The Atlanta Braves fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Thursday afternoon in the finale of a four-game set at Pittsburgh, PA, which resulted in a 2-2 split in the series.
The Braves got on the board in the top of the first inning with an RBI single from Austin Riley. Orlando Arcia led off the second with a home run. Matt Olson clubbed a solo shot in the third. It was his 40th home run of the season, and he is now tied with Shohei Ohtani for most homers in the majors. Here is
Marcell Ozuna contributed an RBI double in that inning to give the Braves a 4-0 lead. The Pirates notched three runs in the bottom of the third on a two-run single by Ke’Bryan Hayes and a sac fly by Alfonso Rivas. They took the lead with two runs in the sixth to include an RBI single from Liover Peguero and a ground-out from Jason Delay, then added two runs during the seventh to include an RBI triple by Hayes and an RBI single by Peguero. The Braves tacked on another run on an RBI single by Ronald Acuna, Jr in the ninth, but ended up losing to the Pirates, again, by a final score of 7-5.
Bryce Elder was charged with the loss for Atlanta after surrendering five runs and six hits, walking two, and striking out five through five innings. Thomas Hatch was credited with the win and Colin Holderman picked up the save for Pittsburgh.
The National League East-leading Braves still have the best record in MLB, now 72-41 on the 2023 regular season. They will be in New York for a four-game division set against the Mets over the weekend. First pitch of tonight’s series opener is scheduled for 7:10 pm. Catch all the action on WLAQ 1410 AM/96.9 FM; airtime is 5:55 pm from the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.