Cade Cavalli (3-3, 3.62) gets the ball for the Nationals trying to finish off a three-game sweep against Michael Soroka (7-3, 3.49), who is the steadier arm on paper but is walking into a clubhouse that just got publicly torched by its own manager.
Torey Lovullo did not sugarcoat Friday's 14-1 humiliation, calling it 'unacceptable' and saying he 'didn't feel the energy in the dugout' as Luis Garcia Jr. dropped his first career grand slam in a 5-homer Nationals onslaught. Saturday wasn't much better — Curtis Mead and Dylan Crews went deep and the D-backs mustered just 2 hits in a 6-1 loss. Arizona is now 33-31, slipping fast, and a home sweep to the last-place-adjacent Nats would be a genuine alarm bell.
The Nationals were the team that looked cooked coming into this series — they had just been swept at home by the Marlins and lost 3 straight. Two days in Phoenix later, they look like a totally different roster. Cavalli's last outing was a no-decision against Miami: 5 innings, 2 earned, 6 punchouts on 89 pitches. Not dominant, but the stuff has been good enough to keep Washington in games.
Soroka has quietly been Arizona's most reliable starter with Corbin Burnes shelved on the 60-day IL after a teres major strain. His last start was a loss to the Dodgers — 6 innings, 4 earned — but he's the guy you want stopping the bleeding. The bigger issue is the Arizona offense, which has scored a combined 2 runs in 2 games against a Nats staff that is missing Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams, DJ Herz and Josiah Gray.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was sent to the FCL Nationals on Friday to begin a rehab assignment.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- Day-To-DayIldemaro Vargas 1B — Vargas (thigh) is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Nationals on Saturday.
- Day-To-DaySpencer Giesting SP
- Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich CF — no
- Day-To-DayDerek Law RP — no
- Day-To-DayKyle Amendt RP — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — McCann (quad) has started taking machine batting practice and doing catching drills, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. LF — Gurriel (hamstring) appears on track to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League as soon as next Monday, MLB.com reports.
- BereavementTaylor Clarke RP — Manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Clarke is expected to return from the bereavement list Sunday versus the Nationals, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.
Pinnacle has the D-backs as a -127 home favorite with a total of 7.5. Hard to argue with the price given the pitching matchup and Arizona's home park, but the vibes here are loud and one-directional. If Cavalli locates early and Soroka coughs up another 4-run middle inning, the broom is on the table.