Cabrera allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven while regularly pitching in the high-90s tonight. It’s not at all likely that this is the year he harnesses his plus stuff and becomes an above average starter, but there’s always the chance. Right now, he has a 6.14 ERA through three turns. He’ll take on the Dodgers next.

Cabrera was so incredibly close to a truly dominant outing until the Nationals turned their lineup over for a third time and finally got to him in the sixth inning when Josh Bell hit a two-run homerun. Regardless, it was an impressive first start of the season for the flame-thrower. He had only thrown 62 pitches over the first five innings and looked comfortable out there. His fastball touched 100 mph and sat in the upper-90s, but wasn’t even close to the star of the show. In fact, it was his least thrown pitch. His vaunted changeup was his primary pitch against a left-handed heavy lineup and picked off more than a few called strikes when he needed them. Otherwise, his slider command was spotty and it still made plenty of hitters look foolish when he hit his spot with it. Same with his curveball. All in all, this was a fine start from Cabrera and one that should make him very appealing if he’s available in your leagues. He’s scheduled to face the Diamondbacks next time out.

Cabrera is off the IL to make a start Friday against the Nationals. The 26-year-old should be stretched out enough to make a traditional start, but there’s obvious risk in using Cabrera as a streaming option regardless of his health.