Toronto Blue Jays at Washington Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TOR	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	1
WSH	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	8	0

Scherzer took the mound at Nationals Park for the first time since leaving in the 2021 blockbuster deadline deal, activated off the IL to start on his 42nd birthday against the franchise he helped win it all with in 2019. He's a shell of that pitcher now, carrying a 9.49 ERA and a 1-4 record into the night, and Washington countered with Eddy Yean, the hard-throwing rookie right-hander the Nationals have been shuttling up and down since his electric July 5 debut.

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Total

Blue Jays(49-58)

WLWLW

3

+1.5-167+113o9.5-120

Nationals(54-53)

LWWLW

2

-1.5+163-115u9.5+120

Best BetNationals -131

Postgame

Missed — Scherzer and the Blue Jays' bats got to Yean early, and Washington's offense couldn't answer after the third inning.

Pregame

Washington's lineup has been doing the heavy lifting lately with Abrams and Wood both hot, and Yean's raw stuff gave the home side every reason to like their outright chances here. Scherzer's ugly season-long numbers made him a shaky bet to shut down a rolling offense, even in a sentimental spot. The price still made sense on paper against a seller-mode Toronto club.

Neither team is exactly whole. Toronto is 49-58 and already acting like a deadline seller, with Addison Barger done for the year after elbow surgery and Anthony Santander and Jesus Sanchez both still working back from injury. Washington, on the other hand, has quietly climbed to 54-53 and is hanging around the wild-card picture behind a lineup that's been raking — CJ Abrams and James Wood combined for four homers in a 10-7 win over Arizona just a day earlier.

Max Scherzer

(1-4)·7.25 ERA

Jun 10 vs Phillies

L

3.1IP

5ER

4K

3BB

82P

07/27 Lineup

Eddy Yean

(0-1)·1.80 ERA

07/27 Lineup

The version of Scherzer walking out to the mound Monday bore little resemblance to the Cy Young winner Nationals fans remember. He's been battling a balky thumb all year, needed a rehab detour, and was clearly pitching more on savvy than stuff. Yean, by contrast, was reportedly sitting 98-99 mph in his first taste of the majors — the kind of arm talent that makes you wonder how much longer he stays a September afterthought.

Toronto broke through with a 2-run third and added another in the fourth to build a 3-1 cushion, and that was enough. Washington got a run back in the fifth but never had another real threat, falling 2 for the second straight game after riding a hot stretch into the series. The Nationals' bullpen — statistically the worst in baseball this season — didn't even get much chance to blow this one; the damage was mostly done against the arm they were counting on to keep it close.

Toronto Blue Jays

(49-58)

Jul 27W@ Nationals3-2

Jul 26L@ Red Sox1-6

Jul 25W@ Red Sox6-0

Jul 24L@ Red Sox4-6

Jul 23Wvs Rays3-1

Washington Nationals

(54-53)

Jul 27Lvs Blue Jays2-3

Jul 26Wvs Diamondbacks10-7

Jul 25Wvs Diamondbacks5-3

Jul 24Lvs Diamondbacks2-3

Jul 22W@ Rockies8-0

It's a strange night to unpack. Scherzer got the emotional homecoming and the win, even with diminished stuff, while Yean's follow-up outing didn't match the buzz of his debut. For a Nationals team trying to squeeze into the wild-card conversation, dropping one to a sub-.500 Toronto club that's shopping veterans at the deadline stings more than the box score lets on.

Toronto Blue Jays

(12)

• 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa (2B) — Sosa (wrist) will resume taking live batting practice this week, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
• 10-Day-ILJesus Sanchez (RF) — Sanchez (ankle) is on track to return from the 10-day injured list Friday against the Cardinals, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
• 10-Day-ILJonatan Clase (LF) — Clase (foot) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.07/22
• bereavementBraydon Fisher (RP) — Fisher threw 1.1 innings as the opener and gave up one earned run on no hits and two walks in Wednesday's loss to the Rays. He struck out one.07/27
• 15-Day-ILPatrick Corbin (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Corbin on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left teres major strain.07/23
• 60-Day-ILJoe Mantiply (RP) — Mantiply (knee) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
• 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia (RP) — Garcia (elbow/neck/biceps) has been pulled off his rehab assignment and will be examined by a doctor for possible thoracic outlet syndrome, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
• 60-Day-ILAddison Barger (RF) — Barger is expected to be sidelined six months following surgery Monday to repair his right elbow UCL, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
• 60-Day-ILAnthony Santander (RF) — Santander is still dealing with discomfort in his surgically repaired left shoulder and recently received another cortisone shot, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILJose Berrios (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Berrios underwent full Tommy John surgery Wednesday in addition to having a stress fracture repaired, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.05/27
• 60-Day-ILCody Ponce (SP) — Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILBowden Francis (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08

Washington Nationals

(10)

• 10-Day-ILDrew Millas (C) — Milias went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.07/15
• 15-Day-ILBrad Lord (RP) — Lord (side) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/24
• 15-Day-ILPJ Poulin (RP) — Poulin will serve as the opening pitcher in Saturday's game against the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams (SP) — Williams (elbow) struck out three and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks across 3.1 innings in a rehab start Sunday with High-A Wilmington.07/20
• 60-Day-ILJake Irvin (SP) — Irvin (shoulder) struck out five and allowed one hit and no walks over 4.2 scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg.07/20
• 60-Day-ILRichard Lovelady (RP) — Lovelady (triceps) began a throwing program shortly after landing on the injured list June 29 and had thrown off flat ground out to 60 feet as recently as July 3, MLB.com reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker (RP) — The Nationals transferred Parker (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.07/02
• 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.06/22
• 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11
• 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/08

Both rosters are held together with rehab assignments and IL stints right now — Jake Irvin and Trevor Williams are working back for Washington, while Toronto's outfield keeps thinning out. Neither club is fully operational, which makes nights like this one as much about who's missing as who's pitching.