Olson’s homer lifts Braves to win over Blue Jays

Matt Olson’s solo home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference Tuesday as the Braves beat the visiting Blue Jays 4-3 at Truist Park, beginning the three-game series with their 15th series-opening victory of the season.

Olson went 2-for-4 in a game in which the Braves (41-20) lost leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before prevailing. Closer Raisel Iglesias earned his 11th save in as many opportunities despite allowing two singles in the ninth.

The Braves are now 34-0 this season when leading after eight innings, and 16-4 in games following a loss.

Playing in his 843rd consecutive game, Olson hit a 355-foot home run to right, at a 49-degree launch angle, that landed in the shrubbery atop the right field wall. Olson’s 17th homer of the season would have been a home run in just 14 of 30 MLB ballparks — the result was so unexpected that Olson dropped his bat, slumped his shoulders and hung his head after making contact with what he likely thought was a lazy fly ball to right field for an out.

Turns out, the hit was a game-winner, certainly the least-celebrated winning hit in Olson’s career.

“That wind was kind of blowing out toward that pole a little bit, so I’m sure it did me a little help,” Olson said. “I hit it well, but you know, you just don’t see balls - I got under it too much, and got just barely enough of it.”

In the seventh, after Olson’s homer, Braves starter Bryce Elder got a fielder’s choice and strikeout after a lead-off walk before being taken out of the game. He left to an ovation from the fans having held the Blue Jays (29-32) to three runs over 6 2/3 innings and striking out six.

Setup man Robert Suarez came in and struck out George Springer on four pitches, then faced the minimum in the eighth before Iglesias shut the door in the ninth.

Elder threw 103 pitches and gave up six hits and a walk. It was the 12th start out of 13 this season in which Elder has allowed three earned runs or less. He credited catcher Sandy León with dragging him along through the night.

“The sinker wasn’t moving, and I’ve never had my sinker not move like that,” Elder said. “That’s the pitch I probably throw more than any pitch. So, to be able to kind of navigate through that, I thought (León) did a heck of a job getting me through that.

“I would say in years past it would have been a real issue, but I think I’ve mixed better this year. I even got an out there with the cutter to a righty. I think just, kind of, mixing it up, throwing the four-seamer a little more, using sinker still, because we got to, but I think just kind of mixing stuff and navigating through the lineup.”

The right-hander had an early lead to work with, too, as the Braves wasted little time jumping on Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. Ronald Acuña Jr. walked in the bottom of the first, Michael Harris II scorched an RBI double to center, Harris went to third on a ground out up the middle and scored on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly to center.

Elder retired the first five Blue Jays he faced with ease, then Yohendrick Piñango ripped a first-pitch single to left in the second. Kazuma Okamoto came up and worked a 3-2 count before dropping a two-run home run on top of the right field wall, tying the game at 2-2.

Albies put the Braves back in front in the third. After Olson hit a double down the left field line, Albies slapped an RBI single into left making it 3-2.

Elder was in serious trouble in the sixth when Nathan Lukes whipped a single into center and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. one-hopped the wall in left for a double. Daulton Varsho’s sacrifice fly to left tied the game at 3-all, and Elder limited the damage to just that single run.

That proved crucial in allowing Olson to lead off the bottom half of the frame in a tie game. The pitch he hit was a 2-0 slider, and it hung in the air for more than seven seconds, long enough for Olson to be rounding second by the time it had landed over the wall.

Olson was a surprised as everyone else in the stadium.