Cavalli (3-3) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings in a 6-3 victory over the Guardians. He struck out seven.
The 27-year-old right-hander delivered his third straight quality start and fifth of the season on 87 pitches (61 strikes). Cavalli has been the Nationals' most reliable starter over the last month and a half, giving up three earned runs or fewer in eight straight trips to the mound while posting a 3.27 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 55:9 K:BB through 44 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Marlins.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Keeps piling up punchouts
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Cavalli (2-3) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out nine.
The Mets did all their damage in the third inning, scratching across a pair of runs in the frame, but Cavalli otherwise cruised Thursday. The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered no extra-base hits and fanned at least eight batters for the fourth time in his past six starts. The 2020 first-round pick is coming into his own a bit in 2026, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB across 53.2 frames. Cavalli will be hoping to keep up his recent hot streak in the strikeout department his next time out versus Cleveland.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Unravels in fourth, takes loss
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Cavalli (1-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Twins, allowing six runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out two over four innings.
Cavalli unraveled in the fourth inning, when he threw 40 pitches and struggled badly with his command. The right-hander opened the frame yielding a single and issuing back-to-back walks to load the bases before mishandling a weak grounder from Brooks Lee, allowing a run to score on the error. Later in the inning, Trevor Larnach delivered a two-run double that extended Minnesota's lead. Entering Tuesday, Cavalli had limited opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven starts and had struck out 10 batters in each of his previous two outings. He now owns a 4.15 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and a 40:17 K:BB across 34.2 innings and is set to face Miami in his next scheduled start.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Strikes out 10 in no-decision
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Cavalli did not factor into the decision Thursday against Atlanta. He allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out 10 over five-plus innings.
While Cavalli failed to get in the win column Thursday, the right-hander turned in one of his better starts of the season, setting a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Still, the right-hander has struggled to go deep into games early in the season, completing at least six innings just once in six outings. Overall, Cavalli sports a 4.01 ERA with a 1.66 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB across 24.2 innings this year. He's currently slated for a road matchup with the Mets his next time out.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes just four innings Saturday
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Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Giants, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts across four innings.
The Nationals' Opening Day starter, Cavalli has managed to go five innings in just one of his five starts to this point. Saturday marked his first outing without walking a batter, but the Giants made Cavalli work deep into at-bats and still got his pitch count up to 92. The right-hander's five strikeouts matched his season high, but he's not going deep enough to put himself in the mix for wins. Cavalli owns a 4.12 ERA and 18:12 K:BB across 19.2 innings and is slated to face Atlanta in his next start.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Struggles with command in loss
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Cavalli (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Pirates, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Cavalli managed to work around early trouble in the first inning when he stranded two runners on base, but things unraveled quickly in the second. The right-hander allowed six straight baserunners, including three walks, as Pittsburgh pushed across four runs and forced his exit, making Monday the shortest start of his young career. The outing highlighted an issue that has followed Cavalli early this season -- traffic on the bases -- as he's managed to retire the side in order just three times through 16 innings. The 27-year-old now owns a 4.60 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and a 13:12 K:BB heading into his next scheduled start against San Francisco, a lineup that has had trouble generating consistent offense so far.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Early exit in no-decision
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Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in a 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals. He struck out three.
The right-hander was able to limit the damage over his 94 pitches (53 strikes), but it was another inefficient performance from Cavalli. He's lasted five innings only once in his first three starts this season, and while Cavalli does sport a 2.51 ERA through 14.1 innings, his 1.47 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB are far less appealing for fantasy GMs. Cavalli will try to secure his first win of 2026 in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Pittsburgh.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Draws Opening Day start
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The Nationals announced Wednesday that Cavalli will start the team's March 26 season opener versus the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Injuries forced Cavalli to wait nearly three years in between major-league appearances, but he showed promise in his 10 starts with the Nationals in 2025 with a 4.25 ERA and 40:15 K:BB over 48.2 innings. The 27-year-old sported better velocity last season than he showed prior to Tommy John surgery and has some breakout potential in 2026.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Inks one-year deal with club option
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Cavalli agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Sunday that includes a club option for 2027, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
The two sides were unable to come to an agreement ahead of last week's arbitration deadline, but they continued to negotiate and came to terms on what could end up being a multi-year pact. The exact salary figure has yet to be reported, but it seems likely to fall between $825,000 and $900,000, which were the arbitration figures submitted by the two camps. Cavalli made 10 starts for the Nationals in 2025 and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 48.2 innings.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Chased early in no-decision
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Cavalli did not factor into the decision in Friday's 10-9 loss to the White Sox, allowing six runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts over four innings.
Cavalli was tagged for four runs in the first inning, though the Nationals made errors on the first two batters he faced. It was the first time the 27-year-old failed to complete five frames since Aug. 27, but he'll finish the campaign holding opponents to three earned runs or fewer in five straight outings. For the season, he posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 48.2 major-league innings.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Sharp again in no-decision
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Cavalli came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Mets, allowing five hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out three.
The right-hander continues to provide effective innings in September. Cavalli has gone exactly five frames in four straight starts and hasn't served up a homer on the month, posting a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB through 20 innings. The 27-year-old will look to keep building his case for a spot in the 2026 rotation in his final outing of the current campaign, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the White Sox.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes five innings in no-decision
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Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Pirates, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks across five innings. He struck out two.
Cavalli struggled early Sunday, giving up three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a Nick Gonzales two-run triple. However, the 27-year-old right-hander stopped the bleeding there, holding the Pirates scoreless over his final four frames. Cavalli has held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA in that span. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.76 with a 1.46 WHIP and 31 strikeouts across eight starts (39.2 innings) this season. Cavalli currently lines up for a road matchup with the Mets his next time out.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Notches third win
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Cavalli (3-1) earned the win Monday at Miami, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over five innings with one strikeout.
The 27-year-old contained the Marlins lineup over this short outing with his offense providing 15 runs of support. Cavalli fired 61 total pitches, 41 of which were strikes, as the Nationals monitor the workload for their oft-injured righty. The former first-rounder has pitched to a 4.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 34.2 total frames this season. Cavalli is currently slated to make his next appearance at home against the Pirates this weekend.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Bounces back with win
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Cavalli (2-1) earned the win Tuesday over the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six in five innings.
Cavalli had a strong bounce-back outing after getting pummeled for eight runs (seven earned) by the Yankees in his previous start. He tossed three scoreless frames before the Marlins pushed a pair of runs across in the fourth and he was eventually pulled after tossing 75 pitches through five. Cavalli's fastball topped out at 99 mph and he tied his season high in strikeouts despite the quick hook. Cavalli is over 100 innings pitched for the season between the majors and minors, so it wouldn't be surprising to see some restrictions as the season winds down. He's currently lined up to face Miami again on the road next week.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Hammered by Yanks
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Cavalli (1-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Nationals were routed 11-2 by the Yankees, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits -- including four home runs -- and a walk over 2.1 innings. He struck out four.
The home squad sent 15 men to the plate in a nine-run third inning that saw Cavalli serve up long balls to Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Ryan McMahon before he got the hook. Cavalli had been pitching well since joining the big-league rotation for Washington in early August, but Wednesday's disastrous outing sent his ERA soaring from 2.82 to 5.11. The right-hander will look to rebound in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Marlins.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Quality start in no-decision
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Cavalli came away with a no-decision in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.
It wasn't quite as impressive an effort from Cavalli as in his last trip to the mound, when he fired seven shutout innings, but the right-hander held a dangerous Philly offense mostly in check for a second straight meeting. Cavalli tossed 64 of 95 pitches for strikes in his second career quality start, and over four outings in August he sports a 2.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB in 22.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which lines up to come on the road next week against another fearsome foe in the Yankees.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Receiving another start
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Cavalli is slated to start Monday's game against the Royals in Kansas City, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 26-year-old right-hander will make his second straight turn through the rotation after he enjoyed an impressive return to the big leagues last Wednesday in what was his first MLB appearance since Aug. 26, 2022. Cavalli took a no-decision in his start against the Athletics, striking out six batters while allowing three hits and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. Despite Cavalli's excellent outing, fantasy managers may want to tread carefully with the rookie in what shapes up as a two-start week, with a second start likely to come during this weekend's series against the Phillies. Before rejoining the big club last week, Cavalli had logged an unremarkable 6.09 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 65 innings at Triple-A Rochester for the season, though he had posted a 14:0 K:BB in his final two starts prior to his call-up.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Impressive in season debut
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Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing three hits and one walk in 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Making his first big-league appearance since 2022, Cavalli showcased plenty of swing-and-miss stuff in the form of 19 whiffs during an impressive season debut. The right-hander touched 99 mph with his fastball three times as he fired 88 pitches Wednesday, so he appears ready to handle a full starter's workload for his next scheduled appearance in Kansas City. With Michael Soroka having been traded away, Cavalli is looking to maintain a starting role in Washington's rotation the rest of the way.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Called up from '25 debut
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The Nationals recalled Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Athletics in Washington.
Cavalli will return to an MLB mound for the first time since Aug. 26, 2022, after he underwent Tommy John surgery the following spring and then struggled to regain form in the minors upon completing his recovery from the procedure. The right-hander looked sharper over his last four starts with Rochester -- he produced a 5.75 ERA and 1.52 WHIP but a sparkling 25:6 K:BB in 20.1 innings -- and could now get the chance to stake a permanent claim to a spot in the big-league rotation after the Nationals shipped Michael Soroka to the Cubs last week. Cavalli gets a tough draw Wednesday, taking on an Athletics squad that has produced a 107 wRC+ versus righties this season while also pitching at one of the more favorable MLB venues for hitters in Nationals Park.
The Nationals will recall Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester to start Wednesday's game versus the Athletics, Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan Washington reports.
Cavalli is set to make his first start in the big leagues since August 2022, after the right-hander encountered some setbacks following his March 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old has collected a 9.00 ERA over his last six starts with Rochester, but a 31:9 K:BB over 27 frames during that time offers more promise. He should get an opportunity to hold down a rotation spot with the Nationals for the rest of the season.
