Pittsburgh — Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer in the first inning, but then the Braves quickly reverted to their road mode.

That is, losing mode.

Gene J. Puskar/STF (ENLARGE)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Jason Bay, left, reaches to tag home plate as Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann, right, attempts to apply the late tag in the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday,

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The Braves wasted opportunities in almost every inning during a 5-2 loss against the Pirates on Saturday night at PNC Park, another road setback for the team with the best home record and worst road record in the major leagues.

It's almost incomprehensible: Of 30 teams in the majors, the Braves have both the fewest home losses (four) and the fewest road wins (four).

"At this point I think everybody's putting a little too much pressure on themselves," center fielder Mark Kotsay said after the Braves' sixth consecutive road loss dropped them to 4-13 outside Atlanta.

"The longer this continues, the more the pressure can build. It seems like at home we really play relaxed. On the road, we don't have that same looseness."

Jason Bay's two-run homer off Chuck James (2-2) in the fourth inning put Pittsburgh ahead 3-2 on the way to its second win in as many nights against the Braves and fourth win in five games against them this season.

The best the Braves can hope for is a split of this four-game series. They'll send rookie sensation Jair Jurrjens (4-2, 2.84 ERA) to the mound Saturday.

The Braves got the leadoff batter on in the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings Saturday — and not once did that runner score.

"We hit into three hard double plays, and one not so hard," said Braves manager Bobby Cox, whose team has grounded into nine double plays and lined into another in the past four games. "That happens when you get in streaks like these."

They have concurrent streaks — a six-game road losing streak, and a six-game winning streak at Turner Field, where the Braves are 14-4. They've hit just .220 and scored 15 runs during the six-game road skid.

They had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position Saturday, in the first inning after Omar Infante's leadoff double. Next up was Yunel Escobar, who chose to bunt and did it poorly. Infante was out at third.

"We haven't done a great job of getting runners over or hitting with runners in scoring position," Teixeira said. "We just need to concentrate more and execute a little better in those situations."

Kotsay said, "I don't know about concentration levels. I think everybody's trying, maybe trying too hard."

James lasted five innings and was charged with five runs, five hits and four walks (two intentional) in his fourth start of the season.

He came up from Class AAA Richmond Friday, and pitcher Buddy Carlyle went on the disabled list with a neck strain, joining the swelling ranks of the Braves' walking wounded.

James pitched with a small blister on his left middle finger, which the left-hander said had just cropped up Friday.

"That didn't affect me at all," said James, who entered with a 7.62 ERA. "It just comes down to hitting spots. I just left 70 or 80 percent of the balls over the middle of the plate."

Moments before Bay's homer, James attempted to pick off Jason Michaels at first base. Replays indicated he was out, but umpire Mike Estabrook ruled safe.

"It was a terrible call," said Teixeira, who tagged Michaels. "He missed it. Umpires miss calls. It didn't cost us the game."

Cox said James actually pitched better than he had expected him to, given the blister. But Cox also said he thought the Braves swung the bats well.

After Teixeira's homer, they had five hits (all singles) the rest of the game.

Teixeira went 16 games without a homer before going deep off Tom Gorzelanny, the switch-hitter's fifth homer and second in 53 at-bats against lefties.

Teixeira had batted .196 against lefties before getting two hits against Gorzelanny (3-3), who allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings.