TORONTO — In a thrilling game Monday night, Andrés Giménez’s impressive performance helped propel the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Giménez was a standout, contributing a home run and scoring three times. He successfully reached base four times during the game, showing his exceptional form. After hitting a homer in the second inning, he walked and scored in the fourth, was hit by a pitch in the sixth, and doubled before crossing home plate again in the eighth.
Bowden Francis, making his first start of the season, was instrumental in the win. Pitching for six innings, Francis (1-0) held strong, only giving up two runs and two hits. He faced his first significant challenge in the sixth inning when CJ Abrams and James Wood struck back-to-back home runs with one out. Francis managed to walk three batters and struck out four more during his time on the mound.
Providing additional support for Toronto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk each hit RBI doubles. This marked a back-to-back series of victories for the Blue Jays, giving them added momentum. The Nationals encountered an unwelcome setback as their right-handed pitcher, Michael Soroka, exited in the sixth inning due to bicep cramping. Soroka (0-1), a Canadian native who joined Washington on a one-year, $9-million deal last December, conceded four runs across five hits, walked one, and struck out three.
Francis had nearly achieved a no-hitter in two separate instances last season, only to lose both bids in dramatic fashion to ninth-inning homers. His streak of near-misses echoed legendary pitcher Nolan Ryan’s 1989 season with Texas, when he experienced similar losses. Following Francis, the game was handled by right-hander Nick Sandlin in the seventh inning, followed by lefty Brendon Little in the eighth, and concluded by Yimi García, who secured his first save.
Toronto’s victory was set in motion early when Giménez hit a home run to start the second inning, marking the first time this season the team opened the scoring. Highlighting his contribution, Giménez has already hit three home runs within the last five games he has played for Toronto, a notable increase from the nine he hit over 152 games for Cleveland last season.
Looking ahead, the Blue Jays are set to have RHP José Berríos (0-1, 10.80 ERA) on the mound for Tuesday night’s game, where he will face Nationals RHP Trevor Williams.