SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Interstat) — The Toronto Blue Jays erupted for four runs in the ninth inning and rode a strong bullpen performance to a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night at Truist Park, snapping a two-game losing streak and avoiding a three-game sweep.

Toronto scored three runs in the third inning to take an early lead, then added the decisive rally in the ninth after Atlanta had closed within a run. The Blue Jays pounded out 16 hits while holding the Braves to four, and their pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts against only four walks.

Chad Dallas earned his first major league win, working 3 2/3 innings in relief and allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two. Louis Varland notched his ninth save of the season with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out one and not allowing a hit. Mason Fluharty contributed 1 1/3 innings of one-hit relief with a strikeout, and Tyler Rogers pitched a perfect eighth inning.

Chris Sale took the loss for Atlanta, falling to 8-4. The left-hander allowed three earned runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. Didier Fuentes tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief with a strikeout, and Dylan Dodd added a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the first inning when George Springer led off the game with a double. Ernie Clement followed with a single, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flied out and Kazuma Okamoto and Charles McAdoo both struck out to end the threat without a run scoring.

Toronto broke through in the third. Guerrero Jr. led off with a double, and Okamoto singled. McAdoo then singled to center, driving in Guerrero Jr. and moving Okamoto to second. Nathan Lukes was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Myles Straw singled to center, scoring Okamoto and McAdoo. The rally stalled when Tyler Heineman hit into a fielder’s choice double play that erased Lukes at home and Straw at second, but the Blue Jays led 3-0.

Atlanta answered in the bottom of the third. Ronald Acuña Jr. singled and Mauricio Dubón singled, putting runners at the corners. Matt Olson lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Acuña Jr., and the Braves cut the lead to 3-1. Ozzie Albies flied out and Michael Harris II walked, but Dominic Smith grounded out to end the inning with Toronto still ahead.

The game settled into a pitchers’ duel after that. Sale and the Toronto bullpen traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Dubón crushed a solo home run to left field, his fifth of the season, pulling the Braves within 3-2. Matt Olson struck out and Ozzie Albies flied out, but the momentum shifted to the home dugout.

Toronto answered emphatically in the top of the ninth. Clement singled, Guerrero Jr. singled, and Okamoto struck out. Andrés Giménez flied out, bringing Lukes to the plate with two outs. Lukes lined a sharp single to right, scoring Clement and sending Guerrero Jr. to second. Straw then singled to right, plating Guerrero Jr. and moving Lukes to third. Heineman followed with a double to left, clearing the bases and scoring Lukes and Straw for a 7-2 lead. Daulton Varsho walked, but Springer grounded out to end the inning.

Varland closed out the game in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Harris II, getting Smith to ground out, and inducing a sharp lineout from Austin Riley to left fielder Myles Straw.

The Blue Jays improved to 30-33 on the season, while the Braves fell to 42-21. Toronto had dropped the first two games of the series by scores of 7-3 and 4-3, and lost four of its previous five overall before Thursday’s win. Atlanta had won five straight games before the defeat.

Heineman finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Straw went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Clement contributed three hits from the leadoff spot, and Guerrero Jr. collected three hits including a double. Okamoto added two hits for Toronto.

Dubón went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI for Atlanta. Acuña Jr. had one hit, and Harris II doubled in the second inning but was stranded at third.

The announced attendance was 30,598, and the game lasted 2 hours, 53 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 5, Toronto Blue Jays 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Atlanta a 57.40 percent probability of winning. The Braves were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of nine runs went under the over-under line of 7.5.

Toronto returns home to host the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, while Atlanta opens a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.