After a long road trip where the team went 4-5, the Blue Jays returned home on Monday to play host to the Atlanta Braves for a three game series and as part of a six game homestand. Fans in attendance were in for a big celebration, as it would be the first game at home since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singed his massive 14-year contract extension with the team. The Rogers Centre was filled with Guerrero jerseys and signs congratulating and welcoming Vladdy home, where he will spend the rest of his career from now on. For the game at hand, Toronto was hoping to win two straight and sending Easton Lucas to the mound hoping he could repeat his two previous quality starts to begin the year.

Atlanta was able to get to Lucas early, as in the top of the first Sean Murphy launced a two-run homer into left field, and the Braves struck first making it 2-0. Atlanta would add on in the third inning as well, when Austin Riley would smack his own two-run homer into the same part of left field and the Braves would double their lead to 4-0. As for Toronto, the bats couldn’t get hot through the first five innings and Harrison Holmes was doing a great job at limiting the Jay’s chances to score.

Moving ahead to the top of the fifth, Lucas would continue to struggle immensely, and the Braves were in prime position to take advantage, with Ozzie Albies hitting an RBI double to make the score 5-0, and Austin Riley hitting his second homer of the game, this time a three-run blast to blow the game way out of proportion and extend it to an 8-0 lead.

This would mark the end of Easton Lucas’ day, and this would end up being a complete 180 from his first two starts of the season. From throwing back-to-back scoreless outings, to giving up eight runs through five innings, this was certainly a game that put Lucas back in check.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Toronto would finally break through on the scoresheet, with Myles Straw hitting his first homerun as a Blue Jay, cutting minimally into the Brave’s lead with the score now at 8-1.

The Jays were able to score late in the game, putting across two more runs in the eighth and one in the ninth, but the game would eventually end with the Jays taking a brutal 8-4 loss. The game felt like it was over before it could really get started, with Atlanta’s offence jumping out of the gates from the very beginning and Toronto just not being able to figure out Harrison Holmes’ stuff.

The Blue Jays will hope to even up the series at one game apiece on Tuesday, with Kevin Gausman trying to get his team the win on the bump in game two.

Winner: Atlanta Braves (5-11)

Loser: Toronto Blue Jays (9-8)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

A. Riley: 2/4, 2HR, 5RBI

S. Murphy: 1/3, 1HR, 2RBI

O. Albies: 1/4, 1RBI

PITCHERS:

Win – H. Holmes: 7.2IP, 2H, 3ER, 4K (1-1)

Loss – E. Lucas: 5.0IP, 6H, 8ER, 3K (2-1)