Toronto @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 20, 2018 ) Atlanta 4, Toronto 5

The Atlanta Braves sustained their first real stumble of the season last week, dropping five of their final six games on a 10-game road trip, and return home for a quick two-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays starting Tuesday looking for stabilization. It starts with the pitching staff, as Atlanta hurlers have posted a 6.80 ERA in its past six games while allowing 13 homers, and the Braves bats have struggled to keep up, hitting .248 while averaging 7.7 runners left on base.

“Our starters have been really solid, but we are going through a rut with them now,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told the media after Sunday’s 10-3 loss at Milwaukee, a game in which the Braves skipper benched center fielder Ender Inciarte after the speedster failed to hustle out of the box on a dropped pop up. Toronto enters the series having dropped five of its past seven, falling 2-1 to the Yankees at home Sunday despite Kendrys Morales becoming the fifth Cuban-born player to reach 200 homers in the big leagues. “It just means I need to work harder and keep working and hit some more,” Morales, who has six hits and two homers in his past three games, told media members via translator after the game. The Braves and Blue Jays split a two-game series in Toronto in mid-June as Atlanta got five RBIs and a grand slam from Johan Camargo in the opener and Morales homered with two RBIs in the finale.

TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FS South (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (1-6, 6.50 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (6-6, 4.47)

Stroman continues working his way back from right shoulder fatigue and a six-week spell on the disabled list, and after surrendering only one earned runs in 12 innings across his first two starts, he was hit hard Wednesday against the Mets. The 27-year-old allowed six runs on six hits with four walks in 4 2/3 innings, the fifth time in 10 starts he has given up five or more earned runs. Stroman’s walks per nine innings (3.8) and hits per nine innings (10.8) are up significantly from last season’s marks of 2.8 and 9.0.

Teheran did not accompany the team on the final leg of its road trip after coming down with an illness that impacted his last start Wednesday at the Yankees, in which the 27-year-old struck off 10 but walk a season-high tying four while allowing five runs on five hits in five innings. He is 2-5 in his past seven starts – a stretch that includes two starts of zero runs give up and three outings of four runs or more allowed. Teheran gave up two homers against New York and has surrendered 17 long balls on the season, tied for the second-highest total in the National League through Sunday's games.

WALK-OFFS

1. Toronto SS Lourdes Gurriel extended his hitting streak to a career-high six games Sunday, and is 7-for-24 with two homers and six RBIs in that stretch.

2. Braves 1B Freddie Freeman is 7-for-12 in his past three games with three doubles.

3. Atlanta relievers have posted a 4.65 ERA in July with 15 walks in 31 innings.

PREDICTION: Braves 4, Blue Jays 3