Moore belts first two career homers to lift Nationals over Blue Jays 6-2

TORONTO – Tyler Moore was a one-man show Wednesday.

Moore belted his first two career homers and added a double to finish with five runs-batted in and power the Washington Nationals past the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 and sweep the three-game interleague series.

Stephen Strasburg (8-1) struck out eight in six innings to win his fifth consecutive decision in holding the Blue Jays to two runs and five hits, including a home run by Jose Bautista.

The Blue Jays suffered another injury to a starting pitcher when Kyle Drabek left the game after 4 1/3 innings with the Nationals leading 4-2. Drabek (4-7) allowed seven hits, two walks and four runs.

Drabek, who was visited at the mound by a trainer and manager John Farrell, said he felt a pop in the back of his right elbow. He was scheduled for tests later Wednesday.

Left-hander Aaron Laffey took over from Drabek and gave up Moore’s second home run and another to Ian Desmond, his ninth of the season.

The Blue Jays (31-32) have lost six of their past seven games to dip below .500 for the first time this season.

The Nationals (38-23) broke on top with a pair in the second after a single by Michael Morse, a walk to Desmond and a one-out double by Moore.

The Blue Jays tied the score in the third in front of 41,667 fans at Rogers Centre. Rajai Davis led off with a triple and scored on a groundout by Brett Lawrie. Bautista hit his 19th home run of the season with two out.

Bautista’s 132nd home run as a Jay vaulted him to seventh on the club’s all-time list.

Drabek gave up a one-out single to Danny Espinosa and a home run to Moore in the fourth as the Nationals regained their two-run lead. It was the first career home run for the 25-year-old first baseman who was playing his 16th game in two stints with Washington this season.

Moore hit a 3-2 pitch to straightaway centre with one out in the sixth inning to put the Nationals into a 5-2 lead. Moore is the first Nationals player to hit two homers in a game this season.

Notes: Infielder Yan Gomes was recalled from triple-A Las Vegas before Wednesday’s game to fill the roster spot left when right-hander Brandon Morrow (strained left oblique) was put on the 15-day disabled list. . . The Blue Jays have Thursday off before playing a three-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies who will start Vance Worley (3-2, 3.17 earned-run average) against Drew Hutchison (5-3, 4.66 ERA).