The Washington Nationals will be without two pitchers after MLB disciplined Cade Cavalli and Miles Mikolas for their roles in a benches-clearing incident against the Boston Red Sox on June 30.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports the details of all the suspensions.
The suspensions stem from a benches-clearing incident centered around Cavalli and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras at Fenway Park. Mikolas was the lone Nationals player ejected in the immediate aftermath.
On the Red Sox side, Contreras and Nate Eaton were the two players suspended along with interim manager Chad Tracy.
Cavalli stayed in the game, finishing the best start of his career. He spun seven dominant innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts and allowed just one hit. But his career-best start will be overshadowed by that on-field incident.
Benches Clearing Incident With Red Sox
GettyRed Sox first baseman Willson Contreras confronts Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli before a benches-clearing incident. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
The incident began when Cade Cavalli froze Willson Contreras on a sweeper in the fourth inning. The right-hander chirped, “Sit down, boy,” to Contreras, which irked the Red Sox’s first baseman.
Contreras confronted Cavalli in front of the mound, leading to the benches clearing. As the chaos ensued, it appeared that the Nationals right-hander was egging on Contreras to do something as a teammate was dragging him away from the scuffle.
The Red Sox first baseman obliged, throwing his helmet at Cavalli multiple times.
Another part of the brawl was the shoving match between Miles Mikolas and Nate Eaton. Mikolas shoved Eaton to the ground before re-engaging in the push as the situation began to defuse.
With a major benches-clearing incident, MLB reviewed it and issued suspensions to four players, two on each team. Cavalli drew his suspension for starting the incident and Mikolas for shoving Eaton.
What the Cade Cavalli and Miles Mikolas Suspensions Mean for the Nationals
Cade Cavalli’s remarks to Willson Contreras drew a lot of criticism. The right-hander apologized for his remarks, realizing the poor example he set on the field.
A seven-game suspension is a bit unusual, given that Cavalli is a starting pitcher. But it marks the same number that Contreras got for escalating the brawl. That likely means MLB views Cavalli as much at fault for causing this incident as Contreras was for escalating it.
Both Cavalli and Miles Mikolas have the option to appeal the suspension issued by MLB and try to get the number of games reduced. Both pitchers can continue to play while the appeal is pending.
Mikolas is scheduled to start on July 5 against the Pittsburgh Pirates while Cavalli lines up for July 6 against the Houston Astros.
However, the Nationals face the problem of being shorthanded by possibly two pitchers for a short stretch. When Mikolas and Cavalli serve their suspension, the club cannot replace them since it was an on-field incident.
That could hurt a team that’s surprisingly hung on in the National League Wild Card race this season. Washington is 45-43 after winning their series against the Red Sox. But being down two pitchers at the same time could create their own problems.
Depending on the timing of the appeals process, the club can leverage the All-Star break to minimize the amount of damage.
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