Feeding the birds
Sliding Braves get swept by Blue Jays
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Toronto Blue Jays are taking no chances with newcomer George Springer.
Marcus Semien homered and drove in four runs as Toronto finished off a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves with a 7-2 win Sunday after Springer exited early with leg fatigue.
Joe Panik pinch-hit for Springer in the sixth inning.
“Legs felt tired, that’s how he said it,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “It was hot today.”
Springer was the designated hitter for the fourth consecutive game since making his Toronto debut Wednesday. The World Series MVP when the Houston Astros won their first title in 2017, Springer signed a team-record $150 million, six-year deal with the Blue Jays this offseason but missed time because of a strained oblique and later because of a right quadriceps strain.
“He didn’t do anything for a long time, so we have to be careful,” Montoyo said.
Springer hit his first two home runs with Toronto on Saturday night in a 6-5 extra-inning win.
Semien hit a two-run homer during a threerun eighth Sunday to help Toronto win for the seventh time in nine games.
Braves starter Ian Anderson (2-1) lasted just four innings, allowing four runs and six hits during an 89-pitch outing.
“It was a grind from the get-go,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “Just didn’t have a good feel for anything. Just one of those days.”
Anderson was coming off wins against the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs in which he allowed five hits in 13 2/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander limited the Cubs to one hit in seven innings on April 27.
Atlanta, which has won the National League East title the past three seasons, is 12-16 and has lost four games in a row for the third time this year. After an off day Monday, the Brve return to division play with back-toback three-game series against the host Washington Nationals and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies before another interleague set with the Blue Jays, this time in Atlanta.
Toronto’s Danny Jansen, hitless in his previous 35 at-bats, had an RBI single in the second, and Semien’s two-run double in the third put the Blue Jays up 3-1. Jansen also singled in the fourth and scored to make it 4-1 on Bo Bichette’s double.
“It feels great man, man,” Jansen said. “A sigh of relief.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. got Atlanta within 4-2 in the fifth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to the warning track in center off Ross Stripling. Ryan Borucki (3-1) replaced Stripling and prevented further damage by striking out Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna.
“What a job by Borucki,” Stripling said. “It was awesome.”
Stripling, coming back from a right forearm flexor strain, gave up two runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Rafael Dolis entered with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth and struck out Acuña to get his third save this year.
William Contreras, recalled from the alternate training site after the Braves put catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Alex Jackson on the injured list, had an RBI single in the second.
D’Arnaud was placed on the 60-day IL with a torn ligament in his left thumb after getting hurt on a tag play at the plate in the sixth inning Saturday. Snitker said d’Arnaud is expected to have surgery sometime in the next few days, but the manager expects him to return before the season ends. Jackson, who replaced d’Arnaud in Saturday’s game, went on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring.
In addition to recalling the 23-year-old Contreras, the Braves purchased the contract of 16-year MLB veteran Jeff Mathis, 38, from their alternate site.
The Braves are 1-5 on Sunday this season. Atlanta went 44-18 (.710) on Sunday the past three seasons, one of just two teams in baseball to win 70% of their Sunday games in that span; the Los Angeles Dodgers went 48-16 (.750).