PITTSBURGH – The Braves hit .320 and scored 14 runs in the first two games against the Pirates, but lost both while posting an 11.25 ERA. Julio Teheran made sure that didn’t happen again Wednesday.
Teheran pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 win, the Braves’ first for interim manager Brian Snitker in his second game since replacing the fired Fredi Gonzalez.
“It feels great. It only took me 40 years to get one,” cracked Snitker, 60, who’s spent 40 years in the Braves organization and held jobs as a minor league manager at every level and as a major league coach, but only got his first big-league managerial assignment Tuesday.
“It’s good, especially since we played such a good ballgame. I’m happy for Julio, got his first win.”
Atlanta’s only veteran starting pitcher turned in his sixth consecutive stellar performance, and this time Teheran (1-4) finally got rewarded with a win as the Braves took the third game of a four-game series at PNC Park.
Teheran allowed just five hits and no walks with three strikeouts, catcher Tyler Flowers had three hits including a double and his first homer, and the Braves avoided being saddled with a 30th loss before their 10th win. They moved back even with the Twins for worst record in baseball (10-29), and the Braves are 8-8 in their past 16 road games.
Arodys Vizcaino gave up a one-out homer to Jung Ho Kang in the ninth before completing a four-out save.
“(Teheran) did a great job, we got ahead of pretty much everybody,” Flowers said. “We were able to drop in some curveballs early, use the slider late, change-ups in fastballs counts, keep them a little off-balance. He had a pretty live fastball today. I don’t think the velocity was reading super-high, but it seemed to be a little heavy, a little sneaky today.”
With runners on the corners and two out in the eighth, Snitker brought in Vizcaino to face Andrew McCutchen, who was 5-for-12 with two homers against Teheran before Wednesday. Vizcaino coaxed a fly to center to end the inning and preserve the 2-0 lead.
“Rog (pitching coach Roger McDowell) and I had talked,” Snitker said, “and I felt like at that point with two outs, if (McCutchen) is going to get it, I want him to get it off (Vizcaino). If he hits a three-run homer there, so be it. I just like that matchup better. Julio probably thought he could have got him out, and that’s wonderful that he feels that way.”
Teheran had three strikeouts, no walks and hit two batters and has a 1.15 ERA in his past six starts, though only a 1-2 record in that span due to scant run support. He’s 3-5 with a sparkling 2.27 ERA in 15 starts since the beginning of September, and the Braves scored two or fewer runs while he was in 12 of those games.
“I’ve watched a lot of games that he’s pitched this year and he could be 4-0 easily,” Snitker said. “We got some big hits. It’s a good team win all-around. We caught the ball well, and Julio just kind of fed off the runs he got and did a great job.”
Freddie Freeman’s RBI single in the third inning and Flowers’ homer in the sixth against left-hander Francisco Liriano (3-3) provided enough support on this night for Teheran, who faced three batters in five innings and didn’t allow a runner to advance past first base in the second through seventh.
It was Flowers’ first homer as a Brave and the first allowed in three home starts this season by Liriano, who was 5-0 in his past 13 home starts going back to June 15, with the Pirates winning every one of those 13.
“Honestly, the catching part is way more fun,” Flowers said. “It’s awesome hitting home runs and contributing, but the catching part is just so much more fun. We prepared, we executed, and we had some really good results. That’s much more satisfying than any hit I’ll get.”
Teheran has a 0.42 ERA when Flowers is his catcher this season, with only one earned run in 21 2/3 innings.
“We’re always on the same page and you can see the numbers whenever we get to play together,” said Teheran, who has a 4.19 ERA in 34 1/3 innings with A.J. Pierzynski catching. “I was just trying to do my job the whole game. I was making pitches. I knew I was facing one of the good lineups in the league and (knew) and just don’t make mistakes.”
Gordon Beckham continued his recent hot hitting with an RBI double in the ninth to make it a 3-0 lead.
The Braves have five homers in three games in Pittsburgh, compared to six in 647 at-bats (19 games) at Turner Field.
After Gregory Polanco’s two-out first-inning double and a hit-by-pitch, Teheran retired Francisco Cervelli on a grounder. The Pirates had two runners on base in only one other inning, on consecutive one-out singles in the eighth inning.
“He just settled in and was just pounding the strike zone and changing speed,” Snitker said. “It was fun to watch. He was real aggressive.”
