Nationals enjoying Diamondbacks' hospitality, pursue series sweep

The Washington Nationals do not need their home field to feel right at home.

The Nationals have 21 road wins -- only the Atlanta Braves have more with 23 -- and will look to finish a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Sunday.

"I know we are playing really well on the road, but I don't know if I can attribute it to one thing or the other," said Zack Littell, who won his sixth straight decision with a 6-1 victory on Saturday.

Nationals' right-hander Cade Cavalli (3-3, 3.62 ERA) is scheduled to face Arizona right-hander Michael Soroka (7-3, 3.49) in the series finale.

"The energy is the same all the time," Littell said. "It feels like we come every day ready to play. It would have been pretty easy coming off a sweep (by the Miami Marlins) and an off day to come out a little sluggish, but to put it on them like we did yesterday and continue it today was awesome."

The Nationals won the series opener 14-1 and have lost only one of their past eight series -- the three-game home set to the Marlins before heading to Arizona. They have won four straight road series for the first time since May 2018, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

"I don't know exactly what to make of that, but I'll take the wins wherever they come," Nationals manager Blake Butera said.

The Diamondbacks had two hits Saturday and have two runs and eight hits in the first two games of the series.

"We have to do a lot of things better," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

Nationals' starter Cavalli, 27, has given up no more than three earned runs in any of his past nine starts, and his ERA is as low as it has been since the first week of April.

He will make his 14th start of the season and has won two of his past three decisions. The lone loss came in his best outing in that run -- a 2-1 loss to the New York Mets in which he struck out nine in seven innings.

"He's done an outstanding job for us, and he's still so young," Butera said.

"The velocity -- the fastball is coming out, and the secondary pitches. Also the confidence. I think that's what stands out the most. He's learning a lot in between starts. So watching him grow has been fun."

Cavilli missed the 2023 season and was limited to three minor league appearances in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery He has never faced the Diamondbacks.

Soroka gave up more than two earned runs for only the third time in his 12 starts in a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. He gave up four runs including a two-run homer to former Atlanta Braves teammate Freddie Freeman.

"I'm happy for Mike," said Freeman, who played with Soroka in Atlanta from 2018-20 and saw the pitcher's career interrupted by injuries.

"Mike's been pitching so well, battled so many injuries with the Achilles when we were at the Braves. It's just tough. So to see him have some success right now, it's awesome."

Soroka is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in five career starts against Washington, all in 2019, when he was 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts. He was second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in the Cy Young Award race while making his lone All-Star appearance that season.