Hammel (11-5) extended Chicago’s scoreless streak to 24 innings before the bullpen overcame Pedro Strop’s shaky seventh.
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The Pirates picked up a 5-3 victory at Atlanta Tuesday to snap a three game skid. Pierzynski then hit a high chopper that went off the glove of charging second baseman Frazier and caromed into left field for a fluke double.Foltynewicz had faced just one batter above the minimum when he hit Francisco Cervelli on the batting helmet with an 82 miles per hour changeup one out into the fifth.Frazier followed with a double for the Pirates’ first hit and Eric Fryer, pinch running for Cervelli, scored on a grounder by Jordy Mercer.NOTES: The Braves placed RHP Julio Teheran (right lat strain) on the 15-day disabled list to make room on the roster for OF Matt Kemp.
The Braves held the Pirates to five hits.
While the Pirates spent the past few days reshaping their rotation with trades, the Braves are also re-tooling the unit.
Foltynewicz entered this start with a 4.30 ERA and fits of inconsistency after returning from the disabled list June 30. 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. Bravos starter Mike Foltynewicz was charged with all five runs on four hits and three walks through 5.1 innings to fall to 4-4.
Tuesday, Foltynewicz didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings. He walked two batters in that time but erased one on a double play. Two of those were by Adam Frazier, who started at second base and finished the game in left field. With one out in the fifth, Foltynewicz hit Francisco Cervelli in the helmet with a breaking ball that didn’t break, and Eric Fryer eventually replaced Cervelli. “I get some bad breaks here and there”. Fryer ran on contact on Jordy Mercer’s grounder and scored to tie the game at 1-1.
The third time through the order doomed Foltynewicz. To only score two runs when that many runners were in position is insane. Matt Joyce’s single brought home one run, Jung Ho Kang’s double produced another and Frazier’s second hit of the game provided some cushion.
Cole stranded runners in scoring position during each of the first three innings, but ran out of luck in the fourth.
Tuesday, Foltynewicz didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings. That mattered when Pierzynski bounced a high chopper up the middle.
The Braves led 2-1 in the fifth after Nick Markakis’ RBI single. Teheran, the Braves’ representative in the All-Star Game, fell to 3-9 with a loss to Philadelphia on Saturday despite a 2.81 ERA that is 10th best in the National League.
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Feliz did just that, getting Kemp to strike out on a foul tip. Neftali Feliz cleaned that up, then allowed an ultimately harmless solo homer to Markakis in the eighth before Watson nailed it down. Watson recorded his first save.
