Game 81: Electric Night Turns into a Whimper After Loss & Cancellation of Fireworks

The Nats lost 5-3 to the Dodgers for their third straight defeat despite a sellout crowd. Al & Mark begin with the growing list of injury updates. Kyle Schwarber has officially been sent to the IL and so has Alex Avila after playing the infield on Thursday. How much can their depth be continually tested, especially as Trea Turner remains out of the lineup?(9:38) Al was near apoplectic after seeing Jon Lester pinch hit for a second straight game. Why three games into the series does Washington still have a short bench?(15:49) A recap of the offense, including Yan Gomes' HR, Juan Soto hitting into another double play, and a rough evening for Victor Robles.(22:39) Paolo Espino's outing ended once the rain arrived, but it was not his best. What led to a rather uncharacteristic amount of walks for Espino? Who "won" the duel between "The Secret Weapon" and Clayton Kershaw?(26:30) Nationals fans were dealt a slew of bad hands on Saturday night. Many local viewers missed portions of the game on TV and the fans in attendance did not get their customary holiday fireworks. What are the explanations? 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.