Late Rally Lifts Blue Jays Over Braves

They’re at the top of the order for a reason.

Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Vlad Guerrero Jr. kickstarted a big eighth-inning to score three and put the Jays in front for good. Bryse Wilson quieted the Blue Jay bats early, but Toronto’s top of the lineup rallied late and finished 6-for-15 to secure the win. Robbie Ray registered his fourth straight quality start to keep Toronto close before the offense awakened and snatched a 5-3 victory over the Braves.

"This team can hit," starter Robbie Ray said. "It's really fun to watch when they break out and have a big inning like that.”

Ray pitched six innings, walked just one, and struck out a season-high 10. Manager Charlie Montoyo elected to keep the lefty in the game and let him hit in the sixth inning, and though Ray left with a no decision, he kept the Blue Jays in the game, setting up for the comeback.

As the third batter in the eighth, Bichette worked the count full, tapped his bat on the dirt, pulled the hair over his right ear, and dug in. He was given the green light on a 3-0 pitch and bounced his toe before ripping a line drive into left field to load the bases.

Behind Bichette was Toronto’s team leader in batting average, on base percentage, home runs, and OPS: Guerrero Jr. On the first pitch he saw, Guerrero slapped a single into left field to even the score at three. Guerrero kept the line moving, allowing Teoscar Hernandez to drive in another in the three-run eighth that ultimately won Toronto the ballgame.

After the Blue Jays took the lead, Montoyo turned to Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Romano to finish the game. Chatwood continued to paint the outside corner against righties, striking out two in a clean inning that lowered his ERA to .73. Though Romano's pitch count drifted near 30 in the ninth, he forced out Ehire Adrianza to finish the ballgame, leave the tying run on base, and seal the victory.

"It all goes back to the bullpen keeping us in the game," Montoyo said after the game. "And what Ray did."

After falling down 7-0 against the Astros on Sunday, the Blue Jays sent seven batters to the plate in the fifth inning to pull the game within three. Though Toronto lost that matchup 7-4, the inning was a reminder of what this Jays lineup could do, and on Tuesday they showed it again.

Down seven or down two, Toronto’s seventh-ranked offense is rarely out of it.

Up next:

LHP Hyun Jin Ryu vs LHP Max Fried

Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu takes on Atlanta’s Max Fried in an all-southpaw matchup on Wednesday. In his first start off the Injured List, Fried pitched five innings against the Washington Nationals on May 5, allowing just one run. Ryu, also just off the IL, gave up four runs in five innings pitched last week against the Oakland Athletics.

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