Pirates hang on for 5-4 victory over Braves in home opener
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates scored five runs, and needed every one of them, as they hung on for a 5-4 Opening Day victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday afternoon at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh (1-2) opened its season on Monday with a 5-3 setback in Boston, and fell to 0-2 when it lost, 3-0, in 12 innings to the Red Sox on Wednesday. Thursday’s game was rained out and the home opener was in doubt with a forecast of rain and snow in the area.
The temperature may have been cold with overcast skies and a game-time temperature of 37 degrees, but the Pirates’ bats were hot in picking up 11 hits, including home runs by David Freese and Francisco Cervelli and a double by Josh Harrison. The team had potential for more runs, but was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.
“We are trying to find ways to maximize every skill that we’ve got on offense,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “I’m a firm believer that we’ve got some athletic guys that can move on the bases.”
Ivan Nova had a quality outing in his first start of the season to pick up the win on the mound. The right-handed pitcher, who was 3-1 last season at home with a 2.45 ERA after being acquired by the New York Yankees, allowed one run (zero earned) on six hits in six innings. He had four strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter in throwing 91 pitches (56 strikes).
“It was great getting the ball in the home opener,” Nova said. “We have put in good work every day and we just followed the game plan. We have a really good group of starting pitchers. We just have to stay focused. You want to pitch good all the time no matter where it is or what the situation.”
The winning run came at a time that seemed insignificant with Pittsburgh extending its lead to 5-1 and the pitching shutting down the Braves through seven innings.
Cervelli walked and moved to second when Harrison reached base via error by second baseman Brandon Phillips. After a fly out, John Jaso grounded into a force out but hustled down the base line to avoid a double play and keep the inning going. Starling Marte delivered with a two-out single to left field that scored Cervelli for a four-run advantage.
Pirates lefty Wade LeBlanc came on in the eighth and Atlanta (1-3) got back into the game with three runs on four hits to cut the deficit to 5-4. The Braves’ Nick Markakis had an RBI double to score Freddie Freeman, who had reached base on a force out.
Hurdle took out LeBlanc in favor of Daniel Hudson, who gave up a two-run single to Phillips to score former Pirate Chase d’Arnaud, who had a pinch-hit single, and Markakis.
Hudson got out of the jam when Adonis Garcia lined a ball off Hudson that ricocheted to Harrison, who flipped it to Jordy Mercer at shortstop, and the throw to Jaso at first base was in time for the inning-ending double play.
“That’s fun to watch and it never gets old,” Hurdle said referring to the double play. “They work on it and do those things. Jordy has become a very dependable, yet athletic shortstop. Josh has the ability to go horizontal to his left or to his right and make some plays. Big pick-up for our club.”
Tony Watson came on in the ninth, and after hitting the Braves’ Kurt Suzuki to put the tying run on first, the lefty induced two ground outs and a line out to left field to pick up his first save in as many opportunities.
Pittsburgh scored the game’s first run when Andrew McCutchen singled to left field to score Marte in the third inning off Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. McCutchen was hitless at Fenway Park, but the 2013 NL MVP was 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI on Friday to raise his average to .231.
McCutchen’s slow start in Boston brought out the critics even though it was only two games, but Hurdle’s right fielder wasn’t too concerned about the start.
“It is the third game of the season,” McCutchen said. “We are just going to keep going out there and battling every day. It is a long season and we are just getting started. It nice to get the win on Opening Day because there is only one of them in a season.”
Hurdle is confident that McCutchen can continue to get the job done at the plate.
“Andrew is a good hitter,” Hurdle said. “He swung very aggressively and it was a good day in the box for him.”
The Pirates used some small ball to manufacture their second run when Mercer singled, moved to second on Nova’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Marte’s single through the hole at shortstop for a 2-0 lead after the fourth inning.
Atlanta got on the board in the fifth when Emilio Bonifacio reached second on an error by left fielder Gregory Polanco and scored on Ender Inciarte’s double to cut the deficit to 2-1.
“You have to deal with the wind, but if you ask Gregory, I think he says he should have made that catch,” Hurdle said.
Pittsburgh’s biggest power threat from 2016, Jung Ho Kang, has not been able to obtain a visa to enter the country due to his DUI charge in South Korea, but Kang’s back-up, Freese, came through with a home run to center field in leading off the bottom of the fifth against Braves relief pitcher Eric O’Flaherty for a 3-1 advantage.
“If I try to swing like Jung Ho I know I’m going to get myself in trouble,” Freese said. “I just need to be me, and if I can play like I know how I can, I think we will be fine over there. Home runs are great, they can get you back in the game and separate you from another team, but it’s not a necessity. I think the way we run the bases and the way we hit with guys in scoring position is the main concern.”
Cervelli followed Freese’s homer with one of his own in the next at-bat for a 4-1 lead. The Pirates’ catcher only had one home run last season, but connected on a 1-2 pitch for his first in the third game of the year.
“That was kind of sexy, right?” Freese said. “Especially with me and Cervelli, who don’t hit a lot of homers, but it was fun today. It was cold but I don’t think the weather scared either team away.”
Freese took a shot in the field when a ball hit him in the collar bone and he was taken out for precautionary reasons, but he said he was fine.