MLB Game Preview - Toronto at Atlanta

Tue Sep 3, 2019 7:20 PM EDT

Atlanta's Josh Donaldson went hitless last week when the Braves visited Toronto to face his old club, but the third baseman made up for it on Monday afternoon.

Donaldson belted a two-run homer in the first inning to set the game's tone and scored three times to lead the first-place Braves past the Blue Jays in a 6-3 win at Atlanta.

The two teams wrap up their season series Tuesday night at SunTrust Park, with Atlanta riding a five-game winning streak.

The Braves signed Donaldson last November to a one-year, $23 million deal, and the 2015 American League MVP with the Blue Jays has produced plenty of bang for the buck.

His homer off Toronto starter Jacob Waguespack was his 26th since June 11, the most in the majors in that span.

"It's a former team card," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said of Donaldson's showing on Monday. "That's what we were talking about, they were loving on him too much when we were in Toronto.

"There's a little hate going again. It was good to see."

Johan Camargo belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer for insurance in the eighth, and Mark Melancon locked down his eighth save for Atlanta (ninth overall) by fanning all three batters he faced to preserve the Braves' fifth straight win.

The Braves (85-54) were victorious for the 13th time in 15 games. The last time they were more than 31 games over .500 was on Sept. 3, 2013.

Atlanta won for the ninth consecutive time at home, and the team's 43 victories at SunTrust Park match the Braves' mark from last season -- with 11 home contests remaining.

Mike Foltynewicz (4-5, 5.59 ERA) will start Tuesday for the Braves. Opposing hitters are reaching base one of out every three times against the right-hander.

Foltynewicz started last Wednesday in Atlanta's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays but didn't toss enough innings for the win. He worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits. He is 2-0 with a 5.00 ERA in four career games (three starts) against Toronto.

The Blue Jays played Monday without rookie sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was given an off day for the matinee but should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. He had four hits in nine at-bats against Atlanta last week.

Randal Grichuk and Rowdy Tellez homered Monday -- the latter blasting a projected 455-foot shot -- and Toronto pitchers held Atlanta's lineup to just four hits.

Still, three untimely errors by the young Blue Jays accounted for half of the six runs being unearned.

Third baseman Brandon Drury couldn't handle Dansby Swanson's two-out bouncer with the bases loaded in the third inning, plating two runs. Donaldson reached in the eighth on a sharp grounder with an in-between hop that was mishandled by shortstop Bo Bichette, and he eventually scored.

Toronto's pitching plans for Tuesday were unclear as of Monday night, with manager Charlie Montoyo saying, "We honestly don't know. An opener and a guy."

Wilmer Font (3-3, 4.22 ERA) is likely to be the opener for the Blue Jays, who have lost four of their past five games. Font's past nine appearances have been in an opener role, and he went 0-1 with a 1.56 ERA in that span. Most recently, he threw two shutout innings against the Houston Astros on Sunday.

Font also tossed two scoreless innings vs. Atlanta on Aug. 27, leaving him 1-0 with a 0.00 in five career innings against the Braves.

--Field Level Media