The Atlanta offense was stifled by Hyun-Jin Ryu on Wednesday, with the veteran left-hander limiting the Braves to just one run in seven innings. The Blue Jays blasted two home runs in route to a 4-1 victory at Truist Park.
Ryu kept Braves bats guessing all evening, striking out six batters while allowing five hits, with the lone blemish being a solo homer from William Contreras in the fifth inning. That gave the Braves a momentary advantage, which was quickly erased by the Blue Jays as Marcus Semien tied the game in the sixth with a two-out double that tied the game 1-1.
Max Fried would record one more out to finish the sixth inning, exiting a tie game having allowed just one run on two hits with three walks. He struck out just four, but it was an impressive outing nonetheless given that Fried was activated from the injured list just last week. A healthy Fried certainly capable of stringing together outings of this ilk, so his continued recovery will be vital for Atlanta, especially given the potential setback for Mike Soroka.
Fried was relieved by Luke Jackson in the seventh inning. The right-hander promptly allowed a leadoff homer to Teoscar Hernandez, which gave Toronto a 2-1 lead.
Sean Newcomb worked a scoreless eighth inning in his return, striking out two batters. The ninth inning went to Josh Tomlin, who gave up another home run to Teoscar Hernandez. This blast was of the two-run variety, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 advantage.
The Braves were unable to mount any semblance of a rally down the stretch, dropping another contest to the Jays, who move to 5-0 versus Atlanta this season. Timely hits were lacking for the Braves, who find yet another way to lose against the Jays in 2021. They did have one particular moment of excitement in the first inning as Ronald Acuna fired to first base following a Bo Bichette single, picking him off with an absolute laser from short right field.
The clubs will play the finale tomorrow, when the Braves will hope to salvage one game from this season series. Atlanta will turn to Charlie Morton for a 12:20 start, but all eyes will be on the offense as they look for some sign of life.