Almost History: Cavalli Silences Cubs in 7-0 Statement Win

WASHINGTON -- Cade Cavalli had Nationals Park buzzing, the Cubs off balance, and history right there in his glove. The no-hitter slipped away on a late bloop, but the right-hander still delivered the performance of his life in a 7-0 beatdown of Chicago.

Taking the mound with a chance to avoid a three-game sweep, Cavalli was absolutely dealing. He retired the first 15 batters he faced before walking Dansby Swanson to open the sixth. Swanson was erased on a Michael Conforto double-play grounder, and the magic kept rolling.

Michael Busch finally broke through with two outs in the seventh, dropping an opposite-field bloop single to left for the Cubs' lone hit. The crowd rose and applauded Cavalli, who had been chasing Washington's first no-hitter since Max Scherzer threw two in 2015.

Dominance in Every Pitch

Cavalli (10-5), who turns 28 on Friday, finished with eight innings and a career-high 103 pitches. He struck out 10, walked two, and got a standing ovation after striking out Conforto looking to end the eighth. Clayton Beeter slammed the door with a perfect ninth.

The Nationals didn't waste any time rewarding their starter's brilliance. After Abimelec Ortiz singled with one out in the fourth, Dylan Crews roped an RBI double to left-center for the game's first run.

The fifth inning was a knockout punch. Washington loaded the bases, Andrew Pinckney delivered a sacrifice fly, CJ Abrams singled, and Ortiz launched a three-run rocket to right-center that made it 5-0. Daylen Lile added an RBI single to chase Cubs starter Kevin Gausman.

Ortiz is red-hot — four homers in 11 games this season and 7-for-18 (.389) with three bombs and seven RBI during Washington's homestand.

Gausman (6-11) took the loss, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings in just his second start since joining Chicago from Toronto at the trade deadline.

Up Next

The Cubs head home to open a series against St. Louis on Friday, with Clay Holmes making his second start as a Cub. Washington travels to New York to face the Mets, with Andrew Alvarez taking the mound.