Nationals undone by 4-run fourth inning in loss to Twins

Nationals starter Cade Cavalli was laboring in the fourth inning. He wasn’t missing bats or being aggressive in the zone.

Cavalli allowed a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases without recording an out. After inducing some weak contact against Brooks Lee, Cavalli failed to field the ball cleanly and it scooted into foul territory, allowing a run to score to give the Twins a two-run lead.

Royce Lewis extended the lead to three after connecting on a four-seamer just outside the strike zone for a sacrifice fly. Cavalli then induced a pop-up from Byron Buxton for the second out.

If Cavalli had escaped with a three-run deficit, the Nationals would have had a better shot at a comeback. And they wouldn’t have needed to tax the bullpen. But Trevor Larnach rocketed a line-drive double that scored two runs and made it 6-1, essentially putting the game out of reach.

Cavalli’s fourth-inning struggles were the main culprit for the Nationals’ 11-3 loss to the Twins on Tuesday night. He threw 40 pitches in that inning alone.

“I hate losing,” said Cavalli, who allowed six runs (three earned) with three walks and two strikeouts. “I hate putting our team in a position where we got to go score five runs to get back to a tie ball game.

“I feel like that’s my job, and whenever I don’t complete my job, it’s frustrating.”

The Twins weren’t biting on many of Cavalli’s offerings outside of the strike zone — he had a 37% chase rate — and they were making good swings on good pitches and fouling off pitches to lengthen at-bats.

“I think things got away [him] from a little bit ... lost the zone, a little bit there,” manager Blake Butera said. “When he was in the zone, just felt like they were all over him.”

The Nationals also couldn’t capitalize on scoring chances early. In the first and second innings, the Nationals had runners on first and second with one or fewer outs and only scored a run. The Nationals continue to put pressure on opposing pitchers, but haven’t been able to deliver that final blow to have that big inning. They finished 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

But that four-run fourth inning sank them. The organization wants its foundation to be built on stout defense and strong starting pitching. The Nationals didn’t pitch well enough, and their defense was far from a strength Tuesday.

Cavalli said he felt like stuff was good but that the Twins were finding holes in the defense with weak contact. He said the hits were “untimely.”

In the second inning, Cavalli recorded two outs on four pitches before hitting Kody Clemens. After a Luke Keaschall single put runners on first and second, Brooks Lee jumped on a first-pitch fastball for a two-run double.

Following back-to-back starts with 10 strikeouts, Cavalli’s shaky outing was a reminder of what can happen when he isn’t successful throwing his secondary pitches.

“When he’s able to land his slider and off-speed [pitches] in the zone, I think that fastball plays up more,” Butera said. “But when he’s out of the zone with the off-speed pitches, teams start sitting on the fastball. In this league, no matter how hard you throw, if you can’t land your secondary [pitches] and teams are sitting on one pitch, they don’t miss it.”

Note: First baseman Luis Garcia Jr. is day-to-day with a minor right hand/wrist sprain. He left Sunday’s game after feeling some discomfort while swinging.

Garcia said the discomfort was off and on over the past two months.

• The Nationals on Tuesday agreed to terms with right-hander Max Kranick on a one-year contract with a club option for the 2027 season. He was also placed on the 15-day injured list while he recovers from elbow surgery. In a corresponding move, they designated Jackson Rutledge for assignment.

Kranick posted a 3.65 ERA over 24 relief appearances with the Mets.