The Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals entered Monday’s Rockies Vs Nationals series carrying the same ugly streak: 10 straight losses combined. The Rockies had just been swept at Coors Field, while the Nationals arrived after a sweep in Miami and a loss in Texas.
That is why the matchup drew attention now. Just over a month ago, the Nationals took two of three from the Rockies at Coors Field, and the rematch came with both clubs looking for anything to stop the slide. Monday, Aug. 24, was not just another date on the calendar; it was the next chance for two teams in the middle of long downturns to show some signs of life.
The pitching matchup only sharpened the contrast. Ryan Feltner was coming off a start against the Dodgers at Coors Field in which he allowed seven runs in five innings, and he had given up five runs in 10.1 innings across the two outings before that. Yet the season numbers have been steadier than the last week suggests: Feltner had 64 strikeouts in 92 innings this year, and he had gone under 3.5 strikeouts in 12 of 19 starts, including four straight and six of his last seven.
Cade Cavalli brought the opposite form into the game. He had not allowed a run in his last two starts, giving up four hits, 21 strikeouts and three walks across 14 innings. More than that, he had run off eight straight quality starts, allowing 13 runs, 11 earned, in 50 innings during that stretch. That kind of consistency is rare, and it made the contrast in recent form between the two starters hard to miss.
For Feltner, the larger picture is still mixed. He has 355 strikeouts in 431.2 career innings, which shows the bat-missing ability that has kept him in the rotation, but the recent trend has leaned the other way. Cavalli, meanwhile, has been throwing the ball with command and efficiency, and that gives the Nationals a starting edge that matters in a series opener between two teams trying to turn one bad week into something shorter.
What happens next is simple enough: the Rockies and Nationals play Monday, Aug. 24, with Feltner and Cavalli setting the tone. If Cavalli keeps dealing and Feltner cannot slow the damage early, the gap between their recent paths could grow wider before the series even settles in.
