Pinch hitter Luis Garcia Jr. hit a three-run home run in a four-run seventh and the Washington Nationals defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 Friday night.
Beginning a five-game homestand, the Nationals overcame a 3-0 deficit to take the opener of a three-game series.
The Blue Jays, who began a five-game road trip, have lost three games in a row and eight of their last 10.
Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi allowed one run, six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.
Washington left-hander Patrick Corbin gave up three runs, six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings.
Toronto scored three runs in the second.
Danny Jansen led off with a walk and moved to third on Davis Schneider's double, and both scored on Daulton Varsho's double to right. Varsho held second on a single to right by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. After Ernie Clement sacrificed the runners to second and third, George Springer hit a sacrifice fly.
Washington, which has won six of its last eight games, scored once in the third. Jacob Young led off with a double and scored on a single to right by CJ Abrams.
Jacob Barnes (2-0) replaced Corbin and pitched around an error in the seventh.
Erik Swanson (0-2) replaced Kikuchi in the seventh. He allowed a leadoff walk to Ildemar Vargas and a single to Riley Adams followed by Garcia's second homer of the season, a blast to center.
Tim Mayza replaced Swanson and gave up a single to Jesse Winker and uncorked a wild pitch. Nick Senzel hit a one-out RBI double to left.
Washington's Hunter Harvey pitched around Jansen's double in the eighth.
Genesis Cabrera walked Alex Call to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Call moved to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice. Adams was walked intentionally and Garcia walked to load the bases. Two runs scored on second baseman Kiner-Falefa's throwing error to first in an attempt to double up the runner after he snared Winker's line drive.
Another run scored on Clement's error on a grounder to third by Abrams. Senzel and Joey Meneses hit singles to add another run.
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The Cleveland Guardians got some bad news on top prospect Chase DeLauter Wednesday, as he is set to miss much of the rest of the season with injury. Per Zack Meisel of 'The Athletic:' Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter underwent surgery today for a fractured hamate bone in his right hand/wrist. He’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks. DeLauter, 23, was a first-round pick of the Guardians in 2022 out of James Madison. He had been expected to make his debut this season, but it's unclear if that's possible now. He's hitting .264 this season in 42 games, having already dealt with an injury prior. He has seven total home runs and 24 RBIs. An outfielder, he is the No. 31 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The following comes from a portion of his prospect profile: Few players in the Minors can match DeLauter's combination of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), athleticism, ability to hit for both average and power, and plate discipline. He rarely strays from the strike zone and makes repeated hard contact against all types of pitches. He has an unorthodox left-handed swing that can get long and he'll get caught on his front foot at times, but his bat speed and strength allow him to pull pitches for power and drive them the other way with authority. The Guardians enter play on Wednesday at 50-50 through 100 games. After winning the American League Central last season, they are 2.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the AL. They'll take on the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Related MLB Stories DOMINANT OUTING: Cristopher Sanchez threw a complete-game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, making rare history among Phillies lefties. CLICK HERE: 20/30 ONCE AGAIN: Jose Ramirez just keeps doing things that no player in Cleveland history has ever done. CLICK HERE: TURNING DOWN AN OFFER: According to reports, D-backs star Corbin Carroll will not play for Taiwan at the World Baseball Classic. CLICK HERE:
With Mitch Marner’s move to the Vegas Golden Knights closing a major chapter in Toronto, GM Brad Treliving made a series of moves to replace his production. He might not be done. Three may be even bolder moves on the horizon. We’ve heard the names Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf before. However, the Maple Leafs are actively fielding and exploring trade scenarios as they look to reshape their roster — and according to Nick Kypreos, a handful of intriguing names are emerging in trade chatter: Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, and former Leafs fan-favorite Nazem Kadri. The most surprising name still generating buzz is Rielly. Despite being a longtime cornerstone on Toronto’s blue line, his $7.5 million cap hit and no-move clause complicate matters. Yet with the team needing help up front, and possible interest in offensive defensemen like Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, Rielly could become part of a larger plan if he’s open to waiving. Also surprising is the talk surrounding Carlo. A recent addition to the Leafs’ defense corps, he is already being talked about behind the scenes as a potential trade piece. If he were made available, there is interest around the league, as the 6-foot-6 shutdown defender has a team-friendly cap hit and strong penalty-killing ability. Trading Carlo could get the Leafs a top-six forward. Finally, reports on the availability of Kadri remain conflicting. Some say he’s not available, while others suggest that the Calgary Flames would consider the idea. The former Maple Leaf would be a welcome addition back to Toronto, but there isn’t much of a reason for the Flames to trade him unless the return is outstanding. Kadri reportedly would consider waiving his no-move clause for a reunion. That said, getting a deal done won’t be easy, especially with Montreal also rumored to be on his short list. Whether any of these deals come to pass or are just pure speculation, one thing’s sure: the Maple Leafs aren’t standing still. Treliving is trying to get his roster to score more goals. He seems willing to entertain any idea and play Moneyball with the roster if it will help.
It seems like it might be a little longer before Deion Sanders can join the rest of his Colorado coaching staff. In a video recently posted by his son, Deion Sanders Jr, the NFL legend admitted that he's not yet fully recovered from his undisclosed health issue. “You know I’m still going through something,” the head coach said. “I ain’t all the way recovered.” Almost two weeks ago, Sanders took the stage at Big 12 media day, but he didn't want to address his health issues. “I’m not here to talk about my health,” Sanders said. “I’m here to talk about my team.” According to the Athletic, Sanders, who's recovering in his home in Texas, has been in close contact with his coaching staff. Colorado athletic director Rick George also said that Sanders would "probably" report to campus within the next two weeks, per the Athletic. The former Super Bowl winner has a long history of health concerns. He had two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clots, and he went under the knife again in 2023 after reportedly dealing with some excruciating pain. The Buffaloes are transitioning into the post-Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter era and looking to build from last year's 9-4 record and big win at the Alamo Bowl.
Antonio Pierce appeared to have a very bright future in coaching after he took over as the interim head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, following Josh McDaniels getting fired. He led the team to a 5-4 record, which helped him earn interviews for head coaching jobs around the NFL before he officially landed the Raiders gig. However, his first season as the full-time head coach was a disaster. The team finished 4-13, and the players weren't pounding the table for him nearly as loudly. He was fired and replaced with Pete Carroll. Despite his success as a linebackers coach and previous promise as a head coach, no team hired Pierce to be a part of their coaching staff for the 2025 season. That has led to him taking on a different job. Pierce announced on Instagram that he has been named Chief Strategy Advisor for a company called Athletes in Control. Notably, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels recently joined the company as a brand ambassador. Pierce and Daniels have a close relationship from their time at Arizona State. It's not entirely clear what Athletes in Control does. Their website is currently password-protected. Their Instagram bio mentions "NIL to HOF," so it's possible that they are some sort of agency that helps athletes secure brand deals. Regardless, Pierce is going to stay close to football with this new gig. It remains to be seen if it'll keep him from wanting to return to the coaching ranks sometime in the future.
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