SunTrust Park has been tough on Braves right-hander Julio Teheran, among many other pitchers. Fill-in shortstop Jace Peterson’s botched defensive play on Wednesday made matters worse.
Yet the hitter-friendly park and Peterson’s error had nothing to do with Teheran throwing Adam Frazier an 0-2 pitch that he could drive out of the park. Teheran was dominant after that mistake in the second inning but it loomed large as the Braves struggled to score against the Pirates.
Peterson made amends with a go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth. But Braves relievers Jose Ramirez couldn’t hold that lead, and Josh Collmenter let things unravel in the 10th inning of a 12-5 defeat.
Ramirez surrendered a two-out, two-run single to Jose Osuna that tied the game in the ninth inning. The Pirates then roughed up Collmenter for seven runs, including three consecutive home runs with two outs by David Freese, Jose Osuna and Jordy Mercer.
Ramirez served as the closer because Jim Johnson had pitched two straight games and four of five. Top setup man Arodys Vizcaino had pitched with the same frequency.
That left the job to Ramirez, who couldn’t finish off another comeback victory for the Braves (20-24).
“It is a little bit different (pitching in the ninth), to be honest,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “I was just trying to make the pitches but they just weren’t working out my way. All I can focus on is the next time I go out there is try and execute and have it work out better.”
Gift Ngoepe started the ninth-inning rally for the Pirates (20-27) when he led off with an infield single. Ngoepe was called out but replays showed he beat a strong throw from defensive replacement Dansby Swanson. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle won a challenge.
Frazier followed with a single against Ramirez and then center fielder Ender Inciarte made a leaping catch of Josh Harrison’s drive at the wall in right-center field. Ramirez struck out Josh Bell but walked David Freese to load the bases.
Osuna then hit Ramirez’s first pitch — a fastball down the middle of the plate — to score Frazier and Ngoepe. Ramirez struck out Mercer to end the threat but the Braves couldn’t respond in the bottom of the inning and then the Pirates beat up Collmenter for the victory.
“There was a lot of positives, it’s just that last out in the ninth is hard to come by,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Frazier smashed his two-out, three-run homer against Teheran in the second inning. Teheran retired 13 of the next 15 batters he faced but the Braves couldn’t gain traction against Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams, who still had the 3-0 lead after five innings.
The Braves finally broke through with four runs in the sixth. Brandon Phillips and Nick Markakis opened with back-to-back singles. Matt Kemp scored Phillips with a single and Markakis went to third on center fielder Danny Ortiz’s throwing error.
It appeared the rally would fizzle when Matt Adams and Tyler Flowers popped out in the infield against reliever Juan Nicasio. But rookie Rio Ruiz kept it going with a run-scoring single and then Peterson followed with a drive to left-center field that scored Markakis and Ruiz for 4-3 lead.
“Baseball is an up-and-down game,” Peterson said. “It can be frustrating at times. But it’s a nine-inning game and you’ve got to keep playing and keep pushing.”
The Braves added a run on pinch hitter Danny Santana’s RBI double in the eighth but couldn’t finish.
“Some really big hits,” Snitker said. “It was a lot of good until the very end.”
Teheran had his most effective home start of the season with no earned runs allowed over six innings , two walks and six strikeouts. Teheran entered the game with a 10.50 ERA in five starts at home compared to a 0.71 ERA in four road starts.
That stark difference can’t be explained by Teheran facing more potent offensive teams at home than on the road. He got roughed up at SunTrust Park by the Nationals (who lead the majors in runs scored) but also the Mets (11th) and Blue Jays (22nd).
The Pirates ranked 27th in runs scored entering the game and sent out a lineup missing regulars Starling Marte (suspension) and Andrew McCutchen (bench). It turns out they couldn’t do much against Teheran other than Frazier’s homer.
“It was a lot better,” Teheran said. “I felt pretty good other than the one mistake that I made that cost me three runs. But I stayed in the game, that was the most important thing. I gave my team a chance to come back and score some runs and I think that was big.”
