Spencer Strider impresses in return from injury, but Braves strike out 19 times

TORONTO — Braves right-hander Spencer Strider allowed two runs and five hits in five-plus innings in his return to the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon.

Making his first big league appearance in 376 days because of surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Strider struck out five, walked one, and hit a batter. He threw 97 pitches, 58 for strikes, but the Braves’ bats struggled in a 3-1 Blue Jays victory.

The Braves were scoreless until Drake Baldwin’s one-out solo home run in the ninth inning. Strikeouts plagued the Braves lineup, with Blue Jays pitchers recording 19 strikeouts.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two of the five hits off Strider, including an RBI single in the third inning and a solo home run in the sixth. The homer was Guerrero’s first.

Strider followed that by walking Anthony Santander. Manager Brian Snitker responded by replacing Strider with left-hander Dylan Lee.

Strider struck out Bo Bichette on three pitches to begin the game. He threw his hardest pitch of the afternoon, a 98 mph fastball, to Guerrero in the first.

Strider struck out Myles Straw to strand runners at second and third to end the second.

Bichette doubled to begin the third, and Guerrero followed with a ground-ball single to center to drive in the game’s first run.

Guerrero homered into the second deck on a full-count slider in the sixth, a 412-foot drive.

The Braves activated Strider off the injured list Wednesday morning and optioned right-handed reliever Zach Thompson to Triple-A.

Strider struck out 13 in 5⅓ innings in a dominant rehab start at Triple-A Gwinnett on April 10, allowing one run and three hits. He threw 90 pitches, 62 for strikes, and reached 97 mph with his fastball.

The Braves are off to a slow start, and the return of Strider could provide a big lift. He went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 2023, finishing with a major league-best 281 strikeouts in 186⅔ innings and placing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

Strider, 26, last appeared in the majors on April 5, 2024, against the Diamondbacks in Atlanta. He made two starts last season before undergoing surgery.