SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
Major League Baseball
Toronto 5, Atlanta 0
When: 7:10 PM ET, Thursday, September 17, 2015
Where: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
Temperature: 80°
Umpires: Home - Lance Barksdale, 1B - Ryan Blakney, 2B - Gary Cederstrom, 3B - Quinn Wolcott
Attendance: 19367

ATLANTA -- Marco Estrada has been a model of consistency for the Toronto Blue Jays all season, so manager John Gibbons wasn't a bit surprised to see the right-hander bounce back from one of his worst starts with one of his best.

"He's shown over and over that he's going to keep you in the game," Gibbons said. "He's done it all year."

Estrada scattered three hits over eight innings, and the Blue Jays connected for three home runs while blanking the Atlanta Braves 5-0 Thursday at Turner Field.

Estrada (13-8) did not allow a runner to reach second base and at one point retired 10 consecutive batters. He walked two and struck out four in his longest outing since July 19, when he pitched eight shutout innings against Tampa Bay. It was quite a contrast from his last start, when he allowed four runs over five innings at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

"The key was Estrada," Gibbons said of Thursday's game. "He shut them down once again. He's been doing it all year."

The win completed a 6-4 road trip for Toronto and extended the Blue Jays' lead in the American League East to 3 1/2 games over the New York Yankees, who were idle.

Roberto Osuna pitched a scoreless ninth inning for Toronto.

"We didn't get any good hacks (against Estrada)," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He changed speeds, changed locations. He's tough to square up."

Estrada pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings against Atlanta in April. He has held the Braves scoreless for 24 2/3 consecutive innings, a span of six appearances that dates back to April 13, 2012. He also collected his second hit of the season.

The Blue Jays got all the runs they needed in the fourth inning, when first baseman Edwin Encarnacion and second baseman Cliff Pennington hit long home runs to produce four runs. Third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a solo homer -- his 39th -- off reliever Sugar Ray Marimon in the ninth inning. Toronto has a major-league-leading 207 homers.

The losing pitcher was rookie Matt Wisler, who allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings. Wisler (5-8) struck out three and walked two. He has lost seven straight since winning July 26 at St. Louis.

"He gave us six innings," Gonzalez said. "That was a big goal, and we pushed him a little hard."

Wisler has put together two decent starts since he was rocked by the Nationals for seven runs in less than two innings. He has allowed six runs over his past 12 innings.

"He's been more aggressive in both of those starts," Gonzalez said. "These are part of the learning process."

Toronto struck for four runs in the fourth on the strength of the long ball. Encarnacion led off the inning with a homer to center field, his 33rd homer and 100th RBI of the year. He joined Jose Bautista and Donaldson with 100 RBIs, the fourth time the Jays have had three players reach that number in a season.

The Blue Jays then got a three-run shot from Pennington, his third home run of the year. His blast to right followed singles from catcher Dioner Navarro and shortstop Ryan Goins.

"(Pennington) had a great game. He's been playing great since he's been in there on a regular basis," Gibbons said. "That was a big home run. He gave us some breathing room."

NOTES: In attendance at the game was former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn. They sat by Braves team president Terry McGuirk and stayed for the entire game. ... Atlanta LHP Manny Banuelos underwent successful surgery in Gulf Breeze, Fla., as Dr. James Andrews removed a bone spur in his left elbow. ... Toronto 2B Devon Travis (left shoulder) will have exploratory surgery to assess the injury. He will miss the rest of the season. ... SS Troy Tulowitzki (cracked scapula and upper back muscle bruises) flew to Boston to have his shoulder examined and determine treatment. ... The Braves offered a note of condolence to the family of former announcer Milo Hamilton, who died Thursday. Hamilton was behind the microphone when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974. ... Toronto returns home Friday for a three-game series against Boston. RHP Marcus Stroman has been sick but should make his scheduled against Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello. Atlanta starts a three-game home series Friday with RHP Williams Perez facing Phillies LHP Adam Morgan.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Toronto   Atlanta
Marco Estrada Player Matt Wisler
Win W/L Loss
8.0 IP 6.0
4 Strikeouts 3
3 Hits 9
0.00 ERA 6.00
Hitting
Toronto   Atlanta
Dioner Navarro Player Matt Wisler
3 Hits 1
0 RBI 0
0 HR 0
4 TB 1
.750 Avg 1.000
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Toronto 10 3 20 .278 15 4 5 4 0 0
Atlanta 3 0 3 .107 7 4 0 2 0 0