TORONTO – Toronto starter Easton Lucas finally gave up his first earned run of the season on Monday night.
The issue for the Blue Jays left-hander was once the Atlanta Braves began scoring, they didn’t let up.
Austin Riley drove in five runs with a pair of homers and Sean Murphy hit a two-run blast to power the Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
“Walks and homers,” said Toronto manager John Schneider. “(Lucas) wasn’t really locating. I feel his off-speed stuff especially was up within the zone and he paid the value.”
Murphy went deep in the primary inning and Riley doubled Atlanta’s lead within the third. Riley added a three-run shot within the Braves’ four-run fifth inning.
“Days like today occur,” Schneider said. “You make some tough pitches and guys (make you) pay the value. That is the massive leagues and people are good hitters. But I feel that he’s done a great job overall.”
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Lucas (2-1), who has been filling in for injured right-hander Max Scherzer, was strong over his first two big-league starts. His earned-run average jumped from 0.00 to 4.70 after giving up eight earned runs over his five-inning appearance.
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“I didn’t really change anything,” Lucas said. “I used to be able to go and just didn’t execute.”
Starter Grant Holmes retired the primary 12 batters he faced for Atlanta (5-11) before issuing a walk to Andres Gimenez within the fifth. Myles Straw led off the sixth inning with a solo homer for Toronto’s first hit.
Holmes (1-1) allowed two hits, three earned runs and two walks over a career-high 7 2/3 innings. He had 4 strikeouts.
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tipped his helmet while receiving an ovation from the group of 21,595 before his first plate appearance. It was his first home game since signing a 14-year contract extension value US$500 million.
Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies doubled within the fifth inning to increase his hitting streak to seven games. The Braves outhit the Blue Jays 6-5.
Jacob Barnes and Yariel Rodriguez each threw two innings in relief for Toronto (9-8). Tyler Heineman hit a two-run double within the eighth inning off Braves reliever Aaron Bummer and Ernie Clement had an RBI single within the ninth.
The opener of the three-game interleague series took two hours 16 minutes to play.
Scherzer is ready to make one other visit to a hand specialist this week, Schneider said before the sport. The precise-hander received a cortisone injection in his right thumb during a March 31 visit with Dr. Thomas Graham.
Toronto outfielder George Springer sat out after leaving early in Toronto’s 7-6 win over Baltimore on Sunday after experiencing some discomfort in his left wrist during an at-bat.
Results from an X-ray and MRI exam were normal and Springer was listed as day-to-day, Schneider said.
Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.33 ERA) was tabbed to begin 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.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
