Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion slides past the tag of Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt in the first inning of their game at Turner Field on Wednesday. The Jays scored four frame.Jason Getz
LaTroy Hawkins laughed when he was asked about the two-game losing steak the Toronto Blue Jays suddenly found themselves on after being upended by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
It is unfamiliar territory for the front-running American League East team, only the second time since Aug. 14-15, against the New York Yankees, that the Blue Jays have suffered consecutive setbacks.
"You know what?" Hawkins said on Wednesday, obviously warming to the topic. "I've lost plenty of back-to-back games this year. So going six or seven weeks [without doing so again] is like a breath of fresh air for this guy right here."
The veteran relief pitcher came to the Blue Jays in the July 28 trade from the Colorado Rockies, in which Toronto also landed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
The Blue Jays have been on cruise control ever since while the Rockies continued their descent into a black hole and could wind up with the worst record in the majors this season if they're not careful.
The Blue Jays were intent on not losing three in a row Wednesday night at Turner Field against the Braves, with a lineup bolstered by the presence of David Price on the mound and the return of slugger Edwin Encarnacion to the batting order.
And even Hawkins himself, having been shelved for the previous four games with a tender right forearm, declared himself fit and ready to go.
The Blue Jays (83-62) jumped on the Braves (57-89) early and never relinquished the stranglehold, rolling to a 9-1 victory that evened their three-game set against Atlanta at 1-1.
More important, the win ensured the Blue Jays would not lose any ground to the Yankees in the race for first place. Toronto maintained its three-game lead over New York, which beat Tampa Bay 3-1.
Toronto opened a 4-0 lead in the first inning when it beat on Atlanta starter Shelby Miller, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year.
It all made for a rather easy outing for Price, 7-1 with the Blue Jays since joining the team late July in a trade. Overall on the year, Price is 16-5.
Wednesday, Price went seven innings, allowed one run and six hits and struck out nine.
With about three weeks left to play in the regular season you know the Blue Jays must be closing in on something big.
The Toronto Argonauts said Wednesday that, out of deference to the likelihood that the Blue Jays will be in the playoffs, they moved their CFL game scheduled for Oct. 6 at Rogers Centre.
That is the date that the AL wildcard playoff game is scheduled with the AL Divisional series set to begin two days later.
Instead, the Argos will play the Ottawa RedBlacks on Oct. 6 on their home field at TD Place Stadium.
Thursday will mark the third and final game of the Braves series and the end of a taxing 10-game trip for the Blue Jays.
The players will be happy to get back to the friendly confines of Rogers Centre to begin a final nine-game home stand, where they will be able to fall back into old habits – including treating their cleats with cooking spray.
That is a practice that the players often follow in Toronto as the substance has been found to be effective in preventing the buildup of dirt on their footwear.
The practice is not approved in Atlanta. A sign was posted in the visitor's clubhouse at Turner Field warning players not to use cooking spray on their shoes. "It kills the grass immediately," the sign declared.
At least one member of the Blue Jays said they'd never heard that complaint before.
With Tulowitzki out of the lineup until the end of the regular season, and perhaps longer, with a cracked left shoulder blade, the middle of the Blue Jays batting order has looked rather barren with Encarnacion also sidelined the past two games nursing a sore left index finger.
Encarnacion hit in the batting cage before Wednesday's game and gave manager John Gibbons the thumbs-up he was able to go, and he made an immediate impact.
He collected a hit in the Blue Jays' four-run outburst in the first inning, which put the Braves squarely behind the 8-ball.
Encarnacion, who runs pretty well for a big man, scored one of the runs when he rumbled all the way from first base on a two-run double stroked by Russell Martin.
Encarnacion finished 3-for-3 with two walks.
Martin knocked his 20th home run in the ninth, a two-run shot, to round out the Toronto scoring. Martin finished with four RBIs.