Ozzie Albies drove in three runs to help the Atlanta Braves defeat the visiting Houston Astros 8-3 on Sunday and end their four-game losing streak.
The win allowed Atlanta (66-83) to salvage a game in the three-game series. Houston (81-69) finished its road trip with a 4-5 record.
Albies was 2-for-5 with three RBIs. He drove in two runs on a single in the fifth inning, when Atlanta rallied for three runs to break a 2-2 tie and take the lead for good. He added an RBI double in the sixth. Albies had been hitless in the first two games of the series.
Atlanta catcher Sandy Leon iced the game with a two-run homer in the seventh. It was his first homer in the major leagues since 2021.
Atlanta starter Joey Wentz allowed only two runs, but was lifted after pitching only four innings on 93 pitches. He gave up six hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
The winning pitcher was Hunter Stratton (1-1), who followed Wentz with two innings and allowed only a 446-foot homer to Cam Smith, his ninth. Dylan Lee, Pierce Johnson and Raisel Iglesias each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.
Houston starter Framber Valdez (12-10) lost his third straight start and for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. He pitched four innings and allowed five runs on six hits, four walks and two strikeouts.
The Astros struck for a run in the first inning when Yordan Alvarez doubled and scored on Christian Walker’s single.
The Braves tied the game in the bottom of the first on Matt Olson’s 25th homer, a solo moonshot into the right field seats.
Atlanta took the lead in the second inning when Ha-Seong Kim singled and scored on Leon’s fielder’s choice. It gave Atlanta the lead for the first time in the series.
The Astros tied it 2-2 in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Yainer Diaz. It was his 11th hit on the road trip.
–Field Level Media
