Cade Cavalli has his first true major league gem under his belt.
Cavalli, the freshly 27-year-old right-hander who was once the team's top prospect and even a Top 100 Prospect in the league according to MLB Pipeline, shut down the Phillies Saturday afternoon to lock up his first win and quality start in the big leagues, guaranteeing that the Nationals would not lose a four-game series against the visiting Philadelphia squad.
Cade really strutted his stuff the whole outing, outdueling Phillies starter Taijuan Walker and topping out at 99.7 MPH on his sinker. Of perhaps greater note was Cavalli's reliance on his knuckle curve, which he threw more than either his sinker or four-seamer. That curveball in particular has been gaining traction among the more analytical personalities in the baseball media sphere, including Nick Pollack of Pitcher List. Eno Sarris of The Athletic, in a recent clip from Pitcher List's fantasy baseball podcast, compared Cavalli's curve to that of Craig Kimbrel or Yordano Ventura and identified it as platoon-neutral.
Over 7 innings and across 90 pitches, Cavalli struck out 5 Phillies and walked none, giving up no runs and generating 12 whiffs from opposing batters. Of the 15 swings batters took against the curve, they missed on 8 of them, and averaged an 81 MPH exit velocity on the pitch.
Cavalli's newfound success comes at a critical transition period in the Nationals' rotation. Both he and Brad Lord recorded quality starts in their last outings. They look to supplant the likes of Mitchell Parker and Jake Irvin, who have the second- and fourth-worst ERA in the majors among qualified starters, in the starting rotation going into next season. The imminent 2026 return of Josiah Gray, who recently threw a bullpen in his recovery from 2024 Tommy John surgery, may also cloud that outlook a bit, but after spending an extended period with Triple-A Rochester being built back up to withstand a major league workload, Cavalli's presence in the rotation feels almost a sure bet going into 2026.
Also electric in the shutout was Jose A. Ferrer, who was the only arm to relieve Cavalli. Ferrer recorded his second save of the year over two innings. Save-situation adrenaline has played a factor in Ferrer's recent outings, as his average fastball velocity of 98.5 MPH on Saturday was up nearly a full tick from his season average. Regardless of how viable that is to continue going forward, Ferrer's elite groundballer tendencies make him assuredly a mainstay in a rather thin Nationals rotation going forward.
What have you thought about Cavalli's latest efforts: Is he a lock to stay in the rotation longterm? As ever, let me know on Twitter @TheOttSpot.