The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Atlanta Braves 12-9 last night at PNC Park. The Pirates scored seven runs in the first inning of the game, and chased Atlanta starter Aaron Blair in less than two innings. Blair allowed nine earned runs. The Piraes had 21 hits in the game. Jon Jaso, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and Francisco Cervelli each had three hits a piece. Polanco had three doubles in a game for the first time in his career.
The Bucs and Braves meet again tonight at 7:05pm. Last night’s victory improved the Pirates record to 21-17 overall, and they gained a game on the Chicago Cubs who lost to Milwaukee 4-2. The Bucs are now 6-1/2 games back in the Central Division.
The Pirates announced Tuesday they have reached a three-year contract extension agreement with catcher Francisco Cervelli. The deal is worth “amore” than $30 million over its length. Since being acquired by the Pirates prior to the 2015 season, Cervelli tops all major league catchers in on-base percentage, and has the third-highest batting average among catchers. He currently has the third-most runs-batted-in this season for the Bucs.
Prior to last night’s game in Pittsburgh, the Atlanta Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez and replaced him with Triple-A manager Brian Snitker. Gonzalez was 434-414 overall in five-plus seasons with the Braves, but they are off to a 9-29 start this season, worst in the majors.
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