It's no secret that MacKenzie Gore has struggled all summer long and he hasn't been his usual self, Ryan is now open to the idea of optioning him to AAA. But, there's also another road to consider that may be more possible. Seaver King and Caleb Lomavita make their FredNats debut TONIGHT! Ryan shares his hot take for you then. Lastly, we preview the Beltway Series as the Nats head up to Baltimore to face the Birds.
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As Mackenzie Gore continues his 2024 summer struggles, should the national start considering moving him down a triple A well, it's certainly on the table. And thank you all for making lockdown nationals your first listen every single day 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 there and that is where you'll find your daily content for your Washington nationals and of course again just searches wherever you get your podcast again that is locked on nationals wherever you get your podcast a little bit later on in today's show. You've got the beltway series starting tonight two games up at Camden Yards one of the best ballparks in all of baseball will preview that and also kind of get into is the rivalry still alive. Is there a rivalry anymore because it seems to me that at this point in time the Orioles and the Nets they're both one is really good and then one is really bad. There's really no in between. So is the rivalry still alive? We'll discuss that and tackle that a little bit later on in today's show. But of course if you haven't been aware of this yet, Seaver King the Nationals first round pick the 10th overall pick in this year's draft and Caleb Lomavita the Nationals route comp one a pick they got for Hunter Harvey at this year's deadline they both make their debut tonight and I've got a little bit of a steaming hot take for you. I'll give you that one in the second segment of today's show is the nationals they have been in a little bit of a rut they did actually do pretty well against the LA Angels Anthony Rendon came back to town and they did decent. But here's the thing we got to talk about Mackenzie Gore because this is kind of been something on my mind I even mentioned it a few days ago that I would not be surprised and I would not really be upset if the nationals did decide to option Mackenzie Gore and this has been something that I've been really kind of going back and forth with in my head. But should the nationals option him at this point or is there a better option. We'll discuss that but today's episode is brought to you by Fandall make every moment more as playoffs have winding down the sports stop sports thing like we want them to but this summer Fandall is hooking up all customers they boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long this visit fandall.com to get started. So here's where we kind of go off the rails a little bit. Should the nationals consider option is consider optioning Mackenzie Gore at this point. There's two different roads where the nationals can go down at this point and here are the two options you option down a triple A and the other road is you have a six man rotation going to stretch out all of your starters and not just Mackenzie Gore because let's face the truth here let's look ourselves in the mirror and if you're in the nationals you got to look yourselves in the mirror at this point Mackenzie Gore has really struggled so far this summer there is no doubt about that Davey Martinez knows that Mike Rizzo knows that and Mackenzie Gore also knows that he has been struggling but if you really look at the numbers since really the beginning of June they have been really bad over his last 13 starts he has 61 and a third innings pitch 78 hits in that time frame as well and is a six ERA and batters are batting over 300 against him with a 459 slung and nearly a 40% on base percentage this is not a good time for Mackenzie Gore and that's stating the obvious the slash line against him so far is nearly an all-star caliber kind of hitter it's certainly not crazy to say that Mackenzie Gore is broken right now now the nationals they have to think for themselves here what is best for your potential future race which I still believe Mackenzie Gore can be you have to tackle a lot of these different issues here let's start off with the nationals front what hurts if the nationals do decide you option it how will that hurt Mackenzie Gore how will it hurt this rotation sitting here today well ultimately the nationals are still building for the future so that has to be at the forefront of this you're not in the wild card race in fact nationals they probably won't say this but it's not bad losing it at this point you have to consider your future right now in sitting here today August 13 you can't not tell me that Mackenzie Gore is broken he is at this point in time he is not pitching well whatsoever 35 walks over his last 13 starts to 58 strikeouts Mackenzie Gore at one point was striking out nearly 11 batters per 9 innings that has gone away he is not generating swings and misses what he wants was his season ERA has inflated up into the four fives there's something wrong here and even in his last start where he had nowhere and runs over the weekend he wasn't good he had a career high in walks I think the nationals if they were really mature about this they should option Mackenzie Gore that is the best road to go down if I was Davy Martinez I'd probably sit him down in my office and say listen this is not something where we want to do but we also need you to get right I would much rather Mackenzie Gore try to find ways to get right down at triple A than having him do it up in the major leagues at this point and I think this is kind of a case by case basis by the way one thing about Mackenzie Gore that I love about him the guy is a competitor he goes in he kind of has that Mack Scherzer Bulldog mentality a little bit where he's like a kind of a goofy fun loving guy four days out of the week but the day that he starts he kind of turns in that Bulldog guy who wants to go out there and when he's a competitor he's a pro baseball player this is someone who will be at the front of your rotation for hopefully the next five plus seasons but also with Mackenzie Gore comes this someone who can get a little bit too high his emotions run high just a little bit too much in my opinion having him kind of get rocked face the media I don't think that does too well at this point and this is someone who is a fan but also a credential media member I don't go in there after locker rooms after every game but I can tell you this you see it yourself you see the frustration with him now are these things that he could probably get done at the major league level I'm sure of it I'm sure that he can figure this out and if the nationals do decide to not option him at this point that's probably a fair decision to make but I think the mature decision for the nationals and the best interest of Mackenzie Gore would be to option him now with the other road that we talked about getting a six-man rotation in there also wouldn't be bad as well and by the way I do kind of expect there to be a six-man rotation relatively soon because you have a lot of young guys sitting here today you've got Trevor Williams reacting from injury at some point he will be back and healthy is he going to be back sometime the season I don't know at this point but you asked someone named Brad Lord down in AAA he seems pretty ready to make his major league debut he's climbed from high Wilmington all the way up the AAA Rochester wouldn't be a lot to shove him up into the majors at this point maybe but also with Brad Lord he's kind of one of those lottery ticket guys where the whole farm system isn't relying on him to shape up and to be a starting pitcher in the major leagues that would be a great thing to happen for this team but the ceiling for him maybe as a fifth starter in your rotation and that's maybe he's had a great season he continues to build on it in AAA Rochester but if you want to space out Jake Ervin who's still just a few years removed from Tommy John surgery if you want to space out Mitchell Parker who's reaching his career high and innings pitch same with DJ hers this would not be a bad situation to have to move to a six-man rotation and even when Trevor Williams is healthy maybe in a few weeks here maybe that's when you decide to option Mackenzie Gore if he has not figured out his struggles at this point because I think we have to hit home on this point here as far as the rotation goes there's nobody as important as Mackenzie Gore is the development that he takes the steps that he takes into being an ace for this team moving forward that is the priority of this rotation so if the nationals do decide to go that route and option him it would not make me upset whatsoever and in fact it would probably be in the best interest of Mackenzie Gore the Washington Nationals because he can't just go out there and get rock what is that going to do at the major league level it's not going to do all too much and by the way the stats you know I don't think they care too much about his stats but Mike Rizzo and I believe talk that's talked about this a little bit earlier on in the week when you have someone out there who is walking the yard and Mike Rizzo had the infamous sign this spring training that really ruffled some feathers of we don't care how fast you throw ball four Mackenzie Gore is dipping on just a little bit and he's throwing a lot of ball fours again 35 walks in his last 13 starts something is not right with this guy it would not make me upset at all to see Mackenzie Gore option at this point so let me know what you think you can tweet at me at Ryan Clary 11 or drop a comment in the YouTube page I'll try to get to those and respond to those as well but that is where I stand today and I'm interested to see what you may think about this situation because I do think it's developing and maybe just maybe the nationals do decide to option the kid down to AAA Rochester but let me know what you think in the comment section tweet at me at Ryan Clary 11 let's talk about some better things though the nationals first round pick and Caleb Loma Vita out of the University of California pick 39 in this year's draft class a first round kind of talent he makes his debut tonight in Fredericksburg alongside top 10 pick Seaver King I've got a little bit of a hot take for this and I'll discuss that after we tell you guys about some of our very good friends over at I bought it in guys and we've talked about I bought it before you know the drill already there are sandals sunscreen snacks are for the kids but what do these all have in common you're probably buying a ton again this summer and the summer is not done yet but don't stress about the cost use I bought it and get cash back on all of your purchases 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earning cash back news code locked on MLB that's IBO TTA in the Google Play or App Store and news code locked on MLB now let me tell you guys about some of our very good friends that I use all the time by the way our friends over at FanDuel and of course you know that I love sports I'm going to assume that you love sports make them a little bit more fun with our friends at FanDuel because as the playoffs have winding down we have fewer games in the sports aren't sportsing like I want them to in the Paris Olympics they are over with but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I'm in the mood and this summer FanDuel's hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to FanDuel.com and start making the most out of your summer head over to FanDuel maybe tonight you think Luis Garcia hits a home run at Camden Yards that's a very 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going to fly through the system. Johan de Morales we didn't really think would fly through the system as fast as he did but here's the thing that's what the Nationals did I'm not expecting that with Seaver King this year I think Seaver King will stay in Fredericksburg through the duration of the season I'm not expecting a high A Wilmington call up here's what you should expect this is going to be a work in progress for Seaver King it just will be now on the other side of the coin with Caleb Lomavita I think this is someone who actually could kind of make his way up to high A Wilmington a little bit quicker than what you may think but here's the thing it's going to have to be pretty quick if the Nationals do decide to kind of work his way up through the system the reason why I think Lomavita is a little bit more liable to being that guy who could be working his way up into the majors or into the minors a little bit quicker is because this guy has three years of experience in division one baseball he is developed he is at the peak of his powers right now he is coming off a season in which he had a 981 ops he just hit 15 home runs 52 RBIs hell he even had 12 stolen bases this last year Lomavita is a better prospect today than what Seaver King is in my opinion now the prospect rankings won't indicate that but I think he is a more polished version of himself than what Seaver King is of himself at this point the reason why the Nationals took Seaver King and number 10 it's not because of who he is right now it's because of what they think he will be down the road with the other hand of it Lomavita is a pretty developed guy at this point he is an established college player who killed the baseball in three years at the pack 12 level for California this is someone who has pretty raw power also decent behind the dish but ultimately not a crazy defensive catcher who will be throwing guys out left and right but he is a more polished version of himself what Seaver King is Seaver King is going to be kind of think of it as a high school prospect coming out I don't think he'll be on the timeline of that like I don't think we see Seaver King until 2028 in the majors I'm not saying that but I think you will see Lomavita work his way through the minors a lot quicker than Seaver King and that's not a knock on him by the way because again the main point is this Seaver King the Nationals did not draft him for what he is right now they're drafting for what he could be down the road that is the whole thing with the Nationals that is the approach that they took in this year's draft whoever they had in mind at taking at number 10 whether I've been a high school prepser from Mississippi or the short stop from Harvard Westlake High School I don't know at this point but Seaver King is a project so at this point I would not be surprised to see Lomavita in a high A Wilmington at some point this season but here's the thing he's going to have to really kill the baseball and play solid defensively behind the plate I don't know how many innings he will get behind home plate I would expect him to probably DH a little bit more than what we're expecting at this point because he just got done with a full college season they probably don't really want this guy squatting all season long he'll get obviously a lot of opportunities he had basically a month two months of rest here over the last summer here but I expect Lomavita work his way through a lot quicker than Seaver King will and that's not a knock on King by the way I want to really hit that point here that is not a knock on Seaver King that is just the expectation that I have put on them at this point Seaver King is a project I realized that we should probably realize that as a whole Lomavita is not really a project he is a first round talent who slipped to the nationals at number 39 and I think if the gnats do decide to kind of work their way a little bit quicker with Lomavita that's not a crazy thing to think at this point don't be surprised if Lomavita gets off to a really hot start and Seaver King does not again this is not a knock on Seaver King his ceiling is much higher than Caleb Lomavita in my opinion so new could have a very surprising raw power in his back toolbox there Lomavita already kind of has that but Seaver King again the ceiling much higher than Lomavita but do not be thrown off whatsoever if he makes his high A Wilmington debut a little bit sooner than what Seaver King does we'll see what the nationals do decide to do but I'll be really interested to see what they do tonight in their debut again for the Fredericksburg nationals that will be a very interesting series to watch so thank you all for making locked on nets you are first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and now let me tell you guys about the Orioles series the nationals head up to Camden Yards in my opinion one of the best ballparks in all of baseball and I'm sure you've probably been up there if you're in the DC area it is a hell of a ballpark I love Camden Yards unfortunately I will not be able to make it up to that series but we'll discuss it after we tell you guys about our friends over at supply house and guys get supplies from the site that's made for the skilled trades supply house.com supplyhouse.com is a reliable way to order plumbing HVAC and electrical products online they're easy to use website is packed with helpful resources and the latest product info to help you get the job done right shop a complete inventory of over 200,000 parts from over 400 top brands and get your order delivered right to your door with fast shipping from coast to coast need help with an order get expert support industry leading service from the friendliest folks in the business and talk to a real person every time pros and the skilled trades can get a competitive edge by joining supplyhouse.com's free trade master program every trade master gets access to a dedicated phone line free 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Delicious, meat's nutritious in the snack that packs a real protein punch wonderful pistachios this is Ryan Fickelstein the host of lockdown meds and I love the no shells wonderful pistachios so I can eat them straight out of the bag whenever I need a boost and my favorite flavor is their sea salt and vinegar but if you're a pistachio purist who loves cracking open every nut they also have great flavors like sweet chili and salt and pepper grab wonderful pistachios and elevate your snacking game today visit wonderful pistachios.com to learn more now let's preview the Orioles Nat's series a beltway series that we all look forward to in town and is it still a rivalry let's get into that a little bit later on but first the pitching matchups for the series you've got Jake Ervin against left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers one of the Orioles main trade deadline acquisitions and that was a really intriguing kind of deadline move by the way they gave up one of their top prospects a couple of them in fact to the Miami Marlins for Trevor Rogers now Mike Elias in my opinion is one of if not the best GM in all of baseball at this point he has been the hot hand he has turned that Orioles team around completely they still have a loaded farm system this will be a very interesting pitching matchup tonight as the Nationals have Jake Ervin on the bump as well as far as the Orioles go though this matchup should scare anybody we get to go against Gunnar Henderson Jackson holiday you've got a ton of different guys Anthony Sontan there has been absolutely on fire the entire season which by the way watch his name in the free agent market I would not be surprised the Nationals go after him a little bit later on but still the Nats you've got a tough one tonight and then of course tomorrow you have DJ hers who has been your better pitcher so far over the last few weeks here against Dean Kramer who has kind of taken a little bit of a step back in my opinion this year I thought he was going to be one of their best pitchers which he has been good it hasn't been great in my opinion he has the ability to be great but he just hasn't been that at this point and maybe that's my Baltimore rivalry coming out of me because I'm I don't hate the Orioles but let's kind of get into it is the rivalry alive is there even a rivalry anymore I think Baltimore hates DC a lot more than what DC hates Baltimore for and this kind of stems back from the days where the mall when the Baltimore Orioles were the team of DC and a lot of people who maybe Nationals fans now grew up as Orioles fans that changed that flip flop DC now is its own team they've won a world series and they are the bigger market we are the bigger market than what Baltimore is so they've always kind of been treated like a little bit of a younger step brother you could say but at the end of the day Baltimore hates DC a lot more than what DC hates Baltimore for I've always kind of like the Orioles do I get annoyed of them a little bit do I get annoyed of their fans probably a little bit more but at the end of the day it's not that big of a deal I don't really see this as a rivalry anymore now if there was some beef between the teams which you know the mass and debacle over the last few years you could certainly say their has been beef but with their new owner I do expect that to change and lighten up maybe just a little bit but with the Nationals right now I don't see this as a rivalry I just don't maybe you feel differently you can let me know you can tweet at me at Ryan Clary 11 or drop a comment in the YouTube section is the Nat's O's Beltway series little rivalry still a rivalry we'll discuss that but of course let me know in the comment just search locked on Nationals drop a comment on YouTube or search me up over on Twitter just tweet at me DM me @RyanClary11 that is where you'll find me and of course enjoy the Beltway series enjoy the rivalry maybe whatever you want to say it's up to you I'll catch you on the flip side have a good one a prime member you can listen to this lock-down podcast add free on Amazon music download the Amazon music app today
