ATLANTA — Tyler Anderson turned and watched the ball sail toward the Coors Light Chop House in right field at Truist Park, then the left-hander seemed to shake his head in disbelief.
That pitch, there? How in the world did he hit that?
It’s a good question, one many pitchers have probably pondered after a terrific talent like Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., and it was a moment that framed a frustrating night for Anderson.
It was also a preview of what was to come, with the Braves pounding out seven home runs — including two grand slams — to cruise to a 20-1 victory that evened this series at one game apiece.
Give the Braves credit. After losing the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby when Commissioner Rob Manfred shifted them to Colorado over controversial new voting laws, Atlanta staged its own long-ball showcase against the Pirates.
But even this was an anomaly, even if it might’ve also been described as an assault. The Braves are a good team, but nobody is this good. The more tangible concern for the Pirates should be Anderson, hoping that he quickly snaps out of this funk.
Anderson has allowed 13 earned runs over his past two starts after not giving up more than two in any of the five that preceded this current rut. It’s also nonsense to start worrying about whether the Pirates should’ve traded him when they had a chance. They didn’t have one. It’s too early.
The home run by Acuna Jr. was the hardest pill to swallow, because it came when the game was still competitive.
After second baseman Ozzie Albies’ double, it gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead, which was more than enough given how well the Braves’ own Anderson — Ian — pitched. More than that, the full-count change-up from Pittsburgh’s Anderson probably wasn’t even a strike had Acuna Jr. held. It certainly wasn’t a pitch Anderson would expect to see hit over the fence.
Yet Acuna Jr. did because he’s one of the most dangerous hitters in the sport, the 23-year-old picking up the second grand slam of his career. The first, ironically, came June 10, 2019 against the Pirates.
It was the first grand slam the Pirates have allowed since Anthony Rizzo did it on Sept. 13, 2019, and it was the MLB-high sixth of the season for the Braves.
After Acuna Jr. picked up his fifth RBI of the game in the fourth inning, with his sacrifice fly bringing home former Pirate Guillermo Heredia, the Braves went bombs away again in the fifth.
Anderson issued a leadoff walk to left fielder Marcell Ozuna before Albies hit another non-strike out of the park, this time a change-up coming on a 2-1 count.
Third baseman Austin Riley followed by whacking an Anderson cutter at the top of the strike zone 419 feet to make it a 9-0 game.
Anderson stuck around for five runs but allowed nine runs on 10 hits — three homers, four doubles and three singles.
The problems for Anderson against the Braves obviously included more than bad luck and Atlanta employing a couple of good bad-ball hitters. Anderson also struggled to finish pitches, and his command was generally an issue, something that hasn’t been the case in his previous starts.
For example, the three home runs Anderson allowed were more than he had given up in his past six starts combined and two fewer than his season total. What happened Friday drove his ERA from 3.50 before the game to 4.73 after it.
The big-picture hope the Pirates should have is that this isn’t some sort of trend. Anderson wasn’t great his last time out, allowing four runs over five against the Giants, but that didn’t get much run because Jacob Stallings’ wound up hitting a two-run walk-off homer.
It might be time to start thinking or worrying about Anderson, although again, there’s more good than bad this season. The Braves also hit the living daylights out of the ball.
After Anderson exited, Ozuna pounced on a terrible curveball from Kyle Keller in the sixth to make it 10-0. Then Riley and shortstop Dansby Swanson went back-to-back in the seventh, Riley getting a fastball right down the middle of the plate and Swanson tagging a splitter from Chasen Shreve.
The Braves’ Anderson had a completely different experience. He gave Atlanta five scoreless innings, walked none and struck out six. The Pirates did not produce an extra-base hit and had a runner reach second base in just three of nine innings.
With manager Derek Shelton wanting to avoid burning an inning of work out of his bullpen, he turned to Wilmer Difo, the second time a position player has pitched for the Pirates this season. Phillip Evans was the first and fared well. Difo, not so much.
The utility man got lit up like a pinball machine, giving up eight runs — including a grand slam to Ehire Adrianza — to turn a laugher into an hour-long, Comedy Central special.
