Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals pitching prospect Cade Cavalli allowed three hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts over five scoreless innings on Wednesday against Triple-A Columbus. Cavalli earned the win in dominant fashion, throwing 51 of his 70 pitches for strikes. He relied heavily on his curveball, which accounted for seven of his 10 swings and misses. Cavalli continues to stack encouraging outings, as he has allowed one walk in each of his past three outings while striking out 23. With his strong stuff, the improved control is a key to watch for him moving forward. He could be a part of the Nationals' rotation sometime this summer and would be worth a speculative pickup for his upside.

Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan (shoulder) is good to go for Wednesday's contest against the hosting Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, according to manager Dave Martinez. Even if the Nats don't give Finnegan a save opportunity, the Nats might look to get him into the game regardless since he last pitched last Thursday, giving up an unearned run and blowing the save against the Atlanta Braves. The 33-year-old veteran right-hander has battled shoulder fatigue of late, but tests on his arm came back negative, and he'll be available for Thursday evening's game in the Bay Area. Fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups. After making the All-Star squad in 2024 for the first time in his career with 38 save, Finnegan currently holds a career-low 2.41 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP, 15 saves, 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 18 2/3 innings pitched.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Robert Garcia earned his third save of the season in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays. Garcia came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and shut the door with a 1-2-3 performance, including two strikeouts. Luke Jackson, who leads the team in saves, pitched the eighth inning with the score tied 0-0. Garcia has pitched well this season, converting three of four save opportunities with 10 holds to go with a 2.35 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and an 8.22 K/9 rate in 23 innings of work. The Rangers have implemented four different relievers in save situations over the last 15 days, and Garcia is tied for the most opportunities in that time with three. The team appears to be in flux when it comes to determining a potential closer, but Garcia has the sturdiest peripherals, making him worth considering for fantasy managers in deeper roto leagues.

Washington Nationals infielders Luis Garcia Jr. and Jose Tena will start on the bench for Sunday's series finale against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Nasim Nunez is starting at second base and batting eighth, while Amed Rosario is playing third base and hitting in the two-hole against Giants left-hander Robbie Ray. The two left-handed-hitting infielders will get the day off with a tough left-hander on the mound. Garcia has really struggled against southpaws so far in 2025, going 2-for-23 against them with four RBI, a steal and two strikeouts in 30 plate appearances. Nunez has never faced Ray in his career, but Rosario is hitting .417 off of him with a 1.129 OPS in 12 career at-bats. Rosario certainly has limited upside because of his lack of power, but he's in a great lineup spot on Sunday and has hit a cool .305 (25-for-82) on the season with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored for the Nats.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin tossed eight scoreless innings in Saturday's 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. The former Oklahoma Sooner allowed three hits, issued two free passes, and struck out seven in the dominant outing. He picked up his third straight quality start -- and sixth on the season -- improving to 4-1. Irvin was superb, scattering three singles and yielding no runs in a start for the first time in over a month. That marks back-to-back strong outings for him, though his expected stats hint that some regression could be in his future. He'll carry a solid 3.42 ERA and 1.10 WHIP into his next appearance, slated to be on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite his recent success, he'll be tough to trust considering the quality of the lineup (5.08 runs per game) and a ghastly 5.63 xERA (4.66 xFIP).