The Nationals decided this one before most fans had found their seats. Four runs in the first inning off Shane Bieber put Washington in control, and the Nationals never let go, holding on for an 8-6 win over Toronto at Nationals Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| WSH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 8 | 2 |
Cade Cavalli was the difference for Washington. The right-hander worked 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts and 2 walks, and picked up the win to improve to 8-4 with a 3.55 ERA. Clayton Beeter closed it out with a scoreless inning, striking out one to secure his 11th save. Dylan Crews added a home run to center and scored twice, part of a Washington attack that piled up runs early and often.
Washington's first-inning damage came in waves. Ruiz walked to bring home Wood for the game's first run, then Lile's walk scored Crews before Nuñez lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Abrams. Young capped the inning with a bases-loaded walk that brought in Ruiz, staking Washington to a 4-0 lead. The Nationals kept adding on in the fourth, when García Jr. homered to right for two runs and Crews followed with a solo shot to center, and Young's sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 8-3.
Bieber never made it out of the first inning, departing after recording just 2 outs while allowing 4 runs on 6 walks, taking the loss to fall to 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA. Toronto chipped away behind Kazuma Okamoto, whose solo homer to center in the fifth cut into the deficit, and Nathan Lukes scored twice on the day. The Blue Jays' bullpen kept them within range, covering 7.1 innings, but the early hole proved too deep. George Springer's three-run homer to center in the eighth, which brought home Lukes and Okamoto, pulled Toronto within 8-6, but it wasn't enough as Washington's bullpen closed the door.
The win moved Washington to 55-53 and extended its streak to a win after a loss. Toronto fell to 49-59, having dropped its most recent game.