The Washington Nationals were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-2 loss, falling victim to a series sweep.
The Washington Nationals fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 in a game in which Toronto took control early and never let go. Toronto’s early offense and great pitching season debut have the Blue Jays hitting on all cylinders, while the Nationals are trying to find their groove and compete this season.
In the bottom of the first, Andres Gimenez put Toronto on the board first, giving the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead
While the Nationals bats were cold, Toronto’s George Springer sent one out of the park in the bottom of the 4th to give Toronto a commanding 2-0 lead.
Washington would go the first five innings with only one hit as Toronto’s Easton Lucas had a career game.
DYLLY WITH IT pic.twitter.com/z6CfMGNo1E
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 2, 2025
The first run of the day for the away team would come from a much-needed C.J. Abrams solo home run in the top of the 6th, however, Toronto would answer right back with a run of their own, holding a 4-1 lead.
Washington put one more run on the board and gave themselves an opportunity late in the game, however, the momentum from Toronto put Washington away, suffering their fifth loss of the season.
Pitching Matchup:
MacKenzie Gore (WAS):
- 5 Innings
- 9 Hits
- 3 Earned Runs
- 2 Walks
- 5 Strikeouts
Coming off of a career performance against the Phillies, Gore struggled with the same consistent swing and misses he had in his first performance. However, Gore provided a quality start and this is what he has been known for, finishing last season with a sub-4.00 ERA.
Easton Lucas (TOR):
- 5 Innings
- 1 Hit
- 0 Earned Runs
- 0 Walks
- 3 Strikeouts
In his first career start, 28-year-old Easton Lucas put on an incredible performance for a Toronto team that is finding a groove, starting the season 4-2. Lucas, a veteran relief pitcher, is looking to cement himself in the starting rotation and this performance showed what he is capable of.
Key Batters:
WASHINGTON:
C.J. Abrams- 1-4, RBI, HR
Nathaniel Lowe: 1-4, RBI
CJ Abrams just absolutely destroyed a baseball for his first home run of the season pic.twitter.com/j5ZWsjbftX
— optimistic nats fan (@optimistic5518) April 1, 2025
TORONTO:
Anthony Santander- 2-4
George Springer- 1-3, RBI, HR
Miles Straw- 3-4
CONCLUSION:
Washington has started their season off in the worst way, losing 5 of their first 6 games. Young players such as James Wood and Dylan Crews are struggling to start the season and it looks like this season could be another rebuilding year. However, it is still too early to set the season aside as a rebuilding year. With lots of talent, this team should be able to put on a show, once the bats start clicking.