Toronto Blue Jays Riley Tirotta, Brendon Valenzuela, go yard in shutout win over Braves
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays blanked the Atlanta Braves 7-0 in Grapefruit League action Tuesday afternoon at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida.
Toronto starter Dylan Cease set the tone early, tossing three scoreless innings as the Blue Jays cruised to the preseason victory.
Cease allowed just two hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out three.
That was nasty 🤢Back-to-back strikeouts for Dylan Cease ✌️
Riley Tirotta provided one of the highlights of the afternoon in the bottom of the fifth inning, launching a towering 428-foot solo home run off the batter's eye in dead centre field to extend Toronto's lead to 3-0.
When Riley Tirotta connects, baseballs go a very long way. This, was no exception. 105.4 MPH/428 FT to dead center
Tirotta spent the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Buffalo after beginning the year there. Over 463 plate appearances, he slashed .268/.359/.417 with 12 home runs, good for a 112 wRC+.
Brandon Valenzuela delivered the biggest blow of the day in the seventh inning, crushing a three-run homer to push the Blue Jays' lead to 7-0.
Brandon Valenzuela just eviscerated a baseball. One of the loudest cracks of the bat I've heard all spring from anybody. His raw power continues to be on display as he puts up an extremely *LOUD* camp. 104.2 MPH/406 FT 🔊up for this one
The Blue Jays' No. 24 prospect has been swinging a hot bat this spring, posting a 1.075 OPS through his first 16 at-bats of Spring Training.
Last season, Valenzuela split time between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Buffalo, where he hit .224/.309/.383 with 15 home runs.
The switch-hitting catcher has shown fairly even production from both sides of the plate, posting a .725 OPS against left-handed pitching and a .680 OPS against right-handers in 2025.
While he struck out at a 24 percent clip, he also drew walks at a solid 10.9 percent rate and flashed some power.
Nathan Lukes chipped in with a pair of RBIs as Toronto improved its spring record to 7-8.
For Atlanta, starter JR Ritchie allowed one hit, four walks, and two earned runs over four innings. The loss dropped the Braves' spring record to 11-4.
The Blue Jays will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to George Steinbrenner Field to face the New York Yankees.
Eric Lauer is scheduled to start for Toronto, while Cam Schlittler is expected to take the mound for New York.
First pitch 6:35 PM ET on Sportsnet, Yes Network, and the Gotham Sports App.
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