Cade Cavalli will look to continue his torrid stretch and help the Washington Nationals bounce back against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Toronto took the opening game of the three-game series 3-2 on Monday behind some stellar bullpen work after Max Scherzer kicked things off in his return to Nationals Park.

The Blue Jays’ Shane Bieber (2-1, 4.70 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Cavalli (7-4, 3.58) in the middle game of the series.

Bieber, 31, will make his seventh start of the season. Over his past two efforts, he has allowed only one earned run in 13 innings. On Thursday, he gave up a run on three hits over seven innings in a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays in one of his best outings of the season.

“That was outstanding,” manager John Schneider said of Bieber’s effort. “Limiting hard contact against a really good offensive team, especially the top of the order. And we played really good defense behind him.”

Bieber has faced the Nationals once in his career, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on nine hits in a no-decision while a member of the Cleveland Guardians in 2023.

Cavalli is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA, 45 strikeouts and six walks over his past six starts. Last time out, he struck out eight and pitched six scoreless innings in an 8-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. It was Cavalli’s third straight six-inning start, and five of the past six outings have been quality starts.

“His stuff’s so good,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said afterward. “He’s able to, it seems like, take it to a next level or another level when guys do get into scoring position, and there’s running threatening. He made some big pitches for us.”

Cavalli has never faced the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays helped Scherzer celebrate his 42nd birthday Monday night, though he did not pick up the individual win after allowing a run on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He threw 75 pitches against the Nationals, whom he played for from 2015-21.

Six relievers combined to allow one run as closer Louis Varland finished — though he made it interesting by giving up a two-out single and a walk before striking out Luis Garcia Jr. to end the game.

Luis Urias homered, Myles Straw had an RBI single and a double, and Ernie Clement doubled in a run for Toronto, which had lost seven of 10 games since the All-Star break heading into Monday’s game.

“It’s frustrating as heck that we’re in this position, but we’re professionals,” Scherzer said of Toronto’s last-place standing in the American League East. “We have a job to do. … You’ve got to go out there and do everything you can to win, every single day. That’s the mentality we have in the clubhouse, and we kind of let the other stuff just be noise.”

Andres Chaparro hit a pinch-hit homer, and Garcia and Nasim Nunez had two hits each for the Nationals, who had won two straight entering the game.

Washington sits one game out of the third and final wild-card spot in the National League.

“It just felt like a night when we had opportunities and couldn’t capitalize,” Butera said after Washington went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. “It’s frustrating doing that when the pitching’s as good as it was for us tonight.”

Chaparro is batting .323 (10-for-31) with five homers, eight runs and 14 RBIs across his past 14 games.

CJ Abrams — named NL Player of the Week after going 15-for-26 (.577) with six home runs, 12 RBIs, and eight runs scored in six games — went 0-for2 with two walks.

–Field Level Media

Taxed with a fatigued bullpen, the visiting Atlanta Braves would love nothing more than a long outing from their starting pitcher on Tuesday night, when they play the second contest of a three-game set against the New York Mets.

Luckily for the Braves, they’ve got the right guy on the mound in left-hander Chris Sale.

After Atlanta’s relievers were put to the test in a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Braves sent Connor Thomas to the mound for just the fourth game of his major league career in a 3-3 game on Monday. Thomas allowed 11 runs on 10 hits across just 2 2/3 innings in a 14-3 loss.

Anchoring a staff in need of reinforcements, Sale (11-6, 2.19 ERA) will search for his third straight win and fourth in his last five outings.

Sale, 37, allowed three runs on five hits across six innings on Thursday, tying a season high with 11 strikeouts and walking just one in a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

After injuries derailed the end of his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, Sale was shipped to the Braves in December 2023 for shortstop Vaughn Grissom — who was traded again two years later. Since Sale arrived in Atlanta, he’s revitalized his career and is in the conversation for his second National League Cy Young Award in the last three years.

“I’ve talked about him glowingly all year, and I’ll continue to do so,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Sale. “He’s the real deal. … It defies logic, really. After all the time he missed in Boston and then coming here and doing what he’s done to rejuvenate an already great career, at this point in his career, is amazing.”

Sale is 36-14 with a 2.39 ERA with Atlanta. He is in his third year with the team.

Sale is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He faced them on July 4, tossing five innings of three-run, seven-hit ball, striking out three and walking two in a 14-3 victory.

Monday served as a highlight for the Mets in an otherwise lackluster season. New York has won back-to-back games for the first time since before the All-Star break after its second-highest scoring output of the year.

Francisco Lindor hit two home runs and drove in six runs for the Mets, while Tyrone Taylor had three hits and three RBIs.

“Tyrone Taylor continues to do some impressive stuff,” New York interim manager Andy Green said. “Obviously, Lindor with the two home runs and triple as well. Up and down the lineup, we had really good at-bats (on Monday).”

The Mets will counter Sale with right-hander Christian Scott (3-2, 3.13 ERA), who’s coming off his shortest outing since his season debut on April 23. Scott lasted just 3 2/3 innings, yielding three runs on four hits while striking out six and walking three in a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Scott, 27, faced the Braves on July 3, allowing three runs on two hits in four innings, striking out seven and walking four in a 5-3 loss. He is 0-2 with a 5.40 in two career starts against Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

Even as injuries keep mounting for the New York Yankees, the club’s victory total is following suit.

After defeating the White Sox 9-5 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series in Chicago, the Yankees can secure at least a split with a win Tuesday night .

New York has won four of its past five games to pull 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay for the American League East lead. New York was 3 1/2 games ahead in the division on June 17 but has a 15-18 record since. The Rays are 20-13 in that span.

On Monday, the Yankees collected 10 hits shortly after learning that outfielder Cody Bellinger would be out four to six weeks with a left hamstring strain.

“I feel like we just want to pick up our teammates, you know,” Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “We just want to keep on going. And when someone is down, we want to just keep on picking them up. Just keep on working.”

Chisholm had two hits, two RBIs and two runs on Monday. He was on base when catcher Ali Sanchez hit his first career home run, a three-run blast in the eighth inning that broke the game open.

Sanchez debuted in the major leagues in 2020 and has played for six teams, never appearing in more than 31 games in a season.

“It’s always great when you get to see a teammate do well,” Chisholm said. “Especially when it’s their first career hit or home run. Especially the grind that he’s been through, man.”

Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but was unable to maintain the advantage despite three hits and two RBIs from Colson Montgomery.

Montgomery served as Chicago’s designated hitter but is expected to return to his usual shortstop position during the series. He is working through a bruised shin that kept him out of the lineup for Sunday’s victory against Houston.

That’s the lone win the White Sox have in the first four games of a seven-game homestand. While Chicago remains atop the AL Central with a two-game edge over the Cleveland Guardians, the White Sox know there’s room for improvement.

Defense was among the culprits as the White Sox fell to 1-3 against the Yankees this season. Third baseman Miguel Vargas, catcher Edgar Quero and reliever Sean Newcomb each committed an error.

“It was a sloppy game defensively,” Chicago manager Will Venable said afterward. “Even some plays that didn’t end in errors, you know. Just not sharp there. I thought it really impacted the game, obviously, and it really was the difference there. So we’ve got to keep it up, go to work tomorrow and be better next time.”

Left-hander Anthony Kay (7-4, 4.21 ERA) will start for the White Sox on Tuesday against Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (3-5, 3.92).

Kay won for the first time since June 12 on Wednesday, delivering five innings of two-run, five hit ball in a 4-2 victory over Texas. He walked two and struck out four.

The host Yankees defeated Kay 10-5 on June 17, reaching him for four runs and six hits in four innings, including a two-run homer from Bellinger.

Kay has five career appearances (two starts) against New York, with an 8.10 ERA. He has surrendered 12 runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Cole defeated Chicago 12-2 on June 16 of this season. He spaced two runs and three hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Andrew Benintendi connected for a solo shot.

Cole is 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in six career starts against Chicago.

He is coming off Wednesday’s no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won 5-3 in 10 innings. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings with no walks and a season-high 11 strikeouts.

–Field Level Media