Takeaways: Braves outlast Pirates, pick up 6-5 win
It took perseverance and grit, but the Atlanta Braves found a way in game three against the Pittsburgh Pirates, picking up a 6-5 win and clinching at least a share of the series.
Max Fried started for the Braves and allowed four runs off of six hits, walked one and struck out four in four innings of action. Quinn Priester, the starter for the Pirates, also went for four innings but allowed four runs off of nine hits and struck out four batters while walking one.
Early offense does not always cut it
The Braves got off to a hot start at the plate.
Center fielder Michael Harris II singled to center to bring home third baseman Austin Riley in the second inning to put the Braves on the board. Catcher Sean Murphy did the same thing with Riley one inning later.
The Braves added on two more runs in the fourth inning when right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled to right field to score left fielder Eddie Rosario and second baseman Ozzie Albies singled home Acuña.
It is always encouraging to see early offense and it usually sets a team up for a successful night, but the Pirates put four across in the fourth inning. Fortunately for the Braves, they found a way to produce some more runs.
Ke'Bryan Hayes is a certified Brave-killer
Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes has been on a tear over the last two days.
Last night he went 2-3 with a home run and a double, totaling three RBI. Hayes followed that performance up by going 3-4 with another home run and three RBI.
This will be a guy that the Braves need to keep an eye on when the Pirates come to town in September.
Umpires need to be checked more often
In the eighth inning, Riley hit a sac-fly to bring home Harris. The original call was Harris left the bag early. After official review it was determined that Harris took off after the ball was caught.
The original call was determined to be questionable, which is not what you like to see in a game that is tied in the eighth inning. Double checking the work of umpires with more regularity is an important step towards improving game play.
Questions about the bullpen
Tomorrow's starter, Bryce Elder, has not made it out of the 5th inning in three of his last five starts. Atlanta's already used the bullpen heavily in this series, with both Strider and Fried having early exits in their starts. Without a transaction to bring up a fresh reliever in the morning, the Braves may have a situation where they need Elder to eat as many innings as possible tomorrow afternoon, even if he's not effective. Several Braves pitchers have pitched in the last two days, many on both days, with closer Raisel Iglesias working the last three games. Only Michael Tonkin, who threw 44 pitches on Monday, is on two days of rest for tomorrow's series finale.
Tomorrow
First pitch for the final game of the series is set for tomorrow at 12:35 p.m. ET/11:35 a.m. CT. Bryce Elder (8-3, 3.43 ERA) is set to start for the Braves against Bailey Falter (0-7, 4.87 ERA). The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South or MLB.tv and can be heard on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or MLB.com for out-of-market fans.
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