As the sixth inning unfolded, they came to life.
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Interim Braves manager Brian Snitker is used to answering questions about his team’s inability to score. If pressed, even the most intransigent pessimist might have acknowledged at least a non-zero chance that, if Locke didn’t pitch one of his rare gems, he at least might be able to bluff his way through some innings and allow the Pirates offense and bullpen to earn a win against a reputedly inferior opponent.
“You have to experience it”, Snitker said. “It’s just one of those things you ride, a crest in a game”. The Braves have won five of their past eight and totally shut down the Pirates after allowing four first-inning runs Wednesday.
Pirates starter Jeff Locke (8-7) blew the four-run lead and was chased on Inciarte’s single. He allowed nine hits, five runs, two walks and struck out one in 4 1/3 innings. Locke is 0-2 with an 11.91 ERA in his last three starts.
“Maybe it’s just weird luck or something like that”, he said.
Jung Ho Kang doubled home the tiebreaking run in a four-run sixth for the Pirates. Locke beat the Braves on May 19, striking out six while allowing two runs on six hits in seven innings, but posted a 6.19 ERA in his next 10 starts.Whalen has impressed while making 21 starts between Double-A MS and Triple-A Gwinnett, going 7-6 with a 2.40 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 120 innings. An additional run scored when Whalen threw a wild pitch during Jeff Locke’s at-bat. He labored early, throwing balls on 32 of his first 62 pitches.
Whalen, a 12th-round draft pick by the Mets in 2012 out of Haines City (Fla.) High School, just down the road from Braves spring training, has pitched in the past few seasons for Sand Gnats (Single-A Savannah) and Mudcats (high-A Carolina) and Scorpions (Arizona Fall League) among other outfits. “What an fantastic job by the offense to come through there and pick me up and keep chipping that whole game”. If Cervelli needs to go on the concussion disabled list, he would be replaced by Elias Diaz, who was brought to Atlanta in case he was needed.
Atlanta took the lead by scoring twice in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Markakis and an RBI single by Inciarte.
Coming off a disheartening three-game sweep in Milwaukee, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued to shuffle their pitching staff prior to kicking off a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. He has a.377 average since July 19. In his previous start, he gave up seven runs and 12 hits in 5⅓ innings.
Starling Marte was hit by two pitches but stayed in the game. The first one in the first grazed his left hand, but the next one in the fifth hit his left hand solidly.
Foltynewicz didn’t allow a hit until the fifth, but squandered a 1-0 lead after his 82 miles per hour changeup hit Francisco Cervelli in the left side of the helmet.
Kemp left five runners on base.
He threw 97 pitches, four more than he did in his complete game. The Atlanta franchise record of 15 was set in 1975 when the Braves lost 94 games.
After making three starts in Triple-A, Rob Whalen was called up by the Braves to temporarily fill a spot in a depleted starting rotation, and in the first inning Wednesday that move was looking highly questionable.
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Braves: RHP Tyrell Jenkins (1-2) will make his fifth career start.
