Guardians search for offensive improvement vs. Nationals

The Cleveland Guardians will try to bounce back from an ugly loss when they host the Washington Nationals in the middle game of a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Guardians came home to start a six-game homestand after a 6-1 road trip and were poleaxed by the surging Nationals 10-2 on Monday. Cleveland, which had not given up more than three runs over its past eight games, trailed 3-0 after one inning and 6-1 after two.

Washington matched its season high with six home runs and won its third straight game, having taken two of three at Atlanta over the weekend. The Nationals (28-27) are 17-11 since April 25, and they moved above .500 for the first time since March 31. It is the latest they have owned a winning record since July 1, 2021.

The Nationals will send right-hander Cade Cavalli (2-3, 3.86 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday to oppose Guardians left-hander Joey Cantillo (4-1, 3.05).

Cantillo has won three straight decisions and allowed one run or none in three of his past four starts. In a win against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing three hits. He struck out six and walked three.

Cantillo needed 32 pitches to get through the first inning but then settled in.

"I was kind of feeling my way through some things and not necessarily going with my best stuff early," he said. "That put us in a tough spot there, but we were able to make some adjustments to get through that inning and settle in."

Cantillo has thrown two scoreless innings in relief against Washington in his career.

Cavalli is coming off his longest outing of the season. He went seven innings in a loss against the New York Mets on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out nine and walked one.

He has never faced the Guardians.

On Monday night, No. 3 hitter Curtis Mead led the Washington power parade, hitting two home runs in a game for the first time in his career. Leadoff batter James Wood had four hits, including a home run, and No. 2 batter Luis Garcia Jr. had three hits, including a two-run homer and a two-run single.

Jacob Young and CJ Abrams also went deep for the Nationals.

"The guys at the top do an awesome job of setting the table, and everyone's just trying to follow Woody and CJ and Louie," Mead said.

Nationals right-hander Zack Littell entered in the third and allowed a run on five hits over a season-high seven innings. He struck out a season-best seven batters and issued two walks.

"I think the group really feels like on any given night we can beat anybody, and it's just fun to be a part of," Littell said.

The Guardians, despite a home run from Rhys Hoskins, lost for the second time in three games.

Cleveland has scored three runs or fewer in six straight games, though strong starting pitching has enabled the team to go 4-2 in that stretch.

The Guardians got bad news before the series opener when left-hander Erik Sabrowski was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation. The reliever has a 2-1 record with a 1.71 ERA over 21 innings, with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Taking his roster spot is right-handed reliever Codi Heuer, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. He allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings over two appearances for Cleveland earlier this month. Heuer, 29, owns a 1-0 mark with three saves and a 2.57 ERA for Columbus this year.

--Field Level Media