Cade Cavalli will have better days. The Washington Nationals top pitching prospect made his highly anticipated MLB debut Friday against the Cincinnati Reds. The 24-year-old Oklahoma product labored through 99 pitches in 4 1/3 innings and got the hook after hitting his third batter with a pitch. He allowed seven earned runs, six hits and two walks while striking out six.
Whether it was nerves or the Washington humidity, Cavalli struggled with his grip on the baseball. Oftentimes he grabbed for the dirt, hoping to dry his hands. It led to an eventful first inning. He recorded his first two career strikeouts, threw 27 pitches, hit a batter, and had a passed ball. All the while, shortstop CJ Abrams sailed a throw off a grounder past Luke Voit. By the end of the frame, Cavalli had allowed two runs.
Stuart Fairchild became the second batter hit by Cavalli when he led off the second inning. But Cavalli managed to get out of the frame unscathed. The third inning, he couldn’t settle down.
He gave up three straight hits, a single followed by back-to-back doubles. The second double — at the hands of Donovan Solano — knocked in two runs, extending the Reds’ lead to 4-0.
Cavalli’s first clean inning came in the fourth and it appeared he was getting in the groove. Yet, in the fifth, he walked India, who reached base in all three plate appearances against Cavalli. Two batters later he hit TJ Friedl with a pitch to load the bases. That was enough for Nationals manager Dave Martinez who hooked Cavalli for the night.
Nats reliever Erasmo Ramirez was unable to hold the runner, as the next batter, Aristides Aquino, hit a three-run double to push the Reds lead to 7-1. Cavalli was charged with the three additional runs.
There were missed plays behind him. Abrams had two throwing errors. Second baseman Luis Garcia wasn’t able to turn a double play with Abrams. Yet, Cavalli didn’t make excuses after the Nats’ 7-3 loss, he put the onus on himself.
“I’ve got to execute more; it comes down to that,” Cavalli said, per Jesse Camerato of MLB.com. “You’ve got to execute pitches and I didn’t do that tonight. I didn’t put my team in a position to win a ball game. I’ve got to be better.”
His flashes were overshadowed by his control struggles. He’ll have an opportunity to get back on the mound and try to put his erratic debut behind him.
