Well, that wasn’t fun.
On Monday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays returned home after a nine-game road trip to host the 4-11 Atlanta Braves. They aren’t 4-11 anymore, as they defeated the Jays 8-4, moving the Jays to a 9-8 record.
Things didn’t start off great for Easton Lucas and the Jays, as catcher Sean Murphy hit a two-out home run in the top of the first to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. They extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the third thanks to Austin Riley’s home run.
Austin power 🔋#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/wkdcViBbBg
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 14, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Ozzie Albies doubled in a run to give the Braves a 5-0 lead, then Riley hit his second home run of the game to put the Braves up 8-0.
Austin Riley’s SECOND homer of the game scores 3️⃣@austinriley1308 | #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/ZA5AAJjarq
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 15, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Jays fought back, with their first run scored coming off the bat of Myles Straw, of all players, thanks to a solo home run. He’s been great this season. Tyler Heineman had another clutch hit, driving in Nathan Lukes and Alan Roden with a double in the bottom of the eighth. The Jays cut the lead in half in the bottom of the ninth thanks to an RBI single from Ernie Clement, but the rally ended there.
Myles Straw’s first homer as a Blue Jay! pic.twitter.com/XnaNImXLvX
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 15, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Takeaways…
Easton Lucas was terrific in his first two starts. The same cannot be said for his third start, as he gave up eight earned runs, three home runs, and walked four. Hopefully, it’s just a blip rather than a trend.
Tyler Heineman should get the majority of the starts at the catching position until he proves otherwise, as he hit a two-RBI double to give the Jays any semblance of hope for a comeback. This season, he’s batting .455.
Remember when the Jays traded for Myles Straw and everyone (including me) was upset when they didn’t land Rōki Sasaki and added Straw’s salary? I think we owe Ross Atkins an apology, as Straw has been great for the Jays, batting .385 and hitting his first home run of the season
After hitting a season-high 16 hits on Sunday, the Jays had just five hits in this game. Anthony Santander hit his third double of the season, while Ernie Clement and Alan Roden hit the other two singles.
Relief pitching was good for the Jays. Jacob Barnes pitched two scoreless innings, as did Yariel Rodríguez, who also struck out a batter. At the very least, that saves the bullpen for the next two games.
The Jays return to action on Tuesday at 7:07 PM ET. They’ll look to avoid losing the series as Kevin Gausman starts for them.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.