ATLANTA _ If they were going to wait out a rain delay of more than three hours, the Atlanta Braves figured they might as well come back and win. And they did, with "Big City" coming through.
After Jim Johnson blew a one-run lead in the top of the ninth and the Pittsburgh Pirates took a lead on Jordy Mercer's two-out, two-run single, the Braves pulled out a 6-5 win in the bottom of the ninth when Nick Markakis hit a two-out, game-tying double and newcomer Matt "Big City" Adams hit a walk-off single.
After the Braves scored two runs in the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead, Johnson blew the lead after catcher Kurt Suzuki dropped two third-stride foul tips by Mercer that would've ended the game.
But the Braves rallied once again in the bottom of the ninth.
Perhaps 200 fans from an announced crowd of 25,040 remained in the seats when play resumed following a rain delay of 3 hours, 12 minutes before the seventh inning, and those who stuck it out saw were thrilled when the Braves came out rejuvenated in the seventh and win for the ninth time in 12 games and fourth in six games since losing slugger Freddie Freeman to a fractured wrist.
Ender Inciarte started the Braves' seventh-inning rally with a single off reliever Wade LeBlanc, Inciarte's seventh hit in two nights after a 5-for-5 performance in the series opener. Inciarte advanced on a wild pitch and scored the tying run on Brandon Phillips' one-out single.
Phillips moved up on passed ball and scored the go-ahead run on Matt Kemp's single off reliever Felipe Rivero.
Newcomer Adams, Freeman's fill-in for the next 10 or so weeks, launched a home run to the Chop House above the right-field seats for the second night in a row, but "Big City" and Suzuki supplied just about all the offense the Braves could muster before the rain came.
Pittsburgh scored a run against R.A. Dickey in the first inning and never trailed before play was halted at 9:39 p.m. before the first pitch of the seventh inning.
But things changed quickly in the quiet, wet stadium when play finally resumed.
Dickey allowed 11 hits, three runs and three walks in six innings while pitching on short (three days') rest, after the Braves shuffled their rotation in order to have the veteran knuckleballer separate their two hardest-throwing right-handed starters, Mike Foltynewicz and Julio Teheran.
Pirates rookie starter Tyler Glasnow came in with a 7.34 ERA and allowed nine hits and two walks but only two runs in six innings. The 6-foot-8 top prospect also went 3-for-3 with a pair of infield hits to shortstop and a bloop single, making him 5-for-12 with four walks and three RBIs at the plate this season in nine starts.
Adams, in his third game since being traded to the Braves from St. Louis, doubled to start the fourth inning and scored on Suzuki's single to cut the Pirates' lead to 2-1. Suzuki was 3-for-3 and has hit .325 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his past 12 starts.
The Pirates pushed the margin back to two on Mercer's leadoff homer in the sixth inning before Adams answered in the bottom of the inning with a long homer to right. The pulled shot landed in front of the Chop House restaurant above the right-field seats, in the same area where his first Braves home landed in Monday's 5-2 win.
Mercer's homer was the 11th allowed by Dickey this season including nine in six starts (36 1/3 innings) at SunTrust Park.
Adams also hit a homer at SunTrust in his last start for the Cardinals on May 6 off Teheran. Adams' three homers at SunTrust are tied with Ender Inciarte and St. Louis' Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham for second-most at the new ballpark, behind Freeman's five.
"We were here a couple of weeks ago and it was fun," Adams said on Sunday, when asked about playing at SunTrust with its early reputation as a hitter's park. "I've got to do a good job of just staying gap to gap and not try to get too pull-happy. Just stick with my game and what I've been doing and I think things will fall into place."
So far, being pull-happy has worked well for him at his new home park, where Adams is penciled in to play first base on a regular basis until Freeman's expected return in about 10 weeks.
