Francis didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rangers after allowing three hits and one walk in five scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Not only did Francis match a season high in punchouts, but he also registered his first scoreless start of the season among his 11 appearances. The 29-year-old right-hander had tossed at least five innings just once in his prior six outings, so Tuesday was certainly an encouraging bounce-back performance. Francis lowered his ERA to 5.04 along with a 1.36 WHIP and 46:17 K:BB across 55.1 innings in 2025, and he's set for a relatively tough test versus the Athletics his next time out.