Blue Jays vs Braves Preview: Pitching duel in Atlanta

The Blue Jays just lost their fourth straight game. They came into Atlanta down but not out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is crushing the ball at .375, carrying the team's offense. George Springer has been quiet with a .182 average, but he's got power in his bat. Yesterday, Toronto fell 7-3 to the Braves. The day before that, they lost 4-3. These games show Atlanta's pitchers are tough. Toronto needs their bats to explode early and often. Guerrero Jr. will be the spark. If he gets hot, the rest of the lineup might follow.

The Braves are rolling with a 42-20 record. They just won back-to-back games against Toronto. Chris Sale takes the mound on Thursday as the probable starter. Sale is a veteran left-hander who still has it—even late in his career, he shuts down opposing hitters. Atlanta's pitching staff features Spencer Strider and other ace-level arms. The Braves scored 7 runs two days ago and 4 runs yesterday. Their lineup is clicking. Raisel Iglesias closes out games in the ninth. Toronto's bats will face a serious test against this Atlanta team.

Toronto is 0-0 on the road this season and fighting to stay in the race. The Blue Jays have Dylan Cease as their ace, but he's recovering from a hamstring injury. His rehab start is Thursday at Triple-A Buffalo. That means Toronto will use a different starter here. Atlanta just beat Toronto twice in a row in this series. The Braves are hungry and hot. Toronto's streak is rough—four losses in a row. The team needs a spark from Guerrero Jr. and the lineup. Can they turn it around at Truist Park? Thursday will tell us a lot.