Cavalli's third straight quality start another feather for Nats' rotation 

CLEVELAND -- For most of the 2026 season, any conversation about the Nationals' success has started with their offense.

While the Nats’ offense once again showed up in their 6-3 win over the Guardians on Tuesday night at Progressive Field, starting pitcher Cade Cavalli did his part to change that conversation by allowing just one run over six innings for his third straight quality start.

Cavalli spent most of the contest making quick work of Cleveland’s offense, as he permitted just three baserunners through the first three innings, while allowing just one of those runners to reach second base.

The first sign of trouble came in the fifth inning, when the Guardians loaded the bases with one out and José Ramírez at the plate. But catcher Keibert Ruiz was able to slow the game down by making a mound visit that ended up changing the tenor of the at-bat.

While Cavalli wasn’t able to get the pop fly or groundout he wanted, he got the next best thing by getting Ramírez to hit a sacrifice fly. Cavalli got out of the inning a batter later by getting Chase DeLauter to line out to Jacob Young.

“We went to the best pitch that we had and were able to minimize damage, which was huge,” Cavalli said.

The Guardians got another runner into scoring position an inning later, but Cavalli once again got out of it with a strikeout of Angel Martínez and a Steven Kwan lineout.

While Cavalli didn’t reach the heights he did against the Braves at the end of April, when he racked up a season-high 10 strikeouts, he did generate 13 whiffs and was able to get four strikeouts with his knuckle curve and three with his fastball. And it came against a Cleveland lineup that featured five left-handed starters and four switch-hitters.

“We just had a good plan of attack and went to our bread and butter [pitches],” Cavalli said.

Earlier this season, manager Blake Butera described Cavalli as a “blank canvas” as he worked to figure out what kind of pitcher he is. And even if he still isn’t a complete pitcher, the past 10 days have put a lot more paint on that canvas compared to the beginning of the season.

“You can really see the confidence and comfort on the mound more and more as he’s out there,” Butera said. “It’s fun to watch him pitch.”

The Nationals’ rotation has now allowed just four earned runs over its last 36 innings, while the pitching staff as a whole has yielded three or fewer runs in four straight games for the first time since last July.

“That makes my life a lot easier,” Butera said with a chuckle. “They did that against some really good lineups.”

Not only has Cavalli’s recent run of play been the best he’s looked during his time in Washington, but it’s also all but confirmed that he’s ready to be the team’s frontline starter as the Nationals move closer toward being a serious contender.

Tuesday’s outing marked Cavalli’s third straight quality start -- a span in which he allowed just six earned runs in 19 1/3 innings while racking up 24 strikeouts.

Even if the Nats’ offense wasn’t the main storyline, the unit still answered the call with a four-run second inning that knocked Guardians starter Joey Cantillo out of the game.

“That was huge,” Butera said.

Ruiz provided the first big blow with a two-run single before James Wood launched a towering two-run homer for his second blast in as many games.

Wood now leads the National League with 15 home runs out of the leadoff spot and is only one behind Minnesota’s Byron Buxton for the MLB lead.

“I’m just trying to control the zone,” Wood said. “I feel like I’m able to trust my swing and just let the game come to me.”

Andrés Chaparro added on two more runs in the ninth on a two-out single. His single meant that eight of the nine Nationals hitters in the lineup recorded a hit in the win.

“Everyone’s playing at a really high level and everything’s clicking,” Wood said.

Curtis Mead was the only Washington hitter who didn’t tally a hit, but he came about as close as you can to getting one in the fourth inning, when Daniel Schneemann robbed him of a home run.

“Just a great team effort,” Butera said.