The Atlanta Braves will play their fourth recreation in three completely different cities over a three-day span after they open a nine-game homestand on Friday evening in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Proper-hander Charlie Morton (4-4, 4.20 ERA), who’s 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in a single profession begin in opposition to Pittsburgh, is scheduled to start out the opener for Atlanta.
The Pirates, who usher in a two-game successful streak, will counter with veteran left-hander Martin Perez (1-3, 4.71 ERA).
Perez is ready to return off the injured record after a groin damage saved him out for a month. His final main league outing got here in opposition to the Braves, when he exited as a result of groin ailment after three innings of one-run ball. In his profession in opposition to Atlanta, he’s 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA.
The Braves come dwelling after a 3-4 street journey that began impressively after they took two out of three video games in opposition to New York in Yankee Stadium. Nevertheless, the trek ended with three losses within the final 4 video games.
The Braves break up a doubleheader at St. Louis on Wednesday, then flew to Chicago the place they misplaced 1-0 to the White Sox in a make-up recreation on Thursday afternoon. Atlanta managed simply six hits whereas dropping the second recreation of the doubleheader 4-1 to the Cardinals, after which the Braves had been shut out on three hits by 5 White Sox pitchers.
“We gained a collection in opposition to the Yankees (and) we felt fairly good popping out of there,” Atlanta supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned after the Thursday defeat. “We simply could not rating any runs. The pitching’s been actually good. … Immediately we acquired an excellent begin (from Chris Sale). We simply gotta get it going offensively once more.”
Sale allowed only one run — a first-inning homer by Luis Robert Jr. — on 4 hits over seven innings whereas putting out a season-high 11 within the loss.
“We have simply acquired to maintain plugging away, hold doing our factor,” Sale mentioned. “Robust one, however we’re going again dwelling and we’ll use that power and get it moving into the correct route.”
Atlanta almost tied the rating within the eighth, however Chicago’s Tommy Pham caught Marcell Ozuna’s drive on the proper subject wall.
“A bit pissed off, however we’ll determine it out once we get dwelling,” Ozuna mentioned. “We have a protracted homestand over there, and we ought to be advantageous.”
After enjoying three video games with the Pirates, the Braves have a three-game collection with the San Francisco Giants adopted by a three-game Nationwide League East showdown with the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.
The Pirates, who gained two of three from Atlanta from Could 24-26 in Pittsburgh, began a six-game street journey this week by successful the ultimate two video games of a three-game collection in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds.
Not like the Braves, the Pirates ought to be well-rested. Pittsburgh, which was off Thursday, is available in after a 6-1 victory Wednesday afternoon. Andrew McCutchen and Rowdy Tellez homered and Luis L. Ortiz allowed one run on 4 hits over six innings whereas putting out seven.
“We did not play nicely the primary day right here,” Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton mentioned of the group’s 11-5 loss on Monday. “We had good at-bats however we did not throw the ball nicely. To have the ability to bounce again and to win two in a division collection was actually necessary for us, and I am pleased with our group.”
Pittsburgh’s Aroldis Chapman struck out two of the three batters he confronted throughout a scoreless ninth to maneuver inside one strikeout of Billy Wagner (1,196) for many whiffs by a left-hander reliever in main league historical past.
Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds owns a 23-game hitting streak, the longest run within the majors this season.
–Discipline Stage Media
