Cavalli Dominates Rangers as Nationals Roll to 6-0 Shutout Win

The Washington Nationals shut out the Texas Rangers, 6-0, Wednesday night at Globe Life Field behind another dominant performance from Cade Cavalli.

Cavalli continued what has become one of the strongest stretches of his career, striking out 11 batters over six scoreless innings while allowing only three singles and one walk. He threw 58 of his 84 pitches for strikes and retired the final 11 hitters he faced. citeturn427960view0turn427960news34

The victory snapped Washington’s four-game losing streak and improved the Nationals to 61-67. Washington had lost six of its previous seven games, with its only victory during that stretch also coming behind Cavalli. citeturn427960view0

Cavalli continues remarkable run

Cavalli’s performance was impressive from the beginning.

The first eight Rangers outs of the night came via strikeout before Brandon Nimmo grounded out to end the third inning. Cavalli already had his 10th strikeout by the fourth. citeturn427960view0

He finished with 11, giving him consecutive double-digit strikeout performances.

Six days earlier, Cavalli took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs and finished that game with eight scoreless innings, one hit allowed and 10 strikeouts. citeturn427960search0turn427960view0

Over his past 10 starts, Cavalli is now 7-1 with a 2.12 ERA. His scoreless-inning streak has reached 17 innings. citeturn150286news24

For a Nationals organization still trying to identify which young pitchers can become long-term pieces of the rotation, Cavalli’s recent run is extremely encouraging.

His season record improved to 11-5 while his ERA dropped to 3.22. citeturn150286reddit32

Tena gets Washington started

Washington took the lead in the third inning when José Tena launched his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to center field.

It gave Cavalli an early 1-0 cushion and began a night in which the Nationals steadily added to their advantage. citeturn427960view0turn150286reddit32

The Nationals added another run in the fourth.

Andrés Chaparro reached and eventually scored when Keibert Ruiz singled into right field, extending the Washington lead to 2-0. citeturn150286reddit27

Texas starter Kumar Rocker kept the Rangers within striking distance through five innings, but Washington continued creating opportunities.

Rocker went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out three. He fell to 4-10 and has now posted a 6.87 ERA over four appearances since winning consecutive starts to close July. citeturn427960view0

Nationals continue adding on

Washington made it 3-0 in the sixth.

Chaparro again came around to score, this time when Jorbit Vivas grounded out to pitcher Cole Winn. Ruiz advanced to third on the play. citeturn150286reddit27

Then Chaparro completely broke the game open one inning later.

With Abimelec Ortiz and Tena aboard in the seventh, Chaparro drove a pitch 415 feet for a towering three-run home run to left field.

The blast, Chaparro’s eighth homer of the season, extended Washington’s lead to 6-0. citeturn427960view0turn150286reddit27

Chaparro finished with three hits and scored three runs, making him the Nationals’ biggest offensive contributor alongside Cavalli’s pitching performance. citeturn150286news24

Tena also had a strong night with a home run, a single and a walk, while Ruiz collected two hits and drove in a run. citeturn150286news24

Washington finished with 10 hits.

The Nationals also continued showing considerable home run power. After the homers from Tena and Chaparro, Washington increased its MLB-leading total to 182 home runs. citeturn427960view0

Bullpen finishes the shutout

Cavalli left after six innings, but the Rangers never mounted a comeback.

Will Dion pitched a scoreless seventh and struck out one.

Max Kranick worked around one hit in a scoreless eighth.

Jake Bird then retired Texas in the ninth, striking out one and completing Washington’s fifth shutout victory of the season. citeturn427960view0turn427960reddit35

Washington’s pitching staff held the Rangers to only four hits for the entire game.

Corey Seager accounted for two of them, recording his third consecutive two-hit game, but Texas could not turn any of its limited opportunities into runs. citeturn150286search2

The Rangers fell to 62-65 and have lost six of their past eight games. The loss also knocked Texas out of the American League’s third Wild Card position. citeturn427960view0turn150286news24

A major development for Washington

The Nationals have endured plenty of inconsistency this season, but Cavalli’s recent performances have become one of the biggest positives to watch down the stretch.

Back-to-back outings of eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts are not simply quality starts. They are dominant performances.

Washington has spent years searching for the next wave of starting pitching following the departures of the championship-era rotation. Cavalli was once one of the organization’s highest-profile pitching prospects before injuries slowed his development.

Now healthy and pitching deep into the season, he is beginning to look like a pitcher capable of becoming an important part of Washington’s future rotation.

The Nationals still sit 13.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East at 61-67, but performances like Wednesday’s give Washington something meaningful to evaluate during the final weeks of the season. citeturn427960view0

Up next

The three-game series is tied at one game apiece heading into Thursday’s finale in Arlington.

Washington is scheduled to start left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who enters at 2-4 with a 3.72 ERA.

Texas will counter with Jacob deGrom, who enters 8-8 with a 3.95 ERA. DeGrom will also begin the game sitting at 1,998 career strikeouts, putting him two away from the 2,000-strikeout milestone.

First pitch is scheduled for Thursday night at Globe Life Field.

Final: Washington Nationals 6, Texas Rangers 0