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Series Preview: Blue Jays head down to Georgia for three game series against Braves
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Photo credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 2, 2026, 14:45 EDTUpdated: Jun 2, 2026, 15:14 EDT
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It’s no longer “early” in the season
On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays begin their first game in June, heading down to Georgia to play the Atlanta Braves. On May 29th, they reached a .500 record for the first time since early April, but blew a 5-1 lead in the ninth on Saturday, then were blown out on Sunday, dropping their record to 29-31.
It was around this time last season when the Blue Jays started to get going, as they defeated the Texas Rangers 2-0 on May 28th, 2025, kick-starting a 13-3 stretch. They haven’t played quite that well, but since Daulton Varsho’s walk-off grand slam on May 13th, they are 11-7. And since April 19th, the day they scored eight runs in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Blue Jays are 22-16.
Unfortunately, their mid-week series isn’t going to be easy, as they take on the Major League Baseball-leading Atlanta Braves, who have a 40-20 record thanks to a stellar offence and terrific pitching. The good news is that if the Jays can some how find a way to win this series, it has the potential to be looked at as a turning point this season.
Additionally, the Blue Jays finally had an off-day on Monday, their first since May 14th. Let’s hope that a somewhat rested Blue Jays can find a way to get over .500 for the first time since April 4th.

Examining the Braves

The Braves had a disappointing 2025 season, finishing with a 76-86 record, good for fourth in the National League East. It was the first time that they had missed the postseason since 2017, and they’ve yet to win a playoff round since their 2021 World Series victory.
Well, the Braves look like a juggernaut 60 games into the season. Their 40-20 record is the best in baseball, two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also lead the NL East but 9.5 games, with no other division leader having more than a 5.5 game lead over the second-placed team.
Their offence is a big reason for that success. There are just three teams with a wRC+ above 110, and the Braves rank third with a 113 wRC+. Only the Dodgers (122 wRC+) and New York Yankees (116 wRC+) have a higher wRC+.
Unsurprisingly, the Braves have smacked the ball, with their 84 home runs rankings second-best, just two home runs fewer than the Yankees. The offence is also batting .259, tied for second, while their .436 slugging percentage ranks third. They aren’t sacrificing strikeouts for power either, as their 20.7 K% ranks as the sixth-best in baseball. So yeah, Blue Jays pitching is in tough.
But it isn’t just offence that has led to a league-best 40-20 record. Through 60 games, the Braves have a starter ERA of 3.26, which ranks fifth-best in baseball. One stat where they don’t excel is starter FIP, as their 4.09 FIP ranks tied for 14th-best.
They strike out 23.7 percent of batters, the same clip as the Blue Jays, but their starters have a 9.7 BB%, tied for the fifth-highest in Major League Baseball. Braves’ starting pitching has also given up 41 home runs, which sits 15th in baseball.
If the Jays can’t get to their starters, it may be game over. Over their 60 games, the Braves’ bullpen have a league-best 3.02 ERA, while their FIP of 3.49 ranks sixth-best. Also ranking sixth-best in baseball is the Braves’ bullpen strikeout rate of 24.7%, while posting a league-best 7.8%. The only aspect of their bullpen lagging behind is the long-ball, as the 22 home runs given up rank tied for the 11th-fewest.

One player to watch: Matt Olson

You can point to a handful of players who deserve the title of “one player to watch”, but for this series, we’ll look at first baseman Matt Olson.
This season, the 32-year-old is slashing .261/.340/.543 with 16 home runs in just 265 plate appearances, giving him a 142 wRC+. His 142 wRC+ is tied for second-best among qualified hitter on the Braves, while his 16 home runs lead the team. It’s not quite the same pace he had when he hit a career-best 54 home runs in 2023, but Olson has done serious damage in 2026.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays have historically pitched Olson well, surrendering just two home runs in the 23 games that he’s played against him. Only the Braves have hit fewer home runs against the current Brave, with Olson playing just three games with the Oakland Athletics before being traded to the Braves shortly before the 2022 season.
As a whole, he’s slashing .202/.320/.369 in 100 plate appearances. Now, that’s the fewest plate appearances against any team he hasn’t played for, but it is encouraging.

Quick Hits

  • Reigning National League Rookie of the year, Drake Baldwin, is on the 10-day injured list and won’t be active in this series. The Jays dodged a bullet there, as Baldwin has the highest wRC+ on the Braves. They still have a wagon of an offence, featuring Michael Harris II (142 wRC+), Dominic Smith (138 wRC+), Ronald Acuña Jr. (133 wRC+) and Ozzie Albies (113 wRC+).
  • The Jays avoid Spencer Strider and Martin Pérez. Strider is still looking to return to his pre-Tommy John surgery form, posting a 3.77 ERA and 4.77 FIP in 31 innings this season. Out of the rotation, Pérez has a 2.98 ERA and 4.26 FIP in eight starts this season.
  • They won’t avoid the Braves’ ace, though, as Chris Sale is expected to start the series finale on Thursday. So far this season, the veteran lefty has a team-best 2.01 ERA and 2.89 FIP in 67 innings pitched, with a 30.2 K% and 6.4 BB%.
  • Tuesday will see Bryce Elder start for the Braves. So far this season, he has logged 72 innings, the most on the Braves, with a 2.50 ERA and 3.29 FIP. Wednesday sees Grant Holmes get the ball, and he has a 3.95 ERA and 5.05 FIP in 57 innings pitched. Neither pitcher has a K% above 22%.
  • Robert Suárez is the reliever to watch, as he’s currently rocking a 0.71 ERA and 2.45 FIP in 25.1 innings pitched. Raisel Iglesias, Dylan Lee, Didier Fuentes, and Ryan Dodd all have a sub-2.00 ERA with 10 or more innings pitched.
  • Jesús Sánchez was hit in the wrist by a fan’s throw on Sunday, and it’s unclear when he’ll be in the lineup. If he’s out for the series, it’s bad news because he has been their best hitter since May 9th, slashing .396/.431/.642 with two home runs in 58 plate appearances. Ernie Clement, Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, and Brandon Valenzuela all have a 129 wRC+ or higher in that span.
  • As for the starters, the Blue Jays see Kevin Gausman start on Tuesday, Patrick Corbin on Wednesday, and a bullpen day up against Chris Sale. That bullpen day is in lieu of Dylan Cease’s start, as the hard-throwing righty is ineligible to come off the 15-day injured list until June 9th.

Probable pitchers

Tuesday: Kevin Gausman/Bryce Elder
Wednesday: Patrick Corbin/Grant Holmes
Thursday: Bullpen Day/Chris Sale

Game times

Tuesday: 7:15 PM ET
Wednesday: 7:15 PM ET
Thursday: 7:15 PM ET
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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