Luis Garcia Jr. slammed a three-run homer deep into center field during the seventh inning, marking his first pinch-hit home run in his career and aiding the Washington Nationals in a 9-3 triumph over the struggling Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
Garcia capitalized on an 85-mph splitter from Erik Swanson for his second homer of the season, granting Washington a 4-3 advantage. Nick Senzel contributed with an RBI double during the same inning.
“I just came straight from hitting in the cage,” Garcia remarked through a translator. “I was actually not trying to be too aggressive. I was just trying to focus on that at-bat to try to get a pitch. Fortunately, he threw a splitter that hung a little bit and it was up, and I was able to make good contact with it.”
In the eighth inning, the Nationals secured four more runs, benefiting from two fielding errors. They have now claimed victory in six of their last eight games, bringing their record back to .500 at 16-16. This marked their 11th comeback win of the season.
“We are trying to get him not to chase,” manager Davey Martinez remarked. “That’s the biggest thing. He is a high-ball hitter.
Trying to get him to think middle in for the most part and stay in the middle of the field. He’s been good at doing that. He is doing well.”
Despite initially holding a 3-1 lead, the Blue Jays’ bullpen faltered. Swanson (0-2) and Tim Mayza collectively allowed four runs on four hits, managing just one out, thus negating a solid start from Yusei Kikuchi. Relief pitcher Génesis Cabrera gave up four runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
“Just leaving pitches up in the zone,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider commented regarding Swanson. “I don’t know if he’s tipping pitches, honestly. I’m not afraid to say that publicly. He’s better than what he is showing right now.”
Kikuchi performed admirably, conceding only one run on six hits across six innings on 100 pitches. This marks his fifth consecutive start going six frames, matching a similar streak in 2021. The left-hander struck out seven batters, including six of seven during the middle innings, and has only walked one batter in his last 22 innings.
Although the Blue Jays initially led 3-0 in the second inning, they have now suffered three consecutive losses and eight defeats in their last 11 games.
