Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways- Won One in Front of Chipper

Tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates started the first game of the last series they’ll play at Turner Field in Atlanta with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.

It was an important game for the Pirates, not because they need to make up ground on the Cardinals, not because they are still clawing for that second wildcard spot, but because it was the first time the “world” was seeing them after a spate of trades left them, according to media reports, a little confused as to what the front office was doing.

Takeaways

• Fire – After catcher Francisco Cervelli took a ball to the head in the fifth, some fire was lit under the Buccos. Buoyed by the injury perhaps, Adam Frazier hit a double after a 13-pitch at-bat, which advanced catcher Eric Fryer, who replaced Cervy in the game, to third. Jordy Mercer‘s ground out brought Fryer home, tying the game at 1.
• The Hits Kept Coming – After the game was tied up in the top of the 5th, and the Braves came back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning, the Pirates bats came alive. First, Jung Ho Kang, who has been nursing a terrible slump since mid-June, knocked in Matty Joyce on a double (his 37th RBI) to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead over the Braves. Then, Adam Frazier singled to score both Starling Marte, who reached on a single to right, and Kang, bringing the score to 5-2 Buccos.
• Reinvigorated Bullpen – Antonio Bastardo, in his first appearance back in a Pirates uniform since the 2015 season, delivered a much-needed 1-2-3, 8-pitch inning in the 6th. This is what the Pirates wanted when they dealt Niese back to the Mets for him earlier this week. Venezuelan Felipe Rivero, in his second appearance in black and gold, took over in the 7th, and even though he walked Gordon Beckham and gave up an infield hit, he struck out two (including first baseman and always threatening hitter Freddie Freeman) and set the stage for Neftali Feliz to take the ball and strike out Matt Kemp, who was looking bring the runners on second and third home in his first game in a Braves uniform.
• Honorable Mention: Very favorable calls from home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.

Throwaways

• Equally Matched? The Braves did not look like a last place team playing the Pirates tonight. In fact, the teams looked pretty evenly matched, or even a little uneven in the Braves’ favor, especially early on.
• Early Quiet Bats – The Pirates didn’t even get their first hit in the game until the top of the 5th after an epic 13-pitch at-bat by Adam Frazier. He was likely taking advantage of a shaken up pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, who’d hit Cervy in the head in the prior at-bat. Thankfully that woke them a bit.
• The Human Dartboard – Francisco Cervelli was hit in the head by a pitch by Foltynewicz in the top of 5th. After clearing all of the questions from trainer Todd Tomczyk at the plate, the plucky Venezuelan-Italian took first, but after a conversation with Braves first baseman Freeman and Pirates coach Nick Leyva, took himself out of the game. This guy cannot catch a break! (Apologies for the terrible puns there).

W – Gerrit Cole (7-6)
L – Mike Foltynewicz (4-5)
S – Tony Watson (1) – It should be noted that this was Watson’s first official save after being named the new Pirates closer upon the trade of Mark Melancon to the Nationals.

Line of the Night
Adam Frazier – Aside from the aforementioned 13 pitch at-bat against Foltynewicz in the 5th, Frazier had 2 hits and 2 RBIs in four at-bats.

Next Up
Lefty Jeff Locke, who was relegated to the bullpen after the halfway mark, gets the start tomorrow against a Braves pitcher to be named later. Game time is 7:10 p.m.