Barstool Bush
Predictions

Washington Nationals at Texas Rangers

By Bush StaffUpdated 2d ago·2 min read
Washington NationalsWSH(60-67)
Texas RangersTEX(62-64)
6—0
FINAL
123456789RHE
WSH
0011013006100
TEX
000000000040

Thursday's series opener in Arlington put Cavalli (10-5, 3.24 ERA) opposite Rangers righty Kumar Rocker (4-9, 4.46 ERA), and the gap in recent form showed early. Cavalli had been nearly untouchable in his last outing, and he carried that form into a matchup with a Texas lineup that came in banged up at multiple spots.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Nationals(60-67)
LLLLW
6
Rangers(62-64)
WLWLL
0
Best BetNationals +120
Postgame

Washington winning outright by 6 is about as complete a validation as a moneyline pick gets — Cavalli was excellent and the offense never let Texas back in. The bear case around Washington's underwater record simply never showed up; this was the Nationals playing like the better team from the first inning, not scraping by.

Pregame

Cavalli's been the best pitcher on either roster over the last two months, and Rocker's control problems make Texas a shakier favorite than the board suggests. Washington's price still reads like a last-place team more than it reads the pitching matchup on the mound tonight. Back the better arm.

Rocker never found a rhythm against a Nationals order that's been without James Wood in right field for weeks — Washington still scratched across enough contact to build a lead and let it snowball. Texas, meanwhile, is working without Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter in the rotation and lost Josh Jung and catcher Kyle Higashioka to the injured list, thinning out a roster that had no answer once the deficit built.

Cade Cavalli
Cade Cavalli
(11-5)·3.22 ERA
Aug 13 vs Cubs
W
8.0IP
0ER
10K
2BB
103P
08/19 Lineup
Kumar Rocker
Kumar Rocker
(4-10)·4.46 ERA
Aug 14 @ Athletics
ND
5.0IP
3ER
3K
5BB
94P
08/19 Lineup

Sharp money had leaned toward Washington before first pitch, and by the time Texas closed out 9 scoreless innings, that read looked more than justified. It was 102 degrees outside Globe Life Field, but the roof kept the heat out of it — this wasn't a track-meet game, it was Washington controlling things from top to bottom in front of a home crowd left with nothing to cheer.

Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
(60-67)
Aug 19L@ Rangers0-5
Aug 16L@ Mets3-4
Aug 15L@ Mets4-5
Aug 14L@ Mets1-4
Aug 13Wvs Cubs7-0
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(62-64)
Aug 19Wvs Nationals5-0
Aug 16L@ Athletics2-5
Aug 16W@ Athletics5-3
Aug 15L@ Athletics3-8
Aug 14L@ Angels0-7

The Nationals had been staggering into Thursday, having lost 4 straight overall, including getting swept by the Mets. This win snapped that skid in the most emphatic way possible, and for a club buried under .500, a shutout on the road is exactly the kind of result that can shift momentum. Texas, for its part, had been hovering right around .500 for weeks, and a scoreless night at home does nothing to change that story.

Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILJames Wood (RF) — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Sunday that Wood has been progressing more slowly than the team hoped from his left oblique strain, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.08/16
  • 10-Day-ILDrew Millas (C) — Millas (finger) completed throwing from 90 feet, took dry swings on each side of the plate and hit off a tee approximately 20 times from each side during a comprehensive workout Friday, MLB.com reports.08/16
  • 15-Day-ILConnelly Early (SP) — Early (elbow) will not be sent for an MRI after he felt some minor forearm tightness during a live batting practice session Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.08/07
  • 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.08/18
  • 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in his rehab start Friday with Double-A Harrisburg.08/16
  • 60-Day-ILRichard Lovelady (RP) — Lovelady (triceps) threw a light bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.08/08
  • 60-Day-ILPJ Poulin (RP) — The Nationals transferred Poulin (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/02
  • 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker (RP) — Parker underwent elbow ligament repair surgery with an internal brace Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — Jung (calf) did some running on the field Sunday and could be cleared to begin a defensive progression within the next few days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/16
  • 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
  • 15-Day-ILNathan Eovaldi (SP) — The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Monday with right posterior elbow inflammation.08/10
  • 60-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) said Tuesday that he will make at least one more rehab start this week before potentially coming off the injured list, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.08/18
  • 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP) — The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
  • 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Washington's rotation is already down Josiah Gray and DJ Herz to season-altering elbow issues, both working through rehab assignments in the minors, so getting a start like Cavalli's matters more than usual. Texas has its own pitching headaches — Leiter is nearing a return from ankle rehab but wasn't part of this one, and without Eovaldi the Rangers are leaning on arms further down the depth chart than they'd like.

Washington's bullpen didn't blink either, piling on 3 runs in the 7th to bury any hope of a Texas rally. It's the kind of complete performance — starter, bats, relief — that a sub-.500 team desperately needed, and it's a far better look than the previous stretch suggested was coming.

MLBWashington NationalsTexas RangersPolymarketKalshiCade CavalliKumar Rocker