The Atlanta Braves fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates by 7-6 on Monday evening in the rain-delayed opener of a four-game set in Pittsburgh, PA. That was the third straight loss for the Braves.
It was a tough night for starting pitcher Spencer Strider, who took the loss for Atlanta after giving up six runs and five hits, walking three, and striking out three in just two and two-third innings.
The Pirates pounced Strider for those six runs during the bottom of the third on an RBI ground out by Connor Joe, an RBI double by Andrew McCutchen, an RBI single by Henry Davis, a two-run single by Jared Triolo, and an RBI single by Liover Peguero.
The Braves notched four runs in the top of the fourth. Ozzie Albies got it all started with a solo home run. Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna drove in a pair of runs, while another run was scored on a throwing error in that inning.
Joe led off the bottom of the fourth with a homer for the Pirates. The Braves scored two more runs with an RBI single from Olson in the fifth and an RBI groundout by Albies in the ninth. But the Pirates emerged victorious, again, by a final score of 7-6.
Carmen Mlodzinski was credited as the winning pitcher, and David Bednar picked up the save for Pittsburgh.
The National League East-leading Braves still have the best record in MLB, now 70-40 on the 2023 regular season. They will face the Pirates again this evening. First pitch is set for 7:05 pm. Catch all the action on WLAQ 1410 AM/96.9 FM; airtime is 5:50 pm from the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.
