Francis (6-3) allowed three hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over seven shutout innings to earn the win over the Cubs on Sunday.
Joey Loperfido's second-inning home run was all the support Francis needed in this outing. Over his last three outings, Francis has allowed just three runs while posting a 22:1 K:BB across 19 innings. It's relatively newfound success for the 28-year-old, as he did little of note in the first half of the campaign. Francis is at a 4.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB across 63.2 innings over 21 appearances (seven starts) this season. He's projected for a favorable home start versus the Angels in his next appearance.