Albies drives in 3 and León homers in 1st start since 2023 as Braves beat Astros 8-3

ATLANTA (AP) — Ozzie Albies drove in three runs with two hits, including a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth, Sandy León homered in his first start in more than two years and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 8-3 on Sunday.

Matt Olson had two hits, including a homer, as the Braves avoided a three-game sweep and ended Houston’s streak of six consecutive wins at Truist Park. León added a two-run shot off former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel in the seventh after driving in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder in the second.

Cam Smith homered for Houston, which began the day tied with Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Houston second baseman Jose Altuve was held out after leaving Saturday night’s 6-2 win with discomfort in his right foot. Manager Joe Espada said Altuve reported the foot was still “pretty sore” on Sunday

Hunter Stratton (1-1) allowed one run in two innings in relief of Braves left-hander Joey Wentz, who gave up two runs in four innings.

Key moment

Houston left-hander Framber Valdez (12-10) issued three consecutive walks to open the fifth before Albies’ two-run single gave Atlanta a 4-2 lead. Ha-Seong Kim’s third hit, a single up the middle, knocked Valdez out of the game.

Key stat

León, who was added to Atlanta’s roster on Sept. 8 when Sean Murphy was placed on the injured list, made his first start in the majors since June 7, 2023 with Texas. León, 36, accepted a spot with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. He made his major league debut in 2012 with Washington.

Up next

Astros: After completing a nine-game trip, the Astros return to Houston to open a three-game series against Texas on Monday.

Braves: RHP Spencer Strider (5-13, 4.86 ERA) is scheduled to start in Monday night’s opener of a four-game series at Washington.

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