking him up and and giving him some innings because uh Alvarez, I think he gave up four runs uh through five uh with five walks. Um he walked a lot of guys. Um it just I think this has just been Nats pitching in general. Don't get ahead in the count 0-2, 1-2, and then just for some fucking reason the batter decides to be the hardest fucking out ever, and then they end up losing them and walking them, or giving up a hit. Um Kavali was rocky uh in his start against the against the Diamondbacks. Um he uh gave up four runs through through five innings. Um so um that that's been it. Um so I think this is gonna lead uh I'm gonna end this uh podcast with with maybe we'll we'll see how much of a tangent I go on, but um with uh I'm still not completely convinced that the Nationals are a serious wildcard contender. That's not me saying I don't want them to be. That would be like the opposite of being a fan. That would be me being a hater. I'm just I look at this team and I look at the fragility of the pitching staff in general. Um we need Jake Irvin back bad man. I can't and and not that Jake Irvin was like blowing my socks off with his performances, but he gave he gave us some solid starts. Um we're definitely missing him for sure. I haven't heard anything about him. I know he still hadn't been throwing yet as of last week, but um hopefully we get him back soon. Um but yeah, the fragility of the bullpen. It was that Giants loss that I was like, if we can if we blow games like that, I don't know like what happens because I was against the Giants, and the Giants are not doing well right now. Um I know they have really good hitters in Jungho Lee and Devers and uh Elbridge had a good series, but overall, it's like if we can't put a team like the Giants away up nine to one, how on earth can I expect this team to come up in big moments against good teams like the Phillies, the Braves, the Dodgers, the Cubs, the Padres, uh, the Diamondbacks, who they had just taken a series against. I just I I don't see a sustainability where this offense can keep carrying this this bullpen in particular. Um I just I just don't really see it yet. I just think we are one or two bullpen pieces, like we need a we need a closer closer. Like a closer closer, like a Duran um in Philly, like a Mason Miller in San Diego, uh one of those kind of guys to to like close out games in the ninth. We need I think we could use one more bat. The Nationals, I think, have been getting by. This is just what I think, not what I know. I don't have anything per stat cast, anything like that. This is just what I think. But Wooden Abrams, for the most part, has been carrying this offense with one or two other bats that get hot. So it was Dalen Lyle and K Bear Ruiz in May. This month it's been um Luis Garcia and Curtis Mead getting hot, um, with a little sprinkle of Jacob Young in there, you know. Um, so if we could add, I think one more consistent bat. Now, whether that comes in the form of a prospect coming up next year or um, and I'm thinking little that's a little more forward thinking than this year. Um but I think this year, I think, I think if you were gonna try and make a playoff push push this year, you put together a package for some for some relievers for a close or something like that. Outside of that, uh I don't I don't really think you can add another another bat. I don't think we have the the uh we we don't have that kind of leverage. So we'll uh so and and and they're the best they're you know top two in the league and run scored. So I mean you might as well just keep riding it. I don't think there's any reason to give anything up. Uh and I think you bring up the floor of the pitching this year. If you were gonna make a push this year, you bring up the floor of the pitching staff rather than making the ceiling of the of of the bats higher. So I think so until until we get some like reliable relievers, I I'm not looking at this team as a as a serious wildcard contender yet. Now, if they get hot, I'm gonna be rooting for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm gonna be rooting my ass off for them and hoping they take a wild card spot because I haven't been able to watch playoff I haven't been able to watch Nationals playoff baseball in seven fucking years. So I'm I'm I'm really hoping that I am just the most wrong person with a fucking microphone in the in in the world right now. Um so I I'm definitely rooting for him all the way. I think there's a chance that they can get to the wildcard, and so when I say serious wildcard contender, I don't think it's like it's like the Carolina Panthers of uh of of the MLB. Like can get there, but they're not getting past the Dodgers, they're not getting past the Phillies as much as I hate to say that. I don't think they they get past those teams. I don't think they get past the uh you know I feel like they could get past the Padres, actually, even though I'm I'm biased, like recency biasing myself there. Um dude, the Cardinals are killing it. That's so crazy to me. That's so crazy to me. I don't think they get past the Brewers who are playing good ball right now. Um, so I think that's maybe I should have clarified that at first. That's what I really mean. I don't think they're serious wildcard contenders. I don't think they're a team that's coming in and going, ooh shit. Ooh, I got the game all right now. It's bottom one. Okay, at a boy Lattel getting through the first. That's what I'm talking about. Okay, I I think I'm gonna end that there. Um, I think there's a lot of problems with this baseball team. I think there's a lot of problems with the football team. I think there's a lot of problems with the hockey team. And I hope the Maryland Terrapins can give me March Madness basketball next year. So um anyways, go Nats, go Commanders, go caps. Um, and dare I say, in the next coming uh in the next couple years, uh even though uh I'm not the hu biggest NBA fan, definitely fair weather when it comes to the Wizards, but go wizards. Um so yeah, that's it from me. Uh if you made it this far, thanks so much for listening. Um love to hear from you. Uh I'm out.