Albies leads Braves past Jays

ATLANTA — Ozzie Albies snapped Atlanta’s power drought with two home runs as the Braves beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 Wednesday night to move back into a tie for the NL East lead.

Mike Foltynewicz (7-5) and the Braves led 7-0 before Toronto scored five runs in the seventh on Justin Smoak’s leadoff homer and a grand slam by Devon Travis. But Albies hit a two-run shot in the eighth to help Atlanta hold on for just its second win in eight games.

Coupled with Philadelphia’s loss to the New York Mets, the Braves moved into a tie with the Phillies for the division lead.

Albies, headed to his first MLB All-Star Game next week, led off the sixth with a drive off Luis Santos that ended Atlanta’s season-worst stretch of five games without a homer. He also had a sacrifice fly in the Braves’ six-run second.

Foltynewicz allowed only one hit through six scoreless innings before giving up Smoak’s 14th homer of the season high into the right-field seats to open the seventh.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with two-out singles from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Aledmys Diaz and Luke Maile before Travis hit the third grand slam of his MLB career, knocking Foltynewicz out of the game.

Foltynewicz, another firsttime All-Star, has completed seven innings in only two of his 18 starts this season.

Toronto’s Sam Gaviglio (2-3) allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings.

A safety squeeze by Foltynewicz drove in Johan Camargo in the second. Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis had run-scoring doubles in the inning. Freddie Freeman and Tyler Flowers singled in runs.

Foltynewicz received highfives in the dugout after scoring on Albies’ fly ball to left field.