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) — no05/25
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum (DH) — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.05/08
- 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.05/08
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana (RP) — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.05/08
- 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.06/01
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) was sent to the FCL Nationals on Friday to begin a rehab assignment.06/05
- 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.06/05
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick (RP) — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/25
- 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — The Nationals transferred Waldichuk (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
- Day-To-DayIldemaro Vargas (1B) — Vargas (thigh) is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Nationals on Saturday.06/06
- Day-To-DaySpencer Giesting (SP)
- Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich (CF) — no05/25
- Day-To-DayDerek Law (RP) — no05/21
- Day-To-DayKyle Amendt (RP) — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann (C) — McCann (quad) has started taking machine batting practice and doing catching drills, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.06/03
- 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.06/02
- 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.06/04
- 60-Day-ILJordan Lawlar (LF) — Lawlar (wrist) moved his rehab to Triple-A Reno on Thursday and played consecutive games for the Aces. He went a combined 3-for-7 with two doubles, a triple and an RBI.06/06
- 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes (SP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Burnes (elbow) has been shut down from throwing after suffering a teres major strain, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.06/03
- 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Puk (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.06/03
- 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Santana (1B) — Santana suffered a setback with his right adductor strain Sunday while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILBlake Walston (SP) — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILJustin Martinez (RP) — Martinez (elbow) tossed a bullpen session Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.05/09
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) said Wednesday that he expects to be sidelined 10-16 months, Arizona Sports reports.05/08
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.