Nationals' Irvin Pitches vs Astros, Cavalli Shines

0:00It's March 12th for the Washington Nationals, let's get into it. The Washington Nationals picked up a solid 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday, boosting their spring training record to 10 wins, and 4 losses, good for second best in baseball. Cade Cavali led the way with three shut-out innings in his first start as the opening day pick, keeping the Cardinals off the bases completely. Cavali has been lights out this spring, now up to 9 scoreless innings across 3 outings while allowing just one hit total. His new sweeper pitch is working wonders, forcing weak contact from right-handed batters, and building real excitement around his readiness. Tonight at 6.05 p.m., eastern a cacti park of the Palm Beaches, Jake Irving takes the hill for the nats after a strong month with 5 scoreless. Innings and 6 strikeouts in his last time out, the lineup stays mostly standard, sitting James Wood and Dailin Lau while inserting Robert Hassel III and Christian Franklin with Nazine Nunez, getting a look at third base.

1:03The Houston Astros roll out a lineup heavy on regulars, minus Jose Altuve and Isaac Paradez behind right-hander Mike Burrows. Acquired from the pirates this winter, Burrows has tossed 8-2-3 scoreless frames so far this spring. With Zach Latel joining the mix, spots in the nationals rotation are getting tight, putting pressure on Irving to prove his improvements from last. Year with better pitch command and velocity. Every innings counts as the nats push toward the regular season. Thanks to our sponsor for supporting today's coverage. If earbuds fall out when you sleep, this is for you, a pillow with built-in sound, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.