Nationals push to continue power surge in finale vs. Rockies

Coors Field always has been a hitter-friendly park, and the Washington Nationals have helped continue that narrative.

After belting five homers over the first two contests against the Colorado Rockies, the Nationals will look to do more damage in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon in Denver.

The Nationals will send Cade Cavalli (6-4, 3.78 ERA) to the mound against Colorado rookie Gabriel Hughes (0-1, 3.14) in a matchup of right-handers.

Cavalli allowed two runs on four hits and struck out nine batters over six innings in a 23-4 romp over the Athletics on Friday.

He will face the Rockies for the first time in his career. Cavalli will try to pitch the Nationals to a series victory after Colorado's 8-7 win Tuesday night.

Washington's offense is rolling of late and has surged to the top of the major leagues in several categories. The Nationals, who are in fourth place in the National League East at 51-51, are first in the majors in runs (559), home runs (149), RBIs (533) and stolen bases (111).

"A lot of it's just going about their business the same way and not trying to do anything differently," manager Blake Butera said Monday. "I think sometimes when you worry about that a little bit, it can change your approach -- especially offensively -- if you're trying to get the ball in the air maybe a little bit more because you know that the ball is flying better. So we're just trying to make sure these guys stay true to their plans."

The Rockies have power, too, led by Hunter Goodman, who gave them the win with his solo shot in the eighth inning on Tuesday night. He tied his career high of 31 homers, set last season, and has four over the last three games after a 10-game drought.

With the Nationals' scoring at a high rate, putting up runs is key for Colorado, something Goodman knew heading into the series.

"They have a really good offense, they've been doing it all year, but so have we," Goodman said after Tuesday night's win. "We knew it was going to be one of those series where we're just fighting the whole time. It's the same approach we take every day: We're never out of the game; we're always in it."

Hughes, who has never faced Washington, will make his fourth career appearance and third start. He made his major league debut against San Francisco on July 3 with three scoreless innings, and his first big-league start came at the Los Angeles Dodgers five days later.

He pitched well against the reigning World Series champions, allowing three runs over six innings, and took the loss in his next start, against Cincinnati. He gave up two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 defeat to the Reds.

Hughes, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning (14 over 14 1/3 frames).

--Field Level Media