Chris Sale and the Braves shoot effortlessly against the struggling Yankees

Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley hit home runs in the first inning and Chris Sale, along with four relievers, pitched five solid innings and yielded three hits as the Atlanta Braves rolled to an 8-1 victory over the struggling New York Yankees on Friday night.

Albies hit a two-run homer on a fastball from Carlos Rodon with the second pitch of the game, and Riley hit a solo home run that gave the Braves a 3-0 lead.

Matt Olson hit a two-run home run and the Braves won for the seventh time in eight games.

Jarred Kelenic hit singles in his first two at-bats and added an RBI base hit in the second inning, and Ramon Laureano added an RBI double in the third. Sean Murphy had a run-scoring double that brought Riley home after a fielding error by New York left fielder Jahmai Jones in Atlanta’s three-run fourth that put Rodon (9-4) away.

Sale (10-2) defeated his former Chicago White Sox teammate, allowing one run on one hit in five innings, striking out eight players, walking three and earning his first win against the Yankees since 2018.

Daysbel Hernandez threw a perfect sixth, Jesse Chavez allowed a single to Giancarlo Stanton before making a double play to end the seventh. Dylan Lee and Grant Holmes finished with one inning each.

The Yankees lost for the third straight year and fell to 2-6 in their last eight games. New York has allowed 32 runs in their last three games.

Rodon allowed 11 hits (one shy of his career low) and matched his career low by allowing eight runs (seven earned) in a season-low 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander was booed from the mound after allowing three home runs for the second time this season.

The Braves used Rodon’s fastball to take the lead and never relented. Albies slammed the first pitch he saw into the seats in left field for his sixth home run of the season. Riley threw a 3-1 pitch to the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center field for his seventh home run.

After Jones hit a triple in the second inning that tripped Braves left fielder Adam Duvall, he scored on a groundout by DJ LeMahieu.

Olson hit his third home run during his current 10-game hitting streak to secure a 7-1 lead, and Murphy’s double chased Rodon away.