Nationals' Cade Cavalli hits three batters as MLB debut is spoiled

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. In 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 Jessica 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.