ATLANTA _ For five innings Tuesday night, the Pirates' offense resembled the group of hitters unable to mount much of anything against a trio of Milwaukee Brewers starters. As the sixth inning unfolded, they came to life.
The Pirates broke a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field Tuesday. The lineup cracked Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz the third time through the order. Gerrit Cole slogged through five innings but was good enough. New additions to the bullpen helped hold the lead, and the Pirates improved to 53-51.
While the Pirates spent the past few days reshaping their rotation with trades, the Braves are also re-tooling the unit. Not so much looking for upgrades, because they're rebuilding anyway, but more looking for able-bodied men to take the mound each night because of injuries
Foltynewicz entered Tuesday's start with a 4.30 ERA and fits of inconsistency after returning from the disabled list June 30. In his previous start, he gave up seven runs and 12 hits in 51/3 innings. The Pirates scored five runs against him in three innings May 19.
Tuesday, Foltynewicz didn't allow a hit through the first four innings. He walked two batters during that time but erased one on a double play.
Francisco Cervelli left the game in the fifth during a sequence when the Pirates tied the game. Foltynewicz's 0-1 changeup hit Cervelli in the head. He fell to the ground, but was alert and soon sitting up on top of home plate as head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk examined him.
Eventually Cervelli got to his feet and took his base, but first-base coach Nick Leyva and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman noticed something was off. Tomczyk came out again, and Cervelli left the game.
Adam Frazier forced Foltynewicz to throw 12 pitches before lining the 13th to right field for a double, putting pinch-runner Eric Fryer on third. 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. John Jaso walked and took second on a grounder in the beginning of a four-run sixth inning. Matt Joyce's single brought home one run, Jung Ho Kang's double produced another and Adam Frazier's second hit of the night provided some cushion. He hit a two-run single to put the Pirates ahead, 5-2.
Cole stranded runners in scoring position during each of the first three innings, but ran out of luck in the fourth. Ender Inciarte's two-out single kept the inning alive for A.J. Pierzynski, who battled to a nine-pitch at-bat, during which Cervelli allowed Inciarte to reach second on a passed ball. That mattered when Pierzynski bounced a high chopper up the middle. Frazier, charging, booted the ball into left field and Inciarte scored.
Cole allowed a leadoff single to Jace Peterson in the fifth and a two-out walk to Matt Kemp. Nick Markakis singled to right, bringing in Peterson.
Antonio Bastardo pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning in his first appearance since rejoining the Pirates. Felipe Rivero put two men on in the seventh, then struck out Freddie Freeman. Neftali Feliz entered and struck out Kemp to finish the inning. Feliz allowed a homer to Markakis in the eighth, but he and Tony Watson closed the game. Watson recorded his first save.
