The Atlanta Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 on Tuesday evening in the second outing of a four-game set in Pittsburgh, which ended a three-game losing streak for Atlanta.
The Braves got on the board with a lead-off home run from Ronald Acuna Jr. in the top of the first inning.
However, the Pirates surged ahead in the bottom of that inning on a three-run homer by Ke’Bryan Hayes. Travis d’Arnaud had a two-run double to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the third. The Pirates took the lead once again with a lead off home run by Alfonso Rivas in the fourth and added two more runs with back-to-back homers by Josh Palacios and Bryan Reynolds to begin the fifth. Orlando Arcia clubbed a solo shot and Matt Olson walked in a run for Atlanta in the sixth. The Braves took the lead for good with three runs during the top of the ninth to include an RBI single from Kevin Pillar and a two-run double by Arcia.
Kirby Yates was credited with the win in relief, while Raisel Iglesias secured the save for Atlanta. David Bednar took the loss for Pittsburgh.
Acuna exited the game early after being hit by a pitch in the sixth; the x-rays were negative.
The National League East-leading Braves improved their MLB-best record to 71-40 on the 2023 regular season. The Pirates are now 51-62 and next-to-last in the NL Central. Those teams will meet again tonight at 7:05 pm. Catch all the action on WLAQ 1410 AM/96.9 FM; airtime is 5:50 pm from the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.