DENVER (Interstat) — Cade Cavalli threw six shutout innings and the Washington Nationals erupted for six runs in the seventh inning Wednesday afternoon to blank the Colorado Rockies 8-0 at Coors Field.

Cavalli struck out eight, scattered four hits and walked two in his 100-pitch outing, improving to 7-4 on the season. The right-hander allowed only one runner to reach scoring position, retiring the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings. Eddy Yean followed with two scoreless innings of relief, and Max Kranick worked a perfect ninth to complete the combined three-hit shutout.

Washington (52-51) snapped a one-game losing streak and won for the fifth time in seven games. Colorado (41-63) lost its second straight after taking the series opener Tuesday.

The Nationals broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth. Jorbit Vivas led off with a triple to right, the first three-bagger of his major league career. After Nasim Nuñez grounded out, James Wood lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Vivas for a 1-0 lead.

The game remained tight until Washington sent 12 batters to the plate in the seventh inning, scoring six runs on six hits and two Colorado errors. Daylen Lile drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a groundout and scored when Nuñez singled to left. The ball got past left fielder Mickey Moniak for an error, allowing Jorbit Vivas — who had walked — to score as well, making it 3-0.

Luis García Jr. followed with a two-run homer to center, his 21st of the season, stretching the lead to 5-0. José Tena singled, and after a pitching change, CJ Abrams singled to put runners at the corners. Dylan Crews then lined a base hit to center, scoring Tena and Abrams. Center fielder Cole Carrigg misplayed the ball, allowing Crews to take third. The inning ended when Lile grounded out, but Washington had opened a 7-0 cushion.

The Nationals added a run in the eighth. Keibert Ruiz doubled to right and scored on a single by Nuñez, capping a three-hit day for the second baseman.

Abrams finished 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Vivas went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two runs. García drove in two runs on his home run.

Colorado’s Gabriel Hughes took the loss, falling to 0-2. The rookie right-hander allowed one run on five hits over five innings, striking out five and walking one. Reliever Zach Agnos was charged with two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits.

The Rockies managed only six hits total. Jake McCarthy doubled in the third, and TJ Rumfield doubled in the fourth, but both were stranded. Colorado’s best scoring chance came in the second, when Kyle Karros singled and advanced to second on a fielding error by left fielder Daylen Lile. But Cavalli induced a fielder’s choice and struck out Edouard Julien to end the threat.

Colorado went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

Washington’s offense finished with 14 hits, six of them for extra bases. The Nationals improved to 3-1 in the four-game series, which concludes Thursday afternoon.

Cavalli’s performance marked his third straight quality start. He allowed two earned runs in six innings against on July 17 and two earned runs in six innings against the New York Yankees on July 12.

The game lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 23,196.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 4, Colorado 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Washington a 59.00 percent probability to win. Washington was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of eight went over the over/under line of 11.5.