Braves use long ball in 8-4 win over Blue Jays

TORONTO – Austin Riley drove in five runs with a pair of homers and Sean Murphy hit a two-run blast to power the Atlanta Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night at Rogers Centre.

Murphy went deep in the first inning off Toronto starter Easton Lucas (2-1) and Riley doubled Atlanta’s lead in the third. Riley added a three-run shot in the Braves’ four-run fifth inning.

Starter Grant Holmes retired the first 12 batters he faced for Atlanta (5-11) before issuing a walk to Andres Gimenez in the fifth. Myles Straw led off the sixth inning with a solo homer for Toronto’s first hit.

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Holmes (1-1) allowed two hits, three earned runs and two walks over 7 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts.

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Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tipped his helmet while receiving an ovation from the crowd of 21,595 before his first plate appearance. It was his first home game since signing a 14-year contract extension worth US$500 million.

Lucas, who didn’t allow a run in his first two starts, gave up eight earned runs, four walks and six hits over five innings.

Jacob Barnes and Yariel Rodriguez each threw two innings in relief for Toronto (9-8). Tyler Heineman hit a two-run double in the eighth inning off Braves reliever Aaron Bummer and Ernie Clement had an RBI single in the ninth.

The opener of the three-game interleague series took two hours 16 minutes to play.

SORE THUMB

Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, who’s on the injured list with a thumb issue, will make another visit to a hand specialist this week, manager John Schneider said before the game.

The right-hander received a cortisone injection in his right thumb during a March 31 visit with Dr. Thomas Graham.

INJURY UPDATES

Toronto outfielder George Springer was listed as day-to-day due to left wrist inflammation, Schneider said.

Springer left in the fifth inning of Toronto’s 7-6 win over Baltimore on Sunday when he experienced discomfort during an at-bat. Results from an X-ray and MRI exam were normal, Schneider said.

COMING UP

Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.33 ERA) was tabbed to start for the Blue Jays on Tuesday night against fellow right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.45).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2025.

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