Toronto Blue Jays' Ben Revere dives back to first base as Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) handles the throw during the first inning Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, in Atlanta.John Bazemore/The Associated Press
When they return to Toronto Friday night at what will no doubt be a rapturous, sold-old gathering at Rogers Centre to play the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays perch atop the grid has grown to 3– 1/2 games.
Even the ever-cautious John Gibbons, the Blue Jays manager, has to admit that as far as road trips go, this journey was well worth the sweat and blood that his players poured into it.
"Very happy," Gibbons proclaimed, after the Blue Jays toppled the seemingly disinterested Atlanta Braves 5-0 here on Thursday night at Turner Field.
There were only 19,367 souls on hand to witness the spectacle, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who was featured on the stadium's in-house video scoreboard during the "Kiss Cam" feature.
Carter played along, giving his wife Rosalynn a big peck on the lips when the camera zoomed in.
And then the Blue Jays would go on to kiss-off the Braves with starter Marco Estrada befuddling the would-be Atlanta batters.
Estrada limited Atlanta to just three hits over eight innings of work to secure a two-game-to-one series victory for the Blue Jays.
"The key was Estrada," Gibbons said. "He shut them down and once again, he's been doing it all year.
"He did a hell of a job."
Toronto's road trip got off to a nervous start when the Blue Jays dropped two of three to the last-placed Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
But the Blue Jays would surge into New York for a key series against the Yankees this past weekend, winning the first three games of a four-game set, to pad their lead atop the A.L. East.
And after dropping the first game against the Braves here in Atlanta, the Blue Jays responded by winning the next two to head back home in a positive frame of mind.
Once again, the Blue Jays utilized the long ball to their advantage, riding the power of Edwin Encarnacion, who opened the scoring leading off the fourth inning with a solo home run shot.
For Encarnacion, it was his 33rd round-tripper of the season.
Later on in the same inning, it was a rather unfamiliar power source that rose to the occasion.
Cliff Pennington, the light-hitting Toronto second baseman, stroked a 0-2 pitch from Atlanta starter Matt Wisler over the wall in right field.
It was a three-run shot that propelled Toronto in front 4-0.
For Pennington, it was just his third home run of the season, but his second during the Toronto road trip.
Encarnacion holds his right arm at a 90-degree angle to his body as he negotiates the base paths after clubbing a home run, a manoeuvre that has come to be known as the "chicken wing."
Given his recent power surge, Pennington was asked if he was planning on coming up with some sort of a signature home run ritual.
"I don't think I hit enough of them to be able to practice something like that," he responded.