Three different Blue Jays hit a total of five home runs, but the Braves withstood the onslaught and came out on top in the opening game of this weekend series by an 8-7 final.
Rookie second baseman Devon Travis hit the first of those five homers three pitches into the game off Julio Teheran. Atlanta answered in the second inning with an RBI single from Eric Young Jr. against Jays starter Drew Hutchison.
Russell Martin entered the game 1 for 24, but one out into the second inning hammered a belt-high fastball to center field to regain the lead for the Jays. Three singles in the top of the third inning, capped by A.J. Pierzynski's RBI hit, retied the score, but not for long. Josh Donaldson homered to right with a man on base that same inning to give the Jays a two-run advantage.
Hutchison, though, simply couldn't hold the lead. Following a single and a walk in the fifth, Andrelton Simmons lined a double to right, scoring both runners. That chased Hutchison, but Jace Peterson added a run-scoring triple, his first RBI with the Braves, to give the Braves a one-run lead. That wouldn't last long either as Donaldson tied the score yet again with his second dinger of the game in the bottom of the inning. Teheran had given up four home runs for the first time in his career.
The score remained tied into the eighth, in part because of a nice catch by Kevin Pillar in the sixth, when Jonny Gomes, pinch-hitting for Cameron Maybin, hit the second pitch from Brett Cecil for a tie-breaking home run. Two outs later and with one on, Freddie Freeman belted one into the second deck to give the Braves a three-run cushion, but the Jays still had fight left.
Russell Martin hit Jim Johnson's first pitch in the home half for his second homer of the game. Dalton Pompey and Kevin Pillar followed with singles and after a sacrifice, both runners were in scoring position. Devon Travis would hit a grounder to Simmons, who instead of throwing to first, threw to third to cut off Pillar and caught him in a rundown. Pompey scored, but Johnson escaped further damage to preserve the lead.
Jason Grilli made quick work of Toronto's meat of the order for his fifth save, making a winner out of Cody Martin, who worked a scoreless seventh inning.
Teheran: 5 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 BB, 4 K, 4 HR
Hutchison: 4.2 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 BB, 6 K
Markakis: 4-4, 1 BB, 3 runs
Simmons: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Freeman: 2-run HR
Braves RISP: 4-12, 6 2-out RBI
Blue Jays RISP: 0-7, 7 LOB
Win Expectancy