“Braves Defeat Pirates 6-1 Behind Morton’s Dominant Performance and Ozuna’s Key Hit”
ATLANTA — Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double during Atlanta’s five-run third inning, and Charlie Morton allowed only three hits to his former team, Pittsburgh, as the Braves triumphed over the Pirates 6-1 on Friday night.
Morton, 40, achieved his first win against the Pirates, completing victories over every major league team. Having pitched for Pittsburgh from 2009 to 2015, the veteran right-hander threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
“There’s always been a special place for me for Pittsburgh,” Morton said. “I spent seven seasons there and experienced a lot of lows and highs.”
Austin Riley hit his ninth homer, including six in the last 14 games. The Braves scored six runs in four innings off Martín Pérez (1-4) in the left-hander’s return from the injured list after being sidelined since May 27 with a left groin strain.
The highlight for the Pirates came in the eighth when Bryan Reynolds singled up the middle off Jesse Chavez, extending his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest in the majors this season. It’s the longest streak by a Pittsburgh hitter since 2003.
Morton (5-4) dominated in only his second career start against Pittsburgh.
“That was old-school Charlie Morton curve ball,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “He had the ability to go to it anytime he wanted to. You see why he’s pitched 15 years in the big leagues. I don’t know if he can have a better curve ball than that.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker called Morton’s accomplishment of winning against every team “a pretty cool thing.”
“What he does is amazing to me with all the innings and years and pitches,” Snitker said.
Morton hit Reynolds with a pitch in the first and walked Nick Gonzales in the second. He then retired 10 consecutive hitters before Ke’Bryan Hayes’ single up the middle in the fifth for Pittsburgh’s first hit. Andrew McCutchen had an infield single in the sixth, and Gonzales doubled to start the seventh.
The Pirates avoided a shutout when Hayes’ two-out double off Aaron Bummer in the ninth drove in Connor Joe, who had a pinch-hit double.
Pirates: Rookie RHP Jared Jones had his turn in the rotation skipped after logging 86 innings this season, following a career-high 126 1/3 innings in the minors last year. “We went into the season knowing from the get-go we were going to have to be mindful of his innings,” Shelton said. … IF Jake Lamb signed as a minor league free agent and was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Braves: OF Ramón Laureano missed his second straight game due to lower back soreness after making a throw in Wednesday’s double-header at St. Louis. … LHP A.J. Minter (left hip inflammation) is scheduled to throw Sunday at Triple-A Gwinnett in a potential final rehab appearance since landing on the IL on May 30.
Pittsburgh rookie standout RHP Paul Skenes (4-0, 2.14 ERA) will face Braves LHP Max Fried (7-3, 3.00) on Saturday. “He’s pretty special,” said Snitker of Skenes, who has allowed no more than one earned run in five of his eight starts. “As hard as it will be, it’s kind of cool when you see a young talent like that in person.”
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