A matchup that looked better on paper than in reality
Blake Butera's decision to pull Cade Cavalli in the sixth inning made sense, but it backfired when Richard Lovelady gave up a game-changing homer
The situation called for a left-hander out of the bullpen, so Blake Butera called for the only one he really had at this particular moment.
Though the Nationals have carried as many as four southpaws at times this season, they currently have only two in full-time relief roles, with Andrew Alvarez having now taken over Jake Irvin’s rotation spot and PJ Poulin having been sent to Triple-A Rochester last week. And with Mitchell Parker profiling as a long man who hasn’t had success in high-leverage spots, Butera’s only real choice in the top of the sixth tonight was Richard Lovelady.
The Nats led the Marlins, 3-1, after producing some early offense against Sandy Alcantara and after Cade Cavalli righted his ship following a rocky top of the first that included three walks and 24 pitches. By the time Cavalli gave up a leadoff single to Leo Jimenez in the sixth, his pitch count was up to 89. And with three straight left-handed batters due up for Miami, this was the time to summon Lovelady.
“Look, he wants the ball. He wants to be out there, of course,” Butera said of Cavalli, who now owns a 3.00 ERA over his last five starts. “But we would’ve been getting into that dangerous territory if we stuck with him the rest of that inning. And given the fact it was a bunch of lefties right there in a row, I thought that was the time to do it.”
