WASHINGTON -- Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli left Saturday's game against Miami in the fourth inning after being hit in the right ankle by a ground ball.
With two outs in the fourth, Miami third baseman Javier Sanoja hit a 93-mph grounder that caromed off Cavalli, who had not allowed a hit. He recovered quickly enough to throw out Sanoja, but limped to the dugout and down into the tunnel.
The team did not immediately announce the severity of Cavalli's injury.
Left-hander Erik Tolman relieved Cavalli to start the fifth and allowed Miami's first hit in the game, a single to Joe Mack, the second batter he faced.
Cavalli struck out eight and walked three. The 28-year-old right-hander is 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA in his first full year in the majors, including 7-1 with a 1.95 ERA in his last 10 outings. Saturday was the first time since July 5 that Cavalli did not complete five innings.
