SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Interstat) — Kazuma Okamoto’s two-run homer in the second inning erased an early deficit, but Matt Olson answered with a solo shot in the sixth that put Atlanta ahead for good, and the Braves edged the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday night at Truist Park.

Olson’s 17th home run of the season came off Toronto starter Kevin Gausman with one out in the bottom of the sixth, breaking a 3-3 tie. It was the decisive blow in a game that featured narrow margins and strong pitching on both sides, and it lifted the Braves to their 41st win against 20 losses. The Blue Jays fell to 29-32.

Bryce Elder earned the win, his fifth against three losses, by holding Toronto to three earned runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two. Raisel Iglesias worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save, though he allowed two hits and struck out one. Gausman took the loss, his fourth against four wins, giving up four runs — three earned — on five hits in six innings. He struck out eight.

Atlanta jumped on Gausman right away. Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the bottom of the first with a walk, and Michael Harris II followed with a sharp double to center field that scored Acuña. After a groundout moved Harris to third, Ozzie Albies lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0. Gausman struck out Dominic Smith to end the inning.

Toronto answered quickly in the second. After a popout and a strikeout, Yohendrick Piñango singled to right field. Okamoto then crushed a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his 13th homer, scoring Piñango and giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. The inning ended when Andrés Giménez flied out to center.

Atlanta tied it in the third. With two outs, Olson doubled to left, and Albies followed with a sharp single to left that brought Olson home. The game remained even at 3-3 through the next two innings as both pitchers settled into a rhythm.

The Blue Jays had a chance to pull ahead in the fourth. Ernie Clement singled and Piñango singled to put runners at first and second with one out, but Okamoto flied out to right and Giménez struck out looking. In the fifth, Toronto went down in order.

Toronto finally broke the tie in the sixth. Nathan Lukes led off with a single to center, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled to left, putting runners at second and third. Daulton Varsho then lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Lukes and giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. But the inning stalled when Ernie Clement grounded out and Piñango flied out.

Atlanta answered immediately. Olson led off the bottom of the sixth by pulling a 2-2 fastball over the right-field wall, tying the game at 3-3. Albies then walked, but Gausman induced a groundout and a pair of ground balls to end the inning. The Braves had reclaimed the lead, 4-3.

From there, the bullpens took over. Elder retired the first two batters in the seventh before being relieved by Robert Suarez, who struck out George Springer to end the inning. Suarez stayed on for the eighth and worked around a one-out single by Lukes, getting Guerrero to ground into a double play. The double play started with shortstop Jorge Mateo, who flipped to Albies, who relayed to Olson to erase Lukes.

Toronto mounted one last threat in the ninth. With Iglesias on the mound, Clement singled to right. Piñango struck out swinging, but Okamoto singled to left, putting runners at first and second with one out. Giménez then popped out to shortstop on the infield fly rule, and the game ended moments later when Jesús Sánchez popped out to third base.

Harris II finished with a double and a run batted in for Atlanta. Albies drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and a single, and Olson added two hits including the home run. For Toronto, Okamoto went 2-for-3 with the homer and two RBIs. Clement and Piñango both had two hits. The Blue Jays outhit the Braves 9-6 but stranded seven runners.

The game drew 30,937 fans and lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Toronto continues its series at Atlanta on Wednesday. The Blue Jays will look to bounce back after dropping the opener of the three-game set. Atlanta will aim to extend its winning streak against a Toronto team that has struggled on the road this season.

The Blue Jays entered the game having won three of their previous four, but they were unable to carry that momentum against a Braves club that has been one of the strongest in the National League. The Braves have won six of their last seven at home.

The loss was particularly tough for Toronto because it wasted a strong start from Gausman, who struck out eight and allowed only five hits. But Olson’s homer in the sixth proved to be the difference, and the Braves’ bullpen held firm over the final 2 1/3 innings.

Suarez pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two, and Iglesias closed it out despite allowing two hits. For Toronto, Braydon Fisher tossed a scoreless seventh, and Connor Seabold recorded one out with no hits allowed. Mason Fluharty allowed one hit but no runs in two-thirds of an inning in the eighth.

The play that most shaped the outcome was Olson’s leadoff homer in the sixth. It erased Toronto’s one-run lead and gave the Braves the margin they needed. The Blue Jays had a chance to retake the lead in the seventh after Okamoto walked, but a forceout and two strikeouts ended the threat.

Toronto’s offense was limited to scattered singles and the one big swing from Okamoto. The Blue Jays failed to produce against Elder after the second inning, and they could not solve Suarez or Iglesias. Atlanta’s defense also contributed, with a key double play in the eighth that snuffed out a potential rally.

The Braves improved to 41-20 with the win, while the Blue Jays dropped to 29-32. The game was the first of a two-game series before Toronto returns home to face Baltimore.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Braves a 56.90 percent probability to win. Atlanta was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 7 went over the over/under line of 7.5.