Postgamer #108: Nats ride four-run first inning to a win, evening the series against Toronto: A recap

It was a tough night tonight to be Shane Bieber, but a great one to be the Washington Nationals’ offense, who came out early tonight looking to atone for the tough loss last night. Bieber walked six batters in the first inning and had to be removed just two outs into the ballgame, with the Nats already ahead 4-0.

The Nats held the lead the rest of the way, as Cade Cavalli held the line through six innings and the bullpen took them the rest of the way. The big insurance came in the fourth inning, when the Nats said “screw you” to left-right splits, and Luis Garcia Jr. went yard off a lefty, followed by Dylan Crews doing the same against a righty. Those blasts paced the Nats en route to a big win tonight in DC, setting them up with an opportunity to win another series tomorrow afternoon.

The Action

Cade Cavalli faxed the minimum in the first inning, aided by a double play ball, and that set the table for what was a bizarre (but very successful) bottom of the first. The only way I know to describe this is by giving the play-by-play, so here it goes:

James Wood walked
Luis Garcia Jr. grounded out
Dylan Crews walked
CJ Abrams infield single
Keibert Ruiz bases loaded walk
Daylen Lile bases loaded walk
Nasim Nunez sacrifice fly
Jorbit Vivas walked
Jacob Young bases loaded walk

That was the day for Shane Bieber; I really do feel bad for him, but I am very thankful for his help in delivering the Nats a much-needed victory.

That 4-0 lead held until the Jays got on the board against Cavalli in the top of the third, but it certainly came at a cost. The run scored on an infield single by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and was assisted by a throwing error from Jorbit Vivas, but it appeared that somewhere in his sprint, Guerrero did something to his hamstring and was pulled from the game shortly after.

Toronto got another run back in the fourth on a groundout by Andres Gimenez, but just when it felt like the 4-2 lead may not be secure, the Nats’ bats struck. Against a lefty, a matchup that’s been a well-documented struggle for Luis Garcia, he stayed inside of a sweeper from Mason Fluharty and crushed it into the right field bullpen for a two-run home run, doubling the lead to 6-2. The exhilaration of that blast lasted just three pitches, as Toronto gave the ball to a right-hander to face Dylan Crews, who has also had some well-documented struggles against righties. All Crews did was follow Garcia’s lead, and he too homered, sending Nats Park (and Nats Twitter) into delirium.

The Blue Jays got one of those runs back in the fifth on a solo shot by Kazuma Okamoto, but the Nationals were able to respond immediately in the bottom of the inning with a Jacob Young sacrifice fly to make it 8-3.

Jacob Young does not have an official at-bat tonight despite having 2 RBIs and 4 plate appearances. Has that ever happened in #Nats history before? @EliasSports @SlangsOnSports
— Nats.Talk (@TalkNats) July 29, 2026

Shane Bieber: 0.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 runs (all earned), 6 walks, 0 strikeouts, 42 pitches
Cade Cavalli: 6 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 98 pitches

Tom Cosgrove got the ball for the Nats in the seventh as the first man out of the bullpen and did his job with ease, putting up a zero in just 13 pitches.

The big hiccup for the Nats came in the eighth inning, as Gus Varland, just promoted from Triple-A, got the ball with his brother (Toronto’s closer) and proud parents in the house. The Jays roughed him up pretty good, as Nathan Lukes won a 10-pitch at-bat against Varland and ended it with a single, then Kazuma Okomoto hit a tailor-made double play ball right at CJ Abrams, who unfortunately booted it. That was capped off by a three-run homer by George Springer to instantly make it 8-6, and end Varland’s night.

Orlando Ribalta was called upon to get the three outs that were tasked to Varland, and he did so masterfully. His diving slider and bullet fastball carved through the three batters he faced, and he struck out two of them on the way to a clean sheet to send the game to the bottom of the eighth with the 8-6 Nats’ lead still intact. The Nats went quietly in the eighth, getting mowed down by Jeff Hoffman for the second night in a row, and it was on to Clayton Beeter, who came in to close this one out.

Just a personal musing, this Toronto bullpen is NASTY. There’s only been one or two guys out of the seven we’ve seen these past two games that haven’t really impressed me with their stuff. A guy like Hoffman or even Brenden Little would be a welcome upgrade for our bullpen, and well worth a call from Paul Toboni.

Beeter brought his A-stuff tonight, and the ninth inning was over in a breeze. Just like that, the scrappy Nats found a way to bring themselves even and set up yet another rubber game tomorrow afternoon, with the chance to win their fourth consecutive series out of the All-Star break. This was a much-needed win to help get the taste of last night’s loss out of our mouths, and they did just that.

What’s Next?

The final and deciding game of this three-game series will get underway from Nats Park tomorrow afternoon at 1:05, as the Nationals look to hopefully win another series and maybe even draw even in the wild card standings, depending on the results from Pittsburgh. They’ll have to do it against Toronto’s interesting young rookie and 2025 postseason hero, Trey Yesavage (4-5, 3.92 ERA). Blake Butera and company will counter with Zack Littell (7-8, 5.17 ERA), who is getting the ball in a huge spot in the season and needs to show up for the club.