Max Scherzer gets out of the bases loaded jam in the 1st! 🎥 Sportsnet | #Bluejays
Instant Reaction: High-leverage relievers get the job done in Blue Jays victory over Nationals
Photo credit: © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Jul 27, 2026, 22:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 27, 2026, 22:23 EDT
That’s a good way to begin a series.
On Monday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays began a three-game series with the Washington Nationals, defeating the National League team by a score of 3-2. This win, just their fourth in 11 games since the All-Star break, gives them a 49-58 record. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
Max Scherzer started Monday’s game on his 42nd birthday, against the team he won the World Series with. He got out of the first inning despite loading the bases with one out, but surrendered a run in the bottom of the second.
No fret, as the Blue Jays responded the next time they came to the plate. After Daulton Varsho grounded out, Luis Urías hit a home run, his third of the season, to knot the game up at one. That was followed by a Myles Straw double, who was promptly cashed in thanks to Ernie Clement’s 26th double of the season.
Luis Urias with a line drive home run to tie the game at 1! 🎥 Sportsnet | #Bluejays
The Blue Jays added another run the following inning. Kazuma Okamoto reached with a single, stole his first career big league base, then was brought home thanks to a Straw single to make it 3-1. That run proved to be vital, because Andrés Chaparro took Adam Macko deep in the bottom of the fifth.
Myles Straw singles to right-center field and it's 3-1! 🎥 Sportsnet | #Bluejays
But the Blue Jays’ bullpen closes it down from there. Spencer Miles, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman, and Louis Varland all threw a scoreless outing, earning the Blue Jays a 3-2 victory.
Takeaways…
This was a terrific game by the bullpen, namely the three high end relievers. Tyler Rogers pitched a clean inning, sandwiching a strikeout between two ground outs. The bottom of the eighth saw Hoffman strikeout the side, with the lone blemish being a two-out double.
As for Louis Varland, he got Keibert Ruiz to pop up, followed by a Jorbit Vivas strikeout. The Nationals threatened with two outs thanks to a single and a walk, but Varland struck out Luis García Jr. after just narrowly missing giving up a game-ending walk-off home run. It wasn’t the prettiest save by Varland, but he’s now 22/22 in save opportunities.
This game could end up being Max Scherzer’s final start as a Blue Jay thanks to the looming trade deadline on August 3rd. It wasn’t a great start by any means, but he (and Mason Fluharty in the third) left a runner stranded at third base in all three innings. Overall, the future Hall of Famer finished with a line of 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
The bottom of the Blue Jays’ lineup got the job done in this game. Luis Urías hit his third home run of the season to tie the game up at one, and Myles Straw drove in the game-winning run in a two-hit game. Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each hit a double as well.
Tuesday will be the first of two chances for the Blue Jays to win their first series since they were in San Francisco before the All-Star break. That game has a start time of 6:45 PM ET, and Shane Bieber will start in what could be the last start he makes as a Blue Jay.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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