video thumbnail

NYM@TOR: Romero pitches six innings of one-run ball

If the Braves had it their way, they'd schedule the Blue Jays for the entirety of their Interleague slate.

Atlanta has won eight straight against Toronto, and it has a chance to make it nine when the two clubs wrap up a three-game series at Turner Field on Sunday.

Top pitching prospect Julio Teheran gets the ball for the Braves, looking to extend the streak, which dates back to May 22, 2009.

It's a spot-start for the 21-year-old Teheran as he is filling in for Tim Hudson, who is out with bone spurs in his left ankle. Teheran has been told by the Braves that he will head back to Triple-A Gwinnett after making the start.

Teheran was 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA in five games with Atlanta last season. In his most recent Minor League start, Teheran pitched a seven-hit shutout.

Hudson didn't seem too concerned with the bone spurs, and he may start for Atlanta on Wednesday against the Yankees. He received a cortisone shot after struggling to get through a bullpen session on Friday.

"If it keeps improving from the way it did yesterday to today, it will be fine," Hudson said.

Opposing Teheran will be Blue Jays lefty Ricky Romero. Against the White Sox in his last time out, Romero allowed five runs, but his stat line didn't tell the story.

He pitched well, walking just one batter for the second consecutive start. He had walked at least four in his previous four outings. Romero said facing the Braves, a National League opponent, does not change his game plan.

"The key is just throwing strikes, jumping ahead and keeping hitters off balance," Romero said. "If you're able to do that, you'll be fine. I faced them a little bit last year, so I have a little bit of an idea. But I'll go back and look at some film of their past few games and just kind of go from there."

Romero faced the Braves once last season. He gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings.

Blue Jays: Farrell staying optimistic
• Before Saturday's 5-2 loss, the Blue Jays had lost back-to-back games in their opponents' last at-bat, but manager John Farrell chose to look at the defeats in a postivive light.

"I think we all look at it internally here, as we put ourselves in a position to not only have a lead in the middle innings and potentially even later in the game," Farrell said. "The last two games have been a little bit more difficult, but it's not like we've got to revamp things."

The Blue Jays are 3-11 in one-run games this season.

• Jose Bautista is eighth on the Blue Jays' all-time home run list with 129. He needs just two more homers to tie Ernie Whitt for seventh.

• The Blue Jays are just 53-82 all-time in Interleague Play.

Braves: Jones could be activated soon
• Chipper Jones is slated to make his return for Monday night's series opener against the Yankees, but manager Fredi Gonzalez said there is a possibility Jones could be activated for Sunday's game.

After playing on Friday and Saturday for Class-A Rome, the 40-year-old Jones may need a day to rest before returning to the big league club. Jones felt some soreness after playing Friday, which marked the first time he had started a game since getting hit on the left calf with a line drive on May 18.

• Braves' starting pitchers have allowed just 10 earned runs in the last seven games for an ERA of 1.93 during that time.

• Atlanta leads the league with a 9-4 record in one-run games.

Worth noting
• The Braves' 133-113 mark in Interleague Play is the best among National League teams.

• Saturday's Braves victory gave them the all-time edge in the series between the two teams, 15-14.

MLB.com Comments