Brandon Inge spoiled a no-hit bid by Atlanta’s Julio Teheran with a pinch-hit single with two out in the eighth inning on Wednesday afternoon, but the Pittsburgh Pirates (35-25) dropped a 5-0 decision to the Braves, losing for the fifth time in six games and seeing Atlanta sweep the three-game series.
Pittsburgh’s only other base-runners reached by the ways of two walks and two hits-by-pitch. 13 Pirates batters struck out.
Teheran (4-3; 3.30 ERA) left the game after eight innings, having struck out 11 hitters, walked two and hit two. David Carpenter worked a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Pittsburgh starter Wandy Rodriguez (6-4; 3.59 ERA) exited the contest after facing just four batters. Pirates officials later said he was suffering from “tightness” in his left arm.
Rodriguez took the loss after allowing a first-inning run on two singles and a ground ball. He also hit a batter.
Bryan Morris relieved Rodriguez and threw 3-and-two-thirds innings of no-hit ball, although he walked three hitters. Vin Mazzaro allowed back-to-back solo home runs in the sixth inning to Evan Gattis and Gerald Laird. Jared Hughes surrendered a pair of seventh-inning runs on a pair of singles, a Pedro Alvarez error and an RBI grounder. Mike Zagurski retired the Braves’ side in order in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Atlanta (37-22) recorded seven hits, including two each by Andrelton Simmons and Jason Heyward.
After an off-day Thursday, the Pirates will play a three-game series of afternoon contests against the Cubs in Chicago, starting Friday with Pittsburgh’s Francisco Liriano (3-2; 2.17 ERA) scheduled to face the Cubs’ Travis Wood (5-3; 2.75 ERA).
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