The Braves won 6-1 against the Pirates tonight, a game with a stark contrast of starting pitching. In his return from a hamstring injury, Martin Perez struggled. He lasted just 4 innings, allowing 6 earned runs. Meanwhile, former Pirate Charlie Morton dominated the Pirates’ lineup, providing 6.1 innings of shutout ball with 7 strikeouts.
In relief, Daulton Jefferies helped preserve the Pirates’ bullpen, pitching three scoreless innings. Colin Holderman pitched the 8th, getting some work in despite the lopsided score.
The Pirates offense struggled tonight, being held hitless until a 5th inning single by Ke’Bryan Hayes. In the 8th inning, Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak with a single off of another former Pirate, Jesse Chavez. Now at 24 games, Reynolds continues to build on the longest hitting streak in MLB this season. In the 9th inning, Hayes broke up a shutout with an RBI double to the right-center field gap off of Aaron Bummer.
The Pirates are back in action tomorrow night, with Paul Skenes taking the mound. Skenes is still yet to tally a loss in his professional career, dating back to his minor league debut last season. Keeping that streak alive will not be easy, as he faces the potent Braves offense, along with Max Fried taking the mound for Atlanta.
North Shore Nine 
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