Bench presses Braves to victory over Blue Jays

After a shutout loss, Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez opted to provide a spark by sitting three of his struggling veterans. The decision proved beneficial, as the Braves recorded a season-high 16 hits and tallied their highest run total without B.J. Upton, Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward in the starting lineup for Thursday night’s 11-3 win over the Blue Jays at Turner Field. Ramiro Pena drove in a career-high four runs and matched Evan Gattis’ team-high three hits, allowing the Braves to show off the strength of their bench while winning for the 10th time in their past 13 games. They will enter tonight’s game against the second-place Nationals with a 5 1/2-game lead in the National League East. The Atlanta Braves are now 32-21 on the season.  Catch all the exciting action of Atlanta Braves baseball here on WSNW.