Nationals vs Guardians Preview: Youthful Arms Collide on May 26

You just witnessed one of the wildest hitting performances of the season. Yesterday, the Nationals hammered the Guardians 10-2 at Progressive Field. Wood, Mead, Young, García Jr., and Abrams all crushed home runs. The ball was flying everywhere. Mead went deep twice. This team can absolutely rake. The Nationals came in at 28-27 but they're rolling with three straight wins. Tonight they're bringing Cade Cavalli to the mound. He's one of their young arms trying to prove himself at the major league level. Can Washington keep this offensive explosion alive?

The Guardians need to bounce back fast. Cleveland's Joey Cantillo gets the ball tonight. He's a young pitcher still building his way up the ranks—made his big league debut last year. This season hasn't been easy for him. His ERA sits at 5.63 and his WHIP is 2.19. That's not ideal when you're facing a hot Nationals lineup. Cantillo has five strikeouts so far. The Guardians are 32-24 overall and 15-11 at home. They need their pitching to hold strong. Cleveland has a solid rotation built to win games.

Here's what makes Washington special right now. The Nationals are building for the future with young, hungry pitchers. Cade Cavalli is part of this wave. Josiah Gray, Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas—these arms are still proving themselves. Gray is working his way back from injury right now. The Nationals' closer Clayton Beeter brings strong stuff to the late innings. This staff is all about development and growth. If these young guys keep improving, they could become the foundation of Washington's next great team. That's the long game here.