How the game was won: Lefty reliever Luis Avilan entered a 4-4 game in the top of the sixth after Brandon Cunniff pitched a scoreless 2/3 of an inning. Gregory Polanco hit a line drive barely over a leaping Andrelton Simmons for a two-out single, and two pitches later Starling Marte cranked a bullet that scraped over the right-field wall for a 6-4 Pittsburgh lead.
Williams Perez lacked control and matched his five strikeouts with five walks over five innings. The Braves’ National-League-worst bullpen allowed six runs over the remaining four innings.
Number: 11. The number of Atlanta runners left on base. Despite the bullpen's performance, the Braves had ample opportunity to tie the game with rallies in the seventh, eighth and ninth, but they left two runners on base in each inning.
What's next: The Braves look to end a three-game losing streak in the second of their seven-game homestand. Two cold pitchers will take the mound in Atlanta's Julio Teheran (4-2, 4.87 ERA) and Pittsburgh's Jeff Locke (3-3, 5.34 ERA).
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