Cade Cavalli is turning into something the Nationals haven't had in years

Cavalli keeps dealing, and the Nationals actually have an ace

Monday night at Nationals Park, Cade Cavalli walked off the mound after six innings, two runs allowed and seven strikeouts to his name, with a 12-5 record and a line that keeps getting harder to argue with. The Nationals beat Colorado 13-3. WTOP had the full story, and the AP had the wire, and the gist is simple: Cavalli won again, and Washington is starting to look like a team that can stack wins when he takes the ball.

That matters right now because the Nationals spent most of the first half of August spinning their wheels. ESPN's recap noted the team had dropped three straight and seven of eight before Monday. Cavalli stopped that. He's stopped a lot of things lately.

The numbers since July are hard to ignore

Cavalli, now 12-5 on the year, struck out seven and allowed two runs in six innings Monday. He is 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA in eight outings since the All-Star break and has started Washington's last three victories. That's not a hot week. That's a two-month stretch that puts him in the conversation for the best pitchers in the National League right now.

His season numbers back it up. Cavalli entered Monday at 11-5 with a 3.22 ERA. After the win, he moved to 12-5. For a pitcher who came into 2026 on a one-year deal worth $870,000 with a team option for 2027, those are numbers that are going to cost the Nationals real money - or earn him a trade market - before long.

The injury history is part of why this feels significant. Cavalli was Washington's first-round pick in the 2020 draft, debuted in August 2022, but made only one start that year because of a shoulder injury and didn't make it back to the majors until 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is now, finally, healthy and pitching like the prospect people thought he was.

What actually happened Monday

CJ Abrams had the go-ahead RBI in a five-run fifth inning as the Nationals defeated Colorado 13-3, sending the Rockies to their season-worst seventh consecutive loss. Daylen Lile homered and drove in five runs for Washington, who had dropped three games in a row and seven of eight going into the night.

The game was tight until it wasn't. After going hitless for the first four innings against Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, the Nationals opened the fifth with two singles. Nasim Nuñez then laid down a sacrifice bunt toward third that Castro threw down the right-field line for an error, allowing two runs to score. Abrams laced a double to right to drive in Nuñez and give Washington a 3-2 lead. Abrams stole third and scored on Abimelec Ortiz's grounder. From 3-2, the Nationals kept adding on. Feltner allowed seven runs, five earned, and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings.

Abrams himself is worth noting separately. He came in as the designated hitter - he was back in the lineup but serving as DH after dealing with an ankle issue - and still came through when the game was on the line.

The Commanders have a brutal week ahead, too

While the Nationals played Monday night, the football world was already turning its attention to Washington's roster crunch. The Commanders open the 2026 NFL regular season at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 13, but first they play one more preseason game Friday against the Baltimore Ravens and must cut their roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The Commanders face tough decisions at receiver, where they have eight players worthy of a spot. That could result in a possible trade - potentially for a pick or, perhaps, more interior offensive line depth. The offensive line is already thin. Presumed starting center Nick Allegretti returned to practice this week for the first time since suffering an injury on the first day of training camp, but is back on the shelf at least temporarily. The Friday joint practice session with Baltimore in Owings Mills is likely to sort out as much as the game itself does.

And there is still the matter of Laremy Tunsil. While Tunsil and Johnny Newton have already undergone surgery, Dan Quinn said doctors have not yet determined the recovery timeline for either player. If doctors determine in the coming days that Tunsil and/or Newton will not be able to return prior to mid-February, the Commanders might choose to place them on IR on cutdown day. That cutdown to 53 players is set for Sunday, August 30.

Back to Nationals Park

The Nationals host Colorado again Tuesday, with Andrew Alvarez, 2-5 with a 3.60 ERA, scheduled to pitch for Washington. That's a significant step down from Cavalli, and the Nats know it. The two-game turnaround after a blowout win is always the test - whether a team was genuinely good Monday night or just fed on a depleted Rockies club that is in free fall.

Either way, Cavalli gave Washington exactly what it needed. The 27-year-old righty is beginning to ascend into one of the league's best starting pitchers. Finally healthy for the first time in his career, he is putting finishing touches on a true breakout season, and his spot in the Nationals' rotation for the next several years is more than safe.

The Rockies, for what it's worth, had not announced a replacement for originally scheduled starter Kyle Freeland, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday. Colorado's problems are Colorado's. Washington's Tuesday night will tell us something more useful about where this team actually is.

Sources

• WTOP News - Nationals roll to 13-3 victory, extend Rockies' losing streak to season-high 7 games
• ESPN - Nationals 13-3 Rockies game recap (Aug. 24, 2026)
• District on Deck - Cavalli continues to demonstrate ace potential after latest gem
• ESPN - 2026 Commanders final 53-man roster projection
• Baseball-Reference - Cade Cavalli career stats
• Talk DC Sports - Game 133: Cavalli trying to be the Ace of Diamonds