Vance Worley allowed a run for the first time as a reliever and the Pittsburgh Pirates lost on walk-off home run to the Atlanta Braves. The 5-4 victory ends a four-game winning streak.
Worley [2-4] allowed a lead-off homer to Christian Bethancourt. The 84 mile-per-hour slider went over the right field wall.
“I thought it was a good pitch to him,” Worley said. “Somehow he got enough barrel on it.”
The Braves scored the first two runs. A Chris Johnson solo home run off Jeff Locke in the second inning, his first of the season, put the Braves in front and then Freddie Freeman contributed with a sacrifice fly.
Andrew McCutchen’s swing of the bat on a 2-2 slider went over the left-center field wall tying the game. It was McCutchen’s eighth homer of the season and came off Julio Tehran. McCutchen now has a seven-game hitting streak.
Before his ninth inning heroics, Bethancourt singled in the fourth inning to put the Braves back in front. Cameron Maybin’s seventh inning RBI single knocked Locke out of the game.
Locke allowed four runs on seven hits on 95 pitches, 61 of which were strikes. Antonio Bastardo was able to get the next two outs.
In the eighth inning with Tehran still in the game, Francisco Cervelli and Jordy Mercer each singled. Jim Johnson then entered the game and pitched. Pinch-hitter Jung Ho Kang grounded out to place both runners in scoring position. Gregory Polanco’s single tied the game. Polanco’s hitting streak is now at 10 games, which is a team high.
Jason Grilli [1-2], the former Pirate earned the win pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
The series concludes Sunday when Gerrit Cole [8-2 1.90 ERA] takes on Alex Wood [4-2 3.19 ERA]. Cole is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two career starts against the Braves.
Photo courtesy: Lenny Ignelzi/AP
