That backdrop made the first two games of this set feel like a mismatch — Chicago won 8-6 and then 12-6, both track meets with the bullpens doing plenty of the damage. The finale looked built for more of the same before Cavalli made sure it wasn't.
Cavalli carried a no-hit bid into the 7th before Michael Busch's bloop single to left finally got the Cubs on the board in the hit column — 6 2/3 innings of nothing. Washington had already blown the game open by then, with Abimelec Ortiz's 3-run homer keying a 5-run 5th inning that turned a tight game into a laugher.
Chicago's offense had been the story of the series through two games, and at 71-50 this Cubs team is still comfortably positioned no matter how the finale went. But shutouts like this are a reminder that a lineup can look unstoppable for 48 hours and completely lifeless the next night against the right arm.
Nationals fans haven't had a ton to point to at 59-63, but a near no-hitter from a former top prospect against a first-place-caliber lineup is exactly the kind of individual performance that makes a lost season worth watching. It also snapped Chicago's momentum right before it left town.