The Washington Nationals finally did something on Friday night that has been a bit of rarity throughout the 2026 season. After Cade Cavalli tossed yet another Quality Start and left the game in line for a victory, the team's bullpen actually dominated to close out the game.
Not only did they dominate, but they were nearly perfect, as Cavalli hurled 6.0 shutout innings before the trio of newcomer Yovanny Cruz, who came back in the Luis Garcia Jr. deal from the Yankees, Orlando Ribalta, and Clayton Beeter held on for a pair of holds and a save for Beeter. They allowed just 1 baserunner on a walk from Cruz, but other than that put the clamps on the game to preserve the win for Cavalli.
Earlier this week, with the Nationals still searching for bullpen help and answers, they made an intriguing waiver claim as they took an arm off the hands of the defending champs. While it is not necessarily a flashy name by any means, he does provide a lot of reason for intrigue.
Nationals claim sidearm hurler Wyatt Mills off waivers from Dodgers
That move was to bring in righty Wyatt Mills, who had been put on waivers by the Dodgers as they continue to have to balance their absurd stable of pitchers. With several pitchers who had been starting now looking at bullpen spots, guys like Mills ended up being casualties of the 40-man roster crunch.
Mills has been terrific for AAA Oklahoma City this season, pitching to a 2.89 ERA and 1.098 WHIP in 33 games, and had a 52:18 K:BB ratio. However, despite his overwhelming success in the minors, it has not really translated to the big league level yet, as Mills had just a 5.68 ERA and 2.211 WHIP for the Dodgers in parts of 6 games.
The Nationals will now be his 4th organization, as he previously had spent time with the Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners. He has appeared in the majors for all 3 teams, and owns a ghastly 6.14 ERA and 1.634 WHIP in 44 games over parts of 3 seasons. The 31-year-old Mills will be hoping that Washington is the place where he can put everything together, but he will start out with AAA Rochester to get acclimated with the Nationals' organization.
What do you think of the Nationals claiming reliever Wyatt Mills from the Los Angeles Dodgers? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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