The Braves’ bats didn’t cool off after Friday’s 20-run effort. They defeated the Pirates 6-1 on Saturday at Truist Park to build on their offensive resurgence.
“We’ve had a good couple days here,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Here are five takeaways from Saturday:
1. The Braves picked up where they left off Friday, when they decimated Pittsburgh in a 20-1 win. Outfielder Ronald Acuna homered on the first pitch from Mitch Keller, giving the Braves an almost immediate lead. First baseman Freddie Freeman, who reached base four times, singled in the ensuing at-bat and later scored on third baseman Austin Riley’s hit.
They added another run in the second inning when outfielder Ender Inciarte singled and later scored on Freeman’s single. The Braves had a 3-0 lead after two innings and never came close to losing it.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
2. Braves starter Bryse Wilson, pitching in the majors for the first time in 11 days, had his second consecutive solid outing. He held the Pirates to one run on five hits across 6-2/3 innings. In his past two starts, Wilson has allowed three runs on 11 hits over 12-2/3 innings. He’s struck out nine while walking two.
“The fastball command was good,” Wilson said. “We were able to keep them on their heels between the four-seam and two-seam. The change-up was really good today. Later in the outing, we started incorporating the curveball and slider. Really, I was just able to pound the zone and throw a lot of strikes.”
3. Second baseman Ozzie Albies homered twice and knocked in three runs. He homered from both sides of the plate. It was his sixth career multi-homer game, putting him two behind Dan Uggla for the franchise record of most career multi-homer games by a second baseman, according to MLB statistician Sarah Langs.
“He’s starting to compile some at-bats right-handed,” Snitker said of Albies. “He’s starting to get it going. Early on, he just hadn’t seen a lot of them. He has now, and he’s starting to look like his old self.”
4. This season’s team naturally has been compared with the 2020 Braves, though not usually for positive reasons. But here’s one stark difference between the clubs that favors the newer version: The Braves have received a quality start from their starter in 14 of the past 18 games. The rotation has posted a 2.42 ERA during that stretch, best in the majors. The 2020 club could only dream of such consistency.
The 2021 rotation finally is rounding into shape. Wilson has made a case to be a more regular member of the group, joining Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly. Wilson continuing his recent play would give the Braves a well-rounded, complete rotation that would pay dividends during the pennant race this summer.
5. The Braves announced a sellout crowd of 40,068 on Saturday, the largest crowd of the season and just short of full capacity. The team opened Truist Park back to 100% capacity May 7. Saturday was the Braves’ largest attendance since Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 9, 2019 (43,122).
Stat to know
26-2 (The Braves have outscored the Pirates 26-2 over the past two nights. Before Friday’s game, the Braves had a minus-19 run differential this season. They now have a plus-5 differential.)
Quotable
“He’s special. That’s him. That’s Ronald. He tells you, ‘I’m going deep.’ He says if the first pitch is there, I’m taking him deep. And he does it. It’s something he always does, the confidence he brings. He’s a guy who does what he needs to do.” - Albies on Acuna
Up next
The Braves and Pirates finish their four-game series Sunday. Braves southpaw Max Fried (1-2, 5.46 ERA) will oppose Pirates righty JT Brubaker (3-3, 3.27).
