District 34 podcast: Nationals' youth movement and another Giants showdown

This week's episode of the District 34 podcast is full of good vibes.

The Nationals are coming off a 6-3 road trip that included stops in Cleveland, San Francisco and Arizona. While they split the series against the fellow division-leading Indians and Giants, they took care of business in Phoenix by sweeping the last-place Diamondbacks.

The Nats finally had a successful West Coast swing, and it could not have come at a better time entering the dog days of August. They now stand 20 games above .500 at 64-44 with a seven-game lead over the Marlins and 8 1/2-game lead over the Mets.

The pitching, as usual, was outstanding over the road trip, but the wins could not have been possible without the contributions of two young players: Trea Turner and Wilmer Difo.

In nine games over the trip, Turner (while playing both center field and second base) slashed .342/.275/.526 with 13 hits, six runs scored, eight RBIs and four stolen bases. Difo, called up to replace Stephen Drew who went to the disabled list, slashed .429/.467/.571 with six hits, four runs scored, three RBIs and a stolen base in just five games. What does the production from these two young players mean for the Nats at this point in the season and moving forward?

Also, now that we're past the trade deadline, how will the acquisition of Mark Melancon affect the bullpen in these final months and will he be up to the task down the stretch? We should get a good look at the new closer this weekend as the Nationals welcome back the Giants to Nats Park, which includes a possible showdown between Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner.

And finally, my co-host Byron Kerr will have some updates from down on the Nationals farm with some good pitching performances. Shocking, I know.

All of that and much more Nats talk are coming your way on this week's episode of District 34. Enjoy!