Dominic Smith’s homer fuels three-run fifth in 6-3 win

As part of their postgame celebration, Braves players chose a player of the game after each win. That player has to make a long putt inside the clubhouse.

Before Saturday’s game against the Pirates, designated hitter Dominic Smith was practicing his putting. He must have known something everyone else didn’t.

“I got a tip from one of the clubhouse guys. He told me I was gonna have a big game today, so he told me to get my putts in,” Smith said.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a walk, and his two-run homer in the fifth gave the Braves some separation in what became a 6-3 win at Truist Park in front of more than 40,000 fans. Smith’s home run — a 351-foot, opposite-field shot down the left field line — gave the Braves (44-21) a three-run cushion as they turned the game over to their immaculate bullpen.

“I was just trying to really simplify the game, just trying to hit some line drives all over the park,” Smith said. “The last few days, I was a little erratic with my swings, kind of chasing pitches outside the zone. So today I really wanted to focus on getting a good pitch to hit, and just hit a line drive, and not trying to do too much. And when I hit it, I’m like, ‘All right, get down, get down for a hit, you know? I’m very simplistic, I would say.

“God just works in mysterious ways. Somehow it snuck over, and it was one of those funny moments. I hit a ball hard to center field (in the third inning) and it gets caught. And then hit one that seemed to me should be a single, and it goes over the fence.”

Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the sixth, Dylan Lee stranded a runner at third after a lead-off walk in the seventh and Tyler Kinley worked around two singles in the eighth before closer Raisel Iglesias picked up his 13th save in as many opportunities this season.

The Pirates (34-31) have gone scoreless in eight innings against the Braves’ bullpen this series.

The Braves are now 18-2-1 in the 21 series they have played and will go for the sweep at 1:35 p.m. Sunday. No matter what the results across the league are Sunday, the Braves will have at least an 8 1/2-game lead in the NL East going into the second week of June.

“I just know that this group has a ton of experience, and I think it’s one thing on everybody’s mind, and that’s a World Series,” Smith said. “I don’t know if that’s experience or if I don’t know if that’s youth, but I know that we’re all playing for something that’s much bigger than us every day. And I think you guys could see that on the field.”

Spencer Strider (4-1) took the mound Saturday and allowed three earned runs over five innings for the fourth consecutive start. Strider threw 89 pitches (49 strikes), gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three.

For the 38th time this season, the Braves scored first, plating two runs in their first at-bat against Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft (5-3). Ozzie Albies brought in one with an RBI sacrifice fly to center and Austin Riley, for the second game in a row, collected an RBI with a double.

Riley is 3-for-7 with a pair of doubles in two games this weekend.

“You continue to work every day and trying to get this thing moving in the right direction,” Riley said. (Friday) night being able to stay on the sweeper away. Today, being able to get above and inside a fastball and stay on top of it and through it.

“I feel like there’s been a couple that I’ve hammered and hadn’t had any luck. But I know that’s how the game goes and you just got to keep plugging, keep working every day and, like I said, trying to try to build on some momentum and get the thing going in the right direction.”

The Braves then stole a run in the third. With Mauricio Dubón on third and Albies on first, and with two outs, Albies broke for second. Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez threw to second but misfired into center field, allowing Dubón to score easily.

Strider had thrown three scoreless innings at that point but gave up three doubles in the top of the fourth, the second to Nick Gonzales that drove in the Pirates’ first run. The third double of the frame, this one hit by Tyler Callihan, bounced off the right field wall, where Ronald Acuña Jr. collected it, fired it in to Matt Olson at first base, who threw a strike to catcher Austin Wynns, who tagged Oneil Cruz trying to score from first.