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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays losing streak hits four games with 7-3 loss to Braves
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Photo credit: © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 4, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 4, 2026, 05:47 EDT
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It’s right back to square one for the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Wednesday, they played the second of three against the Atlanta Braves, falling 7-3 to move their record to 29-33. It’s also just their third series loss since April 20th, but reaching .500 last Friday is a distant memory at this point. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
It started off so promising for the Jays. Nathan Lukes led off the game with a single, which was promptly followed up by Yohendrick Piñango’s single. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, bringing up Jesús Sánchez with the bases loaded and no outs. The outfielder put the ball in play, and while it scored a run, it was a twin killing, and a strikeout of Ernie Clement ended the inning.
Patrick Corbin got the first two outs in the bottom of the second, but issued a walk to Eli White, who quickly stole second base. Ha-Seong Kim drove him in with an RBI single. The Blue Jays restored their lead in the top of the third, as Lukes led-off the inning with his first home run of the season. It was all downhill from there.
Again, Corbin got the first two outs in the bottom of the third, but gave up a single, then a double, then a three-run home run to Mauricio Dubón to put the Braves up 4-2. The Blue Jays had a two-out rally of their own in the top of the fourth, as Kazuma Okamoto and Andrés Giménez hit back-to-back singles, but Brandon Valenzuela struck out on three pitches to end the threat.
It wasn’t until the sixth until the Blue Jays got their next base runner, but a force out and strikeout ended the opportunity. All hopes of a comeback were put away in the bottom of the seventh, as Ozzie Albies hit a three-run home run off Adam Macko, the first runs charged to the left-handed pitcher. He was only responsible for two of them, as Yariel Rodríguez departed the game with a runner on base.
In the top of the eighth, Clement and Daulton Varsho hit back-to-back two-out singles, but the threat was once again squandered thanks to a strikeout. Then in the top of the ninth, Brandon Valenzuela hit his fifth home run of the season, coming off the bat at 104.4 mph.

Takeaways…

There aren’t a lot of positives to take away from this game. Nathan Lukes has continued to hit the ball well since returning to the lineup, including hitting his first homer of the season. He’s been even better than he was last season post-vertigo.
Brandon Valenzuela has made it clear who’ll be the backup when Alejandro Kirk returns in the coming weeks. The switch-hitting catcher hit his fifth home run of the season, tied for fourth on the team, and just one home run from being tied for the second-most on the team.
That was about it for the positives. Jesús Sánchez hitting into a double play killed any chance of generating early momentum. Stranding two in the fourth was the final nail in the coffin, and not registering another hit until the top of the eighth is the story of the 2026 season so far.
Patrick Corbin pitched fine, aside from the one pitch that resulted in a three-run home run. He gave them five innings, and with the game out of reach, they turned to Yariel Rodríguez, Adam Macko, and Hayden Juenger. So that means more rest for Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Braydon Fisher.
The home run Macko surrendered were the first two runs he’s given up in the big leagues. He still hasn’t issued a free pass, and his 2.08 ERA is still pretty darn good.
This was the Blue Jays’ first series loss since mid-May, and their first series loss to a team not named the Tampa Bay Rays since they visited Phoenix in mid-April. They’ll look to avoid being swept in the series finale, which has a start time of 7:15 PM ET on Thursday. Mason Fluharty opens the game, while the struggling Blue Jays’ offence faces Chris Sale.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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