Cade

Cavalli

Cavalli has been an above average starter to date because he’s kept the ball in the yard, but Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno today became the fourth and fifth batters to take him deep this year. Only a modest groundball pitcher (his GB rate is 46 percent right now), he’s due to have less luck in the home run department going forward, though also probably more luck in the BABIP department, considering that he’s at .355 there at the moment. He’s quite intriguing for the long haul and quite fringy for the rest of 2026.

Cavalli dealt with a ton of traffic on the basepaths in the opening two frames and looked like he was going to be in some serious trouble. He somehow managed to avoid any serious damage and allowed just one baserunner over his final three frames before departing after 89 pitches (58 strikes). He struck out six and issued three walks. The 27-year-old has allowed three earned runs or fewer, while completing at least five innings, in five consecutive starts since May 10. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a road matchup against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

It was another efficient outing for Cavalli, who got 18 outs on 87 pitches. Last time out, he needed just 84 pitches over seven innings. Cavalli moved to 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA. It seems like he should have a better record with the way the Nationals have scored, but there were two times earlier in the season in which he wasn’t as efficient and was pulled with a lead before completing five innings. He also had the bullpen blow a lead for him once. Cavalli will make his next start against the Marlins, a team he limited to two runs over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision a couple of weeks ago.

Cavalli scattered just four hits and one walk on the day. All of the damage done against him came on a two-run single off the bat of Bo Bichette in the third inning. Unfortunately, that was enough to do him in in this one. The 27-year-old righty generated nine swings and misses on 84 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 33 percent. He’ll try to get back in the win column as he carries a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a 61/19 K/BB ratio (53 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Cavalli stranded two runners in each of the first two innings before settling in for four more quiet innings. He held the Orioles scoreless over six frames, then ran into some trouble in the seventh. Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neill started the inning with back-to-back homers. The third batter would reach before Cavalli recorded the first out. That would end his day at 94 pitches. It was an excellent start for the 27-year-old right-hander despite the late trouble as he struck out eight with no walks. He’ll take a 4.05 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and a 52/18 K/BB ratio across 46 2/3 innings into a home start against the Mets on Thursday.

The right-hander punched out four batters on the afternoon while issuing just one base on balls. All of the damage done against him came in the third inning as Liam Hicks delivered an RBI single and Otto Lopez drove in a run on a fielder’s choice that Nasim Nunez booted. Cavalli got 12 whiffs on 95 pitches on the afternoon, registering a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll carry a 4.02 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a 44/18 K/BB ratio (40 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Orioles.

Cavalli, who entered with a 38/14 K/BB in 30 2/3 innings, struck out just two and walked three tonight. He also hit a batter for the fifth time in eight starts. The defeat leaves him 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA. Cavalli’s talent is obvious, but some inconsistency had to be expected, given that he entered the season having pitched a total of 82 innings over the last three seasons.

This was an impressive start. Cavalli forced multiple swing-and-misses with all five of his pitches and his knuckle-curve was especially sharp, forcing eight. That pitch is his make-or-break offering and when it’s on, he is nasty. Cavalli did get to relax with his lineup spotting him a two-run lead in the first inning and eight-run margin in the fourth. After they blew the game open, he threw 24 consecutive strikes to finish off his outing and complete six innings for the second time this season. That’s sensational in-game awareness. He’s also struck out 10 batters in consecutive starts and will try to stay hot with a two-start week on deck against the Twins and Marlins.

He was brought out for the top of the sixth but quickly chased after a leadoff single. The Braves were able to string together four hits against him in the top of the fourth, including two doubles, but he allowed just four hard-hit balls. Cavalli was averaging 97.1 mph with the heater today and his knuckle curve had a 50 percent CSW rate. The game got away from the Nats late, leaving Cavalli with no shot at a win. He has now struck out 15 in his last nine innings and, though he’s mostly a streamer, the strikeout upside could play against the Mets next week.

Cavalli worked around a hit in the first inning, then allowed a run in on three hits in the second. The Giants plated two more runs in the third, both unearned after a runner reached on an error. Cavalli’s day would be done after the fourth at 92 pitches. While it was still an inefficient outing with a high pitch count, he threw 63 pitches for strikes and did not walk a batter for the first time this season. The 27-year-old right-hander will look to build on that when he takes a 4.12 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and an 18/12 K/BB ratio over 19 2/3 innings into a tough home start against the Braves on Thursday.