After 15 Previous Failed Attempts, Nationals Finally Reach the .500 Mark in May

It was a long time coming, but the Washington Nationals were finally able to break their longstanding curse of failing to reach a .500 record in the month of May.

Coming into their Beltway Rivalry series against the Baltimore Orioles, it was noted that the Nationals had lost their previous 15 games when on the precipice of reaching the .500 mark. That included a bludgeoning at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds on May 14 before they returned home to face the Orioles. And after Washington was victorious in Game 1 of their set against Baltimore, they entered Saturday's contest with another opportunity to even up their record.

This time, the Nationals were able to get it done with a dominant 13-3 win. And a lot of the credit needs to go to Cade Cavalli, who once again flashed his ace potential during this start.

Cade Cavalli Delivered an Important Outing for the Nationals

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, there were a lot of expectations placed on Cavalli. Following the trade of MacKenzie Gore, Washington inserted Cavalli into the No. 1 spot. He dazzled during the spring, and it looked like he was poised for a breakout year. However, it did not go that way to start the season, as the right-hander carried an ERA above 4.00 before he secured his first win on April 29.

But one thing the 27-year-old has done ever since returning to the major league mound following his Tommy John surgery is show up in big moments. And considering his teammates had felt the weight of not reaching the .500 mark in the month of May in their 15 previous chances, he stepped up in a huge way on Saturday.

Cavalli was almost flawless through six innings. He hadn't allowed a run and had only given up five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. He looked like the dominant ace the Nationals envisioned coming into the year. But things unraveled for him in the seventh. He gave up back-to-back home runs and an infield single before getting yanked following his eighth strikeout of the day when the score was 4-2 in favor of Washington.

PJ Poulin was called upon to get out of this jam. He accomplished that goal but allowed the inherited runner to score, which was the third earned run that was credited to Cavalli. Still, as the Nationals entered their bottom half of the seventh inning with a 4-3 lead, their ace did enough to put his team in a position to win.

Nationals Offense Came Through When Needed

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The drama didn't last long in this game. After Washington's pitching staff turned things over to the offense, they did what they have basically done all year; they came through when they were needed the most.

James Wood led off with a walk. With one out on the board, Brady House doubled Wood home from first base. After CJ Abrams hit a single, Daylen Lile reached base with an infield single because House beat out the throw to home plate. Then, with the bases loaded after Nasim Nunez drew a walk, Keibert Ruiz came through with a two-run single that blew the game open. Those were also the fifth RBIs he had in the contest after first getting the Nationals on the board in the second inning when he blasted a three-run homer to right field.

Washington's lineup didn't stop with Ruiz's clutch single, though. After Nunez was thrown out at home, Jacob Young came through and launched his own three-run homer to put the Nationals up 11-3. It was fitting that Young was the one who delivered a key blow to get his team to a .500 record, as he was someone who was most vocal about the disappointment of not reaching that mark.

Now, after finally achieving their goal after coming up short on so many occasions, it will be up to this young squad to keep that momentum rolling to chase down their next objective.

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