West Palm Beach, Florida — March 6th, 2026 — Astros dominate the Nationals in a game where the Nats accumulated just two hits.

The Nats’ bats didn’t show up for today’s matchup against the Astros. Cade Cavalli, the starting pitcher for the Nats, threw the ball great over four innings. His outing was effectively spoiled by the Nats’ inability to score runs. Once Cavalli departed the game, the Nats’ bullpen had issues throwing strikes. Combine a struggling bullpen with inept defense, and that team will struggle to win. That’s what happened for the Nats today, and it resulted in a 7-1 loss.

Daylen Lile hit a home run to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Nats for their only run of the game. It was an abysmal game for almost every player in the lineup. Players chased pitches and generated soft contact throughout the game.

As previously mentioned, Cade Cavalli was spectacular on the mound today for the Nats. The right-hander threw four innings while striking out six batters and walking none. He gave up just one hit and threw just 51 pitches. This version of Cavalli is what the Nats’ front office is hoping to get this season. Julian Fernandez pitched in the fifth inning and wasn’t effective, giving up three runs while just recording one out. Bryce Montes de Oca wasn’t much better either, giving up two runs while walking two in just two-thirds of an inning. Tyler Baum was terrible in the ninth inning, giving up two runs on two walks. It’s likely all three of these pitchers are sent down to the minors in the next round of cuts.

The Nationals were awful on the defensive side of the ball today. Three errors in a game are unacceptable at the Major League Level. CJ Abrams, Drew Smith, and Bryce Montes de Oca each recorded an error. In order for the Nationals not to be at the bottom of the barrel of the Majors, they need to play some sort of defense.

The momentum was never in the Nationals’ favor in today’s game. Dylan Crews led off the game with a swinging strikeout on a fastball at his chest. CJ Abrams and Brady House struck out following Crews. It seemed as if the Nats didn’t have any life at all today. Cade Cavalli and Daylen Lile were the only players who came prepared for today’s game.

Player of the Game: Cade Cavalli(4 IP, 6 K, 1 H, 0 BB)

The Nationals host the Yankees on Saturday night at 6:05 EST. Will Warren is on the mound for New York, and Josiah Gray gets the ball for Washington. New York will be without outfielder Aaron Judge as he competes for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.