Spencer Horwitz hit two home runs, right-hander Jose Berrios won his sixth straight start and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-5 on Saturday night.
Horwitz, who added an RBI double, went 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the Blue Jays (68-75) ended a four-game losing streak.
Berrios (15-9) allowed one run, five hits and one walk and struck out five in six innings to help the Blue Jays split the first two games of a three-game series.
Will Wagner had three hits and two RBIs and Nathan Lukes had three hits and an RBI for Toronto.
Atlanta right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (5-7) allowed six runs (three earned), 10 hits and no walks while striking out three in five innings.
First baseman Matt Olson played his 600th consecutive game and had two singles and a walk for Atlanta (77-65). It is the longest active streak of consecutive games played in the majors.
The Braves are 3-2 during a seven-game homestand and fell one game behind the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the National League.
Horwitz, who led off the second with a 420-foot homer to center, hit his 11th home run of the season in the fourth, another solo shot. Wagner followed with a single but was erased on the basepaths when Alejandro Kirk bounced into a double play. Addison Barger reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Luke Williams before Ernie Clement and Joey Loperfido hit back-to-back RBI doubles to stretch the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-0.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blooped a single to left with one out in the fifth and scored on Horwitz’s double off the right field wall. Horwitz took third on the play when Williams was charged with an error on the relay throw home, and he scored on Wagner’s groundout to first to give Toronto a 6-0 lead.
Atlanta scored once in the bottom of the fifth. Gio Urshela singled and came home on a two-out single to right by Michael Harris II, who was thrown out trying for a double.
Atlanta’s Grant Holmes allowed three runs in the ninth on an RBI single by Lukes, a run-scoring forceout by Guerrero and Wagner’s RBI single.
Toronto’s Luis Frias allowed four runs on five hits while recording just one out in the ninth. Brendon Little took over on the mound after Williams hit a two-run double.
Atlanta’s Whit Merrifield (foot) did not play on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
