In spite of all the walks issued and innings extended, Braves rookie Williams Perez was pitching a winning game against the Pirates Friday night. Even Neil Walker’s three-run homer in the fifth only put the Braves behind a run, and they tied it in the bottom of the inning.
It wasn’t an efficient game for Perez, though. That’s a problem because it meant Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had to go early to his beleaguered bullpen and, like so many times this season, it didn’t go well.
Braves reliever Luis Avilan gave up a two-run homer to Starling Marte in the sixth inning that broke the tie, and the Pirates added four more runs against the bullpen for a 10-8 victory at Turner Field.
The Braves (26-28) lost their third straight game in spite of pounding out 14 hits. They scored four runs over the final three innings but couldn’t overcome another poor game by their relief pitchers.
“I feel like when our starters go deep into ballgames, our bullpen is good enough to convert that win,” Gonzalez said. “I feel, like anybody else, when your starters don’t go deep in the ballgame you get exposed more often than not.”
The Braves entered the game with the worst bullpen ERA in the NL. Their relief pitchers gave back leads in three of their six losses on the recent West trip, including a 9-8 loss at Arizona on Wednesday.
Braves center fielder Cameron Maybin said the rest of the team isn’t frustrated with the relief pitchers.
“I’ve been on the opposite end of things where starting pitching and bullpen pitching have been lights out and they get no run support,” Maybin said. “Our job is to continue to pick these guys up, pat them on the backside and tell them we’ve got them.”
Avilan, a lefty specialist, has been one of the Braves’ effective relief pitchers. Entering Friday he’d allowed just one run in 17 appearances since May 1.
But after the Braves tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, Avilan couldn’t hold it.
Right-hander Brandon Cunniff recorded two outs in the sixth and Gonzalez brought Avilan in to face lefty Gregory Polanco, who singled to left. Marte, who bats right-handed, followed with his 11th home run of the season for a 6-4 lead.
“It was just (bad) location,” Avilan said. “That guy has really good power. This is the big leagues. They don’t miss a mistake.”
The Braves got within 6-5 in the seventh inning but the Pirates touched Trevor Cahill for three runs on five hits in the eighth for a 9-5 lead. The Braves rallied with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth but Nick Markakis grounded out to strand two runners.
Pedro Ciriaco’s one-out RBI single against Mark Melancon in the ninth cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 10-8. The Pirates (30-24) held on when Braves pinch hitter Joey Terdoslavich ended the game by hitting into a double play with two runners on base.
“That’s the great thing about our club, they keep battling back,” Gonzalez said. “And we had a chance to win the ball game in the ninth inning. If someone hits it out of the ball park—which this is a big league game, big boys are playing—I think anybody that came up could have.”
Perez had been progressively more effective in his three starts entering Friday. He allowed one run in five innings against the Rays, then one run in six innings against the Dodgers, and then no runs in seven innings against the Giants.
This time Perez had to work harder, even after he was staked to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. He managed to keep the Braves ahead through four innings while pitching around four walks and allowing just three hits and a run.
But then Perez made one big mistake in the fifth inning. His fastball ran straight and over the inside of the plate to Walker, who smashed it to the seats in right field for a three-run homer.
“I was having trouble with my command so I figured I’d try to lay in a fastball and Walker got me,” Perez said through interpreter Jose Castro, a Braves coach.
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman started the rally in the bottom of the fifth when he beat the defensive shift for a double to left field. Freeman went to third when Nick Markakis followed with a single and Freeman scored the tying run when Juan Uribe hit into a fielder’s choice.
The Pirates took the lead right back on Marte’s home run in the sixth. They added three more runs against Cahill and another in the ninth against Nick Masset.
Once again, the bullpen crumbled and the Braves lost.
“I know we are not doing the job right now but it’s a long season,” Avilan said.
