You can’t ask for a better series than the Toronto Blue Jays just had with the Washington Nationals.

There were no blowouts like the Orioles series, and more importantly, the Blue Jays won all three games. Monday’s game saw the Jays win 5-2, followed by a 5-3 victory on Tuesday and a 4-2 win on Wednesday to cap off their first sweep of the series.
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Pitching was good. Bowden Francis threw a no-hitter into the sixth inning (what’s new?), José Berríos rebounded well in his second start, and Easton Lucas threw five shutout innings. Collectively, they pitched 16.2 innings of a possible 27, giving up just four earned runs, seven hits, nine walks and 13 strikeouts.
What’s more is that their bullpen was great in the series. In their 5-2 victory, the Jays&#8217; bullpen pitched three innings, giving up three hits but striking out five. On Tuesday, it gave up an earned run in three and one-third innings pitched, but also struck out four batters. Two runs were given up on Wednesday in four innings pitched. 
It’s been a long time since you could say everything is clicking. You probably have to go back to 2022 for the last time that the starters, relievers, and hitters all had success at the same time. Through seven games, a small sample size, the Blue Jays have a 135 wRC+ in 258 plate appearances, the fifth-highest total in the league.
The thing is, they haven’t hit a lot of home runs this season. Toronto is tied for the ninth-fewest home runs in the league, with Andrés Giménez hitting three of the five home runs. They are one of just three teams that haven&#8217;t had a home run from a hitter in their top third of the lineup, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander having a sub-100 wRC+.
Bo Bichette struggled in the Nationals series, slashing .143/.143/.143 in his 14 plate appearances. Guerrero Jr. had a 1.67/.231/.333 slash line, while Santander slashed .250/.250/.333. Of the regulars, George Springer had the best series, slashing .500/.583/.900 with his first home run of the season.
Springer has batted sixth in the lineup for the majority of the season, giving it a ton of depth. Giménez has really taken to the cleanup role and had the second-best wRC+, while Alejandro Kirk, who usually bats fifth, had a strong series as well.
Hitting isn’t perfect, but once Bichette, Guerrero Jr., and Santander get going, this team may be unstoppable. It will help when Daulton Varsho returns to the lineup as well.
Up next for the Blue Jays is a three-game series against the New York Mets starting Friday. Kevin Gausman is expected to start on Friday, Chris Bassitt on Saturday, and Bowden Francis on Sunday. It&#8217;ll be weird start times as well, Friday is at 3:10 PM ET, Saturday is at 7:10 PM ET, and Sunday is at 1:40 PM ET.
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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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You can’t ask for a better series than the Toronto Blue Jays just had with the Washington Nationals.



There were no blowouts like the Orioles series, and more importantly, the Blue Jays won all three games. Monday’s game saw the Jays win 5-2, followed by a 5-3 victory on Tuesday and a 4-2 win on Wednesday to cap off their first sweep of the series.
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Pitching was good. Bowden Francis threw a no-hitter into the sixth inning (what’s new?), José Berríos rebounded well in his second start, and Easton Lucas threw five shutout innings. Collectively, they pitched 16.2 innings of a possible 27, giving up just four earned runs, seven hits, nine walks and 13 strikeouts.

What’s more is that their bullpen was great in the series. In their 5-2 victory, the Jays' bullpen pitched three innings, giving up three hits but striking out five. On Tuesday, it gave up an earned run in three and one-third innings pitched, but also struck out four batters. Two runs were given up on Wednesday in four innings pitched. 

It’s been a long time since you could say everything is clicking. You probably have to go back to 2022 for the last time that the starters, relievers, and hitters all had success at the same time. Through seven games, a small sample size, the Blue Jays have a 135 wRC+ in 258 plate appearances, the fifth-highest total in the league.

The thing is, they haven’t hit a lot of home runs this season. Toronto is tied for the ninth-fewest home runs in the league, with Andrés Giménez hitting three of the five home runs. They are one of just three teams that haven't had a home run from a hitter in their top third of the lineup, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander having a sub-100 wRC+.

Bo Bichette struggled in the Nationals series, slashing .143/.143/.143 in his 14 plate appearances. Guerrero Jr. had a 1.67/.231/.333 slash line, while Santander slashed .250/.250/.333. Of the regulars, George Springer had the best series, slashing .500/.583/.900 with his first home run of the season.

Springer has batted sixth in the lineup for the majority of the season, giving it a ton of depth. Giménez has really taken to the cleanup role and had the second-best wRC+, while Alejandro Kirk, who usually bats fifth, had a strong series as well.

Hitting isn’t perfect, but once Bichette, Guerrero Jr., and Santander get going, this team may be unstoppable. It will help when Daulton Varsho returns to the lineup as well.

Up next for the Blue Jays is a three-game series against the New York Mets starting Friday. Kevin Gausman is expected to start on Friday, Chris Bassitt on Saturday, and Bowden Francis on Sunday. It'll be weird start times as well, Friday is at 3:10 PM ET, Saturday is at 7:10 PM ET, and Sunday is at 1:40 PM ET.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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