The Washington Nationals avoided the sweep at home and got back in the win column after a 7-0 win closed out the three game series against the Chicago Cubs. The win also marked the team's first shutout victory since July 22 against the Colorado Rockies.
Cade Cavalli moved to 10-5 with the win, allowing just one hit while tossing ten strikeouts and two walks across eight innings. Cavalli's ten strikeouts marked the most since he tossed 13 in seven innings against the Boston Red Sox back on June 30. He wasn't the only one to dazzle on Thursday
after all but Keibert Ruiz and Andrew Pinckney registered at least one hit in the win as the Nationals moved to 60-63 overall and 27-36 at home, closing the homestead with four wins in six games.
After a quiet first 3.5 innings materialized into zero hits for either team, Abimelec Ortiz kicked it off with a single into right field that proved to be just enough after Dylan Crews brought him home courtesy of a double into left field.
The Nationals then blew the game open in the fifth inning after Jorbit Vivas walked then Andres Chaparro singled to center to open the frame.
Though he finished hitless, Pinckney's sacrifice fly into left field brought in Vivas before a CJ Abrams single put runners on the corners with two outs. Abimelec Ortiz would clear the bases, though, after a 414 foot home run over the center field wall put the Nationals ahead, 5-0. Dylan Crews then Daylen Lile notched consecutive singles to move ahead, 6-0.
Cavalli's lone single allowed in the win materialized with two outs in the second inning after giving up a single into left field, but it materialized no further after a fly out to centerfield ended the frame.
The Nationals added the final run of the series in the bottom of the eighth inning after Daylen Lile then Dylan Crews singled, followed by an RBI single from Jorbit Vivas that cemented the win.
The Nationals will now hit the road for a three game series against the NL East dwellers New York Mets beginning Friday night.
Andrew Alvarez has been announced as the starter for game one in the series while Jake Irvin is set to close it out on Sunday afternoon, but who takes the mound on Saturday afternoon remains unclear with manager Blake Butera expected to finalize the rotation on Friday.