The Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Wednesday night in the third outing of a four-game set in Pittsburgh, PA. It allowed Atlanta to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Braves scored a pair of runs on RBI singles from Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy in the second and third innings, respectively. They scored two more in the top of the fourth on an RBI double from Ronald Acuna Jr and an RBI single by Ozzie Albies. The Pirates tied the game with four runs in the bottom of that inning to include an RBI single by Jared Triolo, a ground out by Alika Williams, and a two-run single from Ke’Bryan Hayes. Atlanta again took the lead on an RBI single from Albies during the sixth. Pittsburgh tied it up again in the seventh with a solo home run by Hayes. A sac fly by Austin Riley sent Harris home to score a run on a close call in the eighth; that put the Braves ahead by 6-5.
Pierce Johnson was credited with the win in relief for Atlanta, while Raisel Iglesias secured the save. Starting pitcher Max Fried gave up four runs and six hits, walked one, and struck out four in just four innings of work. Carmen Mlodzinski was charged with the loss for Pittsburgh.
The National League East-leading Braves improved their MLB-best record to 72-40 on the 2023 regular season. The Pirates are now 51-63 and next-to-last in the NL Central. Those teams will meet in their series finale this afternoon. First pitch is set for 12:35 pm. Listen on WLAQ 1410 AM/96.9 FM; airtime is 11:20 am from the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.