Game 71: Late Offensive Explosion Leads to 9th Inning Rally

The Nats emerged victorious in a seesaw affair 13-12 over the Phillies. Mark & Al aren't quite sure where to start so the conversation begins with the decisive 9th inning. What would have happened if Jordy Mercer had to exit the game? Was it the right move to have Alex Avila sacrifice bunt? No Starlin Castro jokes today as he was the hero with the 2 run single in the 9th.(8:01) Josh Bell hit a grand slam which put Washington ahead and his skipper said afterward, "That made him a National". Kyle Schwarber yet again went deep, but Juan Soto's scuffles continued. (21:20) Erick Fedde's scoreless inning streak came to screeching halt at 21 frames as he allowed five runs in only four innings. Cause for concern or just a speed bump for Fedde?(24:36) The bullpen struggled mightily as they temporarily blew the lead in the 8th. HOWEVER, Paolo "The Secret Weapon" Espino recorded his first career save. Will he keep getting more high leverage situations?(36:57) Today is the 10th anniversary of Jim Riggleman's abrupt resignation as Nationals manager. Come learn the history of "St. Caddies Day". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.