Dylan Crews Collects His 1st MLB Hit Off Gerrit Cole- Washington Nationals Found A Gem w/ Jose Tena

Dylan Cruz collects his first hit against the reigning ALS sa young winner and of course it happens then but also even then Patrick Corbin Take a Bow you are locked on Nationals your daily Washington Nationals podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and thank you all for making lock on Nationals your first listen every single day is we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and of course you can check us out over on YouTube just search locked on Nationals hit that subscriber button for us and if always wherever you get your podcast again search locked on Nationals whether it's Spotify Apple podcast Google Play wherever it is you will find us there because we are free and available wherever you get your podcast so later on in today's show we'll discuss game three today is you got Carlos rodon against McKenzie Gore two left-handed pitchers are McKenzie Gore while he is still very good he has been struggling here lately Carlos rodon has also been struggling as well something's going to have to give who will win this game who will win the series ultimately we'll get that to you in the third segment of today's show in the second segment let's talk talk about it Jose tana and of course he has been I'm not going I'll say unbelievably good he really has been he's 23 years old playing pretty solid over at third base and even then his metrics are looking really good and at this point in time I think he could be holding up one of your Nationals top prospects down to the minor so we'll just get into that in the second segment of today's show and really what Tana has done so far at as a Washington National but we start off the first segment discussing last night's win against the New York Yankees as the Nationals led by Patrick Corbin squeaked away with a 4 to2 win before we get into it today's episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase terms apply download game time today what time is it it's game time so let's get into it here your first major league hit is always a special moment but when you are Dylan Cruz it is an even more special moment not only did Dylan Cruz collect his first hit in last night's game he actually had a multi-hit game and also on top of that that came off the reigning sa young winner with Garrett Cole when the Nationals are playing well these are the things that will happen to happen the Stars will have to align it's plain and simple everything if you are going in against a team like the Yankees up to this point in 2024 the stars have to align for you and last night the stars did a line Dylan Cruz coming up big two Ex two hits yesterday as course he had that little dribbler in the infield as well then went over to second base after a throwing error there Dylan Cruz was not really the catapult for why the Nationals won yesterday's game it was really more so Patrick Corbin and that is one of those things where again the stars align so perfectly for you and that is then what happened so let's get into it because Patrick Corbin was unbelievable in yesterday's game and imagine if Patrick Corbin were to just give us this maybe every more every few weeks which I guess he kind of does but you also go weeks at a time where you're like four earn runs five earn runs three earn runs over three Innings pitch whatever it is we've seen it time and time again from Patrick Corbin to the point where if you're G to be betting on him or betting against him like I did you're probably going to win betting against him but betting form it's one of the toughest things out there I just can't go into any game where Patrick Corbin starts and say I believe we can win this game especially against this Gauntlet of a lineup with Juan SoDo Aaron Judge John Carlos Stanton Jaz Chisum Anthony vulpi Austin Wells if he comes in and Pitch hits like he just did in last night's game Alex Verdugo even though he has been one of the worst hitters in all of baseball since the All-Star break he's still one of those guys where he makes you a little bit nervous at the plate that was all voided last night Patrick Corbin between in my opinion they kind of three-headed monsters sitting here today with SoDo judge or foreheaded Monster rather with Soo judge Stanton and Chisum they went three of 15 with four strikeouts one of those big hits was an Aaron judge double off Patrick Corbin but if you're telling me that Patrick Corbin only held Aaron judu double in yesterday's game and also held our own Juan stto ofer in yesterday's game I would take that any day of the week and you also kind of saw when talking about a big picture moment here with baseball if Juan SoDo and Aaron judge if they aren't clicking on the level that they should be considering what both those guys have done all season long if they aren't clicking on that level this yankee team is beatable you saw it in yesterday's game going up against again Patrick Corin one of the worst if not the worst starting pitcher in all of baseball this season that team is very beatable and I think you saw those holes kind of come into play in yesterday's game but also with that said though it wasn't just the Yankees Who quote unquote lost the game the Nationals did win that game overall they played better the pitching held Us in for the entire game there was not a single Yankee that had a multi-hit game in yesterday's contest and also on top of that Andres chaparo finally hit the ball away from Aaron judge for his first career home run I do want to talk about that real quick I'm not here to tell you that Andres chaparo is going to be your future DH I'm not here to tell you that he's going to be some big impact player but when I am over at Nationals Park and I get to see batting practice live I just saw chaparo twice over the last week in batting practice two times on chaparo the way that he swings the bat in batting practice is the same way he does during the games but more importantly the crack of the bat this is one of those things where some people may overlook this but I certainly don't there are people out there there are hitters out there like a show Otani Aaron judge uh Nelson Cruz back in the day guys like that with insane raw power it just sounds differently off the bat Andres chaparo is one of those guys when you see him taking batting practice and taking the cuts that he's going to take before the Nationals game James Wood is also in this conversation now but it just sounds different and I think you have seen this now over his first few weeks up in The Bigs here with chaparo he's making a pretty decent sized difference for this team remember his first game multi-hit game looked really good in the Nationals in the middle part of their lineup there and then in yesterday's game while he's batting fifth in the lineup had some damage as well with that home run also had three strikeouts as well but that home run was a big kind of momentum shift for the Nationals getting that off Garett Cole taking a sizable lead there in the fourth inning Andres chaparo is going to be one of those guys where you have to keep your eye on him going forward in a 2024 I'm not here to say that again I don't know what his future holds at this point but you can't tell me today that you're just G to be checked out on him and just completely throw his production away he has been productive so far and he does kind of fit that mold again where if you hear the sound of the bat and this is an overrated kind of metric or whatever what you want to say but it does sound different and he has that violent swing where it's kind of like this guy gets a hold of it he's going to crush it and you saw that in yesterday's game as he his first career home run off of Garrett Cole but overall though Dylan Cruz getting multiple hits in his second game against Garett Cole that's your highlight of yesterday's performance and as well as Patrick Corbin shutting the door as he is at in backtack starts what is this 2019 again kind of feels like it at this point in time but again let's run through it six Innings pitch for Patrick Corbin two hits two walks six strikeouts and zero earned runs his ra is back to a whopping five point five good job for Patrick Corbin back-to-back good starts you love to see it so shout out to the Nationals great team win yesterday top to bottom you got offensive production from guys he wanted to see including one guy we didn't not talk about in the first segment because he deserves his own segment Jose tana and guys I'm starting to think that the Nationals could be holding up one of their top prospects because of the 23y old and what he is doing over at the hot corner so let me get into that and tell you who could be being held up because of the production of Jose Tana but before we get into it I'm going to tell you guys about some of our very good friends over at e e Bay Motors and of course we talk about eBay Motors you guys already know the drill there is Passion drive and patience which is the formula for winning championships and it's also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors is everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has you cover with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you'll always find exactly what you're looking for with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber and not cash with all the parts you need it the price you want it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusion Supply eBay guaranteed fit only available to you as customers now I'm going to tell you guys about some of our also very good friends over at prize piix and of course you may not know what prize piix is well we've talked about it a lot here priz piix America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active members in priz piix is the easiest most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports unlike other apps on prize picks it's just you against the numbers you can win up to a hundred times your money on your prize pick to the little as four correct picks you can turn $10 into $1,000 today sign up today and get $50 instantly when you play $5 you don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus it's guaranteed and of course one Caleb Williams passing yard gets you one win on prize picks every week in September that's right only one yard gets you an automatic win every football weekend in September four week of free W's don't miss this deal on priz because it's gone when September ends and priz is available in more than 30 States across the country including California Texas Georgia and of course my home State Virginia so download the priz fix app today and use code locked on MLB and get 50 $50 instantly when you play $5 that's code locked on MLB on price pick to get $50 instantly when you play $5 you don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus it's guaranteed prize picks run your game now we get back into it with the Nationals beating the New York Yankees last night and as we talked about in that first segment it's because of what Patrick Corbin and the bullpen did it's because of Andes chaparo and the home run that he ate but also a big factor left out in that was the 23-year-old the Nationals just acquired at this year's trade deadline Jose Tana Jose Tana has just quietly been not really quietly but he has been a very very consistent piece for this Washington Nationals team so far since being traded over from the Cleveland Guardians in his 13 games here with the gats the numbers that he has put up is wildly good batting 340 a 367 OBP a 489 Slug and a 857 Ops his Ops plus again through these 13 games is at 143 Jose Tana I'm not here to tell you that this guy is going to be your third baseman of the future but I also do think it's starting to look like Jose Tana could be a starting piece of the future but not over at third base but with that said in the now we all know about Brady house down in the miners he's in Triple A you do at this point in time expect him to make his major league debut maybe over the next few weeks with September call UPS looming but I don't think at this point in time with the way that Tana is playing that the Nationals should even consider moving off of him at third base I think you should let Brady house even sit even just a little bit more to get all the Reps you can from Jose Tena he has been your best hitter since being called up from Triple A Rochester it's not that close even and if you look over over at all his Deep dive metrics at this point they're all well above average in fact like in top try to kind of Stratosphere here with exit Vos of guys like Aaron judge and Sh he Otani at this point his average exit velocity sits well above the Major League average his hard hit percentage is well above the Major League average all up into the 90th percentile for both those metrics the expected slug is all the way up in the 90th percentile his sweet spots percentage right around 50% whatever his whiff percentage well above average his Chase percentage well above average his squared up percentage well above average Jose tana and again this is such a small sample size but the things that I heard from the Cleveland Guardians and people who cover their team every single day was that this guy is a very legit hitter he does have some holes in his game and you can see that at times at the plate with the swing decisions but so far it's been so good for the Nationals if he were to correct these things which at this point in time you like to think that he may have corrected them or he's correcting them as we speak because the results are speaking for themselves Jose Tana should not just be thought of as someone who's just like an extra bench guy going forward this guy should get an opportunity to play every single day and get at bats every single day for the duration of 2024 that's at the point that we are at I also want to talk about this he's only 23 years old he turns 24 heading into March of 2025 next year this is still a very young piece younger than Luis Garcia right around the age of a CJ Abrams this kid is Young he's got a a lot to prove he was in a loaded Guardian system who didn't give him all the opportunities up at the major league level but that also doesn't mean that this guy is just some bag of peanuts that you find on the side of the road that's not what it is he was just a prospect caught in a log Jam in a very loaded Guardian system and they needed to offload some talent and luckily the Nationals they found their way with Jose Tena so what should be the approach of Mike Rizo going forward well I already said for the approach of the rest of 2024 he should be your third baseman moving forward over the next month and let's see how he does with about a month and a half two months of baseball under his belt up in the big leagues but going forward don't make a mistake about this Brady house is your future third baseman that's going to be your guy moving forward I could honestly see the Nationals trying out Jose Tana in left field just seeing what he does now I don't think this is something that they do this year but maybe they do and try to take a big swing on that and just kind of work on them out in the Outfield maybe they look at that and say we'll try it but if you look around the infield right now there's no real spot for him outside of Third Base let's see what this kid can do out in left field now it's a lot easier said than none is he going to be a good left fielder I don't know does he have the arm strength for it I would imagine though so playing a decent Third Base the way he does but there's also a lot more other factors that should be considered here and I don't know what the Nationals are really looking for I don't know what they want from him I don't know what they expect from him even I don't know if this is going to be some Lane Thomas effect where we're talking about Jose Tana in two years from now saying remember when we got Jose tana and Elaine Thomas trade I don't know at this point but what I do know is I'm curious what does the future hold for him and if this guy continues to hit the way that he does and continues to help the Nationals Propel themselves to wins over Garett Cole and the Yankees then what kind of future does he have because in my opinion as I see him more the more I feel like this guy is a real puzzle piece to getting the Nationals back in October baseball that is the way that I feel at this point in time maybe I'm just high off a win yesterday against the Yankees maybe I am but also I think he is a real piece and will be a real Factor going forward if the Nationals can figure out what to do with the kids so we'll see what the Nationals do ultimately but Jose Tana watch that name for the rest of the season he's going to be one of the guys that I will be keeping a close eye on throughout the 2024 season over the next month so thank you all for making locked on Nats your first listen every single day next let's talk about McKenzie Gore he makes a start tonight against the Yankees and we all know McKenzie Gore this could be really good it could be really bad we'll discuss that after we tell you guys about our friends over at liquid IV and when you're taking in America's pastime like tonight it is a 98 degree day don't forget to hydrate with liquid i v and you can get hydrated with electrolytes essential vitamins and clinically tested nutrients from the number one powdered hydration brand in America because baseball and summer go together like liquid IV and indulgent hydration I can tell you guys this it is a 98 degree day here late August Dog Days of the summer for the Washington Nationals and you're going to want a liquid IV pouch all you'll have to do is bring a pouch with you to go whether it's a peanut colada flavor lemon lime oai Berry and much more you can dump that into your bottle of water Shake That Thing Up tear pour and of course right there shake it up you'll be good to go and you'll get all the essential vitamins nutrients and of course everything that you need from tart cherry or raspberry flavors and get all the essential stuff that you'll need to stay hydrated throughout the game so there are no more thirsty Summers and no more thirsty BAS games and you indulge in hydration with liquid IV get 20% off your first order of liquid IV when you go to liquid iv.com and use code MLB at checkout that's 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MLB at liquid i.com now let me tell you guys about some of our very good friends over at game time and guys we've talked about game time plenty of times with you I want to share with you their deals because they love deals game time is a new feature called Game Time picks that makes getting tickets for your favorite Live Events even easier game time picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets and of course game 's 50% off Labor Day offer for the Diamondbacks Dodgers game you can go to that if you're in LA or Arizona and of course you can talk super deals and how good it is of as well I get the super deals when I go to game time and of course there is there is toggling this features that show upfront with all pricing must include you have to turn on the future and of course there are seat views you can get a panoramic view from your seat in the app before you buy and the lowest price is always guaranteed or game time credit will give you 110% of the diff difference so take the guesswork at a buying tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase again use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase when you download game time app and use that promo code locked on MLB now we get into it with McKenzie Gore going up against Carlos rhon in tonight's game what will the Nationals do will they be able to kind of hold this thing together because it is one of those games where you're like oh boy the Nats sit at 60 and 73 while the Yankees are 78 and 55 and they are first in the AL East but you have Carlos rodon going up against McKenzie Gore who we all know this about Gore if Gore cannot command his fast ball things are going to go Haywire it will get way out of control really quick for McKenzie Gore if he cannot control that fast ball now again I'm not some wizard out here or anything like that I know that but one thing that I am concerned about with McKenzie Gore Aaron judge hasn't really nipped Us in the butt yet he has 51 home runs on the season and he hasn't hit one through his first two games and that was against Patrick Corbin last night and Mitchell Parker two nights ago and now it's his third straight night of seeing a left-handed pitcher he is going to get a hold of one eventually and of course this lie on a McKenzie Gore day I'm not here to tell you that bet against McKenzie Gore we're not going to win this game because good news for the Nets you're going up against Carlos rodon who hasn't been all that much better here recently he has struggled a lot and also McKenzie Gora has struggled so I don't know what to make of this game I don't know what to do with my hands at this point in time because both teams haven't really faced the opposing starting pitcher all that much as the Nationals have a ton of young guys in this team as you've got a 24-year-old chaparo 23-year-old Jose Tana got Luis Garcia see all the young guys who are playing right now haven't seen the veteran left-handed pitcher with rhon and a lot of the guys on the Yankees team outside of Juan SoDo they haven't seen much of McKenzie Gore either so I don't know what to make at this point in time but one thing is for sure I'm not betting on or against the Nationals heading into this game so we'll see what the Nats do But ultimately McKenzie Gore tonight could be your night to really kind of get your season back in form and finish September strong so we'll see what happens but of course until then you get to watch some baseball tonight against the New York Yankees so we will catch you on the flip side have a good one go next