On a rainy Wednesday in Pittsburgh, the Braves created their own thunder. They thumped the Pirates 14-3 to avoid a three-game sweep.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday:
1. Left fielders Abraham Almonte and Orlando Arcia were the primary producers of the Braves’ five-run sixth. With two runners in scoring position, Almonte, pinch hitting for starter Drew Smyly, singled to score the tying and go-ahead runs.
“In the National League, you have to be ready for any situation and any role,” said Almonte, who’s shifted into a bench role with Arcia starting in left. “I feel good to be part of that and be productive when they need me to.”
Later in the inning, Arcia had a two-out single to left that scored another two runs. The Braves, who entered the inning down 3-2, led 7-3.
2. Smyly now has won a career-best five consecutive starts. He had a 1.69 ERA with a 21:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his past five outings entering the day. He also hadn’t allowed a homer in his past four starts (22-1/3 innings).
But Smyly had a messy first inning. The first three Pirates reached, one by fielder’s choice, to set up catcher Jacob Stallings’ three-run homer. Smyly saw another two Pirates reach before intentionally walking the eighth hitter to bring up opposing pitcher Wil Crowe, who lined out to third baseman Austin Riley.
The lefty did a nice job responding and pitched four scoreless innings after the first. Smyly continues distancing himself from a rough first month, and it’s becoming clearer why the Braves prioritized him in the offseason.
“Obviously April was a brutal month, but I’ve put that behind me, and I keep trying to look forward,” Smyly said. “Take it one start at a time. If you throw out the month of April, I think I’ve been consistent for the most part. But like I’ve been saying, it’s a long season, and there’s a lot more starts to be had. The second half is going to be big for the Atlanta Braves, so hopefully I can stay right where I am, keep progressing and moving forward.”
3. After returning from a 77-minute delay, the Braves’ offense erupted against Pirates reliever Duane Underwood. It scored eight runs on seven hits, four of which were extra-base knocks. Almonte smacked a two-run homer, giving him four RBIs.
4. Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy, promoted earlier in the day, started and hit eighth. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and walk. He also executed a sacrifice bunt during the team’s sixth that set up Almonte’s at-bat with men at second and third.
“He was great,” Smyly said. “It took us a little bit to get on the same page, but I got a chance to throw to him a few years ago in the WBC (World Baseball Classic), so this wasn’t the first time I’d worked with him. But he was great. He’s been in the league 10 years and knows what he’s doing back there. He brings a lot to the team. A lot of leadership, experience. It was good to see him.”
5. Second baseman Ozzie Albies left the game during the fifth inning as a precaution with neck tightness. It isn’t a concern, Snitker said.
“He was fine,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Had a little stiff neck, just didn’t want to take a chance. He’ll be fine. I think he slept on it a little bit wrong, and it kind of got a little worse as the game went. You have to talk him out of it, that’s for sure. He’s tough as nails. He’ll be fine. I think he’s probably feeling better now than he did when he came out. They’ve been working on him. So he’s good.”
Stat to know
7-for-14 (The Braves were 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position Wednesday after going 0-for-10 in that category over the previous two nights.)
Quotable
“It’s no question it’s been a struggle for us, but we’re still right there in the middle of it.” – Smyly on the Braves’ place in the standings
Up next
The Braves finish the first half with a three-game series in Miami beginning Friday. Charlie Morton (7-3, 3.91 ERA) will start the series opener.
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