Atlanta, GA – Colby Rasmus went 3-for-6 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied from a four-run deficit with 12 unanswered runs en route to a 12-4 pasting of the Atlanta Braves in the finale of a three-game set at Turner Field.
Brett Lawrie went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI while Edwin Encarnacion added an RBI double among his three hits for the Blue Jays, who snapped a three-game skid. Kelly Johnson contributed an RBI triple in the victory.
"Hitting always has been (contagious)," Johnson said. "You just have to bring it everyday and be as consistent as possible with that."
Carlos Villanueva (1-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief of starter Ricky Romero, who allowed four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in just four innings of work.
Livan Hernandez (1-1) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Starter Julio Teheran allowed four runs on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 frames.
Freddie Freemen went 3-for-5 with an RBI and David Ross had an RBI single for the Braves, who had their six-game winning streak halted.
"You spend so much energy to get to those six or seven game winning streaks," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "There's going to be some nights where some guys aren't available to pitch or to play."
Trailing, 4-0, after four innings, the Blue Jays got the offense working in the fifth, plating six runs to take a 6-4 lead.
Johnson and J.P. Arencibia laced base hits around a Yunel Escobar walk and a David Cooper strikeout to load the bags with one out. Yan Gomes began the rally with a pinch-hit RBI single to chase Teheran from the game. Hernandez came in from the bullpen with one out and the bases loaded and didn't fare very well.
He allowed RBI singles to Lawrie and Jose Bautista, a two-run base hit to Rasmus, and an RBI double to center to Encarnacion.
Toronto added three more runs in the sixth courtesy of a two-run homer by Lawrie and a solo shot by Rasmus to make it a 9-4 game.
The Jays added two runs in the seventh with a Rajai Davis RBI base hit and a sacrifice fly by Arencibia before Johnson capped the rout with his RBI three-bagger in the eighth.
Earlier, Atlanta struck first in the second inning. Dan Uggla was hit by a pitch to start the frame and Matt Diaz roped a double. Freeman then lifted a fly ball to center, but Rasmus couldn't make the catch, which allowed Uggla to score the first run of the game. Ross then brought home Diaz with a base hit for a 2-0 Atlanta lead.
Michael Bourn began the Braves third with a double and Martin Prado beat out a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Chipper Jones grounded into a double play to score Bourn and Freeman singled home Uggla later in the inning to make it 4-0.
Game Notes
Jones was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's game. He went 0-for-3 with a walk...Teheran was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett prior to the game...Prado notched his 25th multi-hit game of the season...Toronto went 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight, while the Braves went 4-for-13 with men in scoring position and left 12.
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