Danny Jansen hit a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Sunday afternoon to lift the Toronto Blue Jays over the visiting Atlanta Braves 6-5.
The Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep in the series.
Atlanta’s losing streak reached four despite a two-run homer by Ozzie Albies and solo shots by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Kevin Pillar.
George Springer hit a solo homer for Toronto.
Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi allowed five runs (four earned) and nine hits in four-plus innings as Nate Pearson (1-0) earned his first win of the season, pitching the ninth inning as the Jays’ fifth pitcher in the game.
Atlanta right-hander Collin McHugh served as the opener and allowed three unearned runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings. Raisel Iglesias (0-1) took the loss and a blown save for the Braves.
Acuna led off the game with his eighth home run of the season and in the second the Braves made it 2-0 when Marcell Ozuna doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Michael Harris.
Toronto scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the second. Second baseman Albies was charged with an error on Whit Merrifield’s pop to shallow right in a mix-up with right fielder Acuna. Brandon Belt scored Merrifield with an RBI single, and after Jansen and Santiago Espinal singled to load the bases, George Springer hit into a home-to-first double play.
Bo Bichette walked to reload the bases, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. promptly smacked a two-run single. After a walk loaded the bases, Michael Tonkin replaced McHugh and pitched 3 1/3 innings.
In the third, Acuna reached first on third baseman Matt Chapman’s error and Albies hit his 10th homer of the season. Pillar, a former Blue Jay, led off the top of the fourth with his fourth homer of the season.
Springer led off the bottom of the fourth with his fifth homer of the season.
Anthony Bass took over for Kikuchi in the fifth, and Jay Jackson and Trevor Richards got the Jays to the ninth inning, when Pearson overcame a leadoff walk to set down the Braves.
After Nick Anderson pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth for Atlanta, Guerrero greeted Iglesias with a single off the right-field wall to open the bottom of the ninth. Chapman walked with one out. With two out, Belt reached on an infield single, loading the bases for Jansen.
–Field Level Media
