Cade Cavalli Cementing Himself as Nationals Second-Half Ace

The Washington Nationals are set to close out the three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night hoping to avoid a sweep and four game losing streak, but they're also set to do so after watching their ace dazzle once again.

To the surprise of no one, Cade Cavalli exited his start on Saturday night after allowing just two earned runs and four hits to go with eight strikeouts across six innings, while also eclipsing 100 pitches in a start for the first time since Aug. 13 against the Chicago Cubs. The Nationals also exited the game with a 6-5 loss, marking the 36th blown save of the regular season and falling to 67-77 overall, but Cavalli's start is what continues to give the Nationals confidence that they have at least a building block for 2027.

With two earned runs allowed, Cavalli has now earned three earned runs or less in 28 starts through his 2026 regular season, two more than Cam Schlittler's 26. Cavalli also ranks tied with John Lannan for second in franchise history. Cavalli has also tossed 185 strikeouts this season, ranked seventh most across baseball and one more than Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale.

After allowing both of his earned runs in the opening inning, Cavalli allowed just one hit while tossing seven strikeouts over the next five innings to put the bow on another encouraging outing. With likely three more starts before he wraps up what has proven to be a career season, Cavalli has done nothing but cement himself as the Nationals' ace and seamlessly filled the void since Foster Griffin was dealt just prior to the deadline, posting a 1.83 ERA and holding opponents to a .188 batting average over his last nine starts.

The question remains what president of baseball operations Paul Toboni does to upgrade the rotation in 2027 with Connelly Early among those pieces, yet still plenty of room to make multiple moves this offseason with pitching the overwhelmingly top priority.

One who will not be part of the Nationals future is Max Kranick, who the team announced on Sunday afternoon has officially cleared waivers and has been sent to Triple A Rochester. Through 17 games, Kranick owned a 9.33 ERA with 11 strikeouts against 19 earned runs and 27 hits allowed.

The Nationals are set to close out the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 PM ET.