Pittsburgh Pirates nearly no-hit as Atlanta Braves complete sweep
By Matt Gajtka
Brandon Inge’s pinch-hit single prevented the Pittsburgh Pirates from being no-hit Wednesday afternoon, but the Atlanta Braves nonetheless finished a three-game sweep with a 5-0 victory at Turner Field.
Atlanta starter Julio Teheran struck out 11 Pirates and had allowed just two baserunners, both on walks, when Inge stepped to the plate with two outs in the eighth. The veteran utilityman lined a single to left, ending Teheran’s bid to become the first Brave to throw a no-hitter at 17-year-old Turner Field.
Teheran retired Starling Marte to finish the eighth, then David Carpenter fanned two Bucs in the ninth to close it out. The Pirates, losers of three in a row and five of six, have scored fewer than three runs in six of their last nine games.
May 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) pitches in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
The Pirates’ first three-game losing streak since they lost four straight April 4-7 has dropped them to 35-25 entering Thursday’s travel day. Pittsburgh, now four games behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central, will try to rebound in a three-game weekend series against the Cubs.
Wednesday’s bad news wasn’t limited to the offense, as the Pirates lost a starting pitcher due to injury for the second time in four days. Wandy Rodriguez departed the game with discomfort in his left (pitching) arm after facing just three batters. Pittsburgh similarly lost Jeanmar Gomez in the first frame of Sunday afternoon’s 5-4 win over Cincinnati.
Bryan Morris threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Rodriguez, but Vin Mazzaro and Jared Hughes allowed two runs apiece as NL East-leading Atlanta (37-22) improved its home record to 21-7. The Pirates are now 14-14 on the road, where they have lost four of five.
Evan Gattis (fifth inning) and Gerald Laird (sixth) hit solo homers against Mazzaro, leading the Braves’ seven-hit attack. Atlanta’s Chris Johnson, Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla each collected an RBI fielder’s choice.
Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez struck out three times apiece for Pittsburgh. Adding to the ugly tableau, Alvarez, Hughes and Clint Barmes committed errors, although Andrew McCutchen turned in an outfield assist and the Pirates turned a pair of double plays.
The Pirates start their three-game set at Wrigley Field on Friday at 2:20 p.m. Eastern, with Francisco Liriano opposing Chicago’s Travis Wood. The Cubs are 23-33 entering Wednesday night, 10 games behind the Bucs in the NL Central.
Notes: Pittsburgh was last no-hit in September, as the Reds’ Homer Bailey turned the trick at PNC Park. Prior to that, St. Louis’ Bob Gibson was the last pitcher to completely stymie the Pirates’ bats. The Hall of Fame ace did it at Three Rivers Stadium in August of 1971…Attendance at Turner Field for the 12:10 p.m. start was just over 28,000.