Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Struggles with command in loss

Cavalli (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Pirates, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings.

Analysis:

Cavalli managed to work around early trouble in the first inning when he stranded two runners on base, but things unraveled quickly in the second. The right-hander allowed six straight baserunners, including three walks, as Pittsburgh pushed across four runs and forced his exit, making Monday the shortest start of his young career. The outing highlighted an issue that has followed Cavalli early this season -- traffic on the bases -- as he's managed to retire the side in order just three times through 16 innings. The 27-year-old now owns a 4.60 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and a 13:12 K:BB heading into his next scheduled start against San Francisco, a lineup that has had trouble generating consistent offense so far.