Atlanta Braves Matt Adams hits 2:00 AM walk-off to ensure series split

They say good things come to those who wait – and that was certainly the case for the Atlanta Braves fans who stuck around to see the end of Tuesday night’s marathon contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates met in what would become a six-plus hour, nine-inning game.

R.A. Dickey threw the game’s first pitch at 7:37 PM.

Tony Watson threw the game’s last pitch at 1:52 AM.

In between, the teams combined for 30 hits, 22 of which were singles.

Pittsburgh jumped out to an early lead when Josh Bell fisted an RBI bloop double into left in the top of the first, scoring Adam Frazier (1-0 PIT).

John Jaso added a run in the third with an RBI single to right (2-0 PIT).

Atlanta got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. New-acquisition Matt Adams doubled to lead off the inning and was promptly driven in by a Kurt Suzuki single (2-1 PIT).

In the sixth, both teams added a solo home run. Pittsburgh’s came from shortstop Jordy Mercer; Atlanta’s came from Adams (3-2 PIT).

Soon after, heavy rains caused a 3 hour, 12-minute delay.

When the teams returned to the field, Atlanta took advantage of some sloppiness by Pittsburgh’s pen.

With one out, Ender Inciarte singled then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brandon Phillips drove him home with a single of his own then advanced to second on a passed ball.

Nick Markakis moved Phillips to third with a groundout before Matt Kemp singled to bring him home.

More from Braves News

Three singles, two defensive miscues, two runs (3-4 ATL).

With Atlanta holding a one run lead entering the ninth, Jim Johnson was called on to nail down the save.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh had other ideas and used some small ball of their own to extend the game.

Andrew McCutchen – groundout
Josh Bell – single
Francisco Cervelli – single
John Jaso – strikeout
David Freese – walk
Jordy Mercer – two-run single (5-4 PIT)

After surrendering the two runs, Johnson was lifted in favor of flamethrower Luke Jackson who would get Danny Ortiz to ground out and end the threat.

With the stadium virtually empty, a steady rain still falling, and most Georgia bars about to close up shop, Tony Watson took the mound to finish off the game for Pittsburgh.

He started strong, striking out Jace Peterson, who had entered the game as part of a double switch when Johnson was pulled.

Then, Inciarte reached on an infield single, his third hit of the game, and Phillips lined out to center to make it two outs with a runner on first.

With the game all but over, Markakis stepped in and laced a perfectly placed double into the right-center gap to plate Inciarte and tie the game 5-5.

For a moment, it seemed like the marathon affair was somehow destined to go into extra innings.

Matt Kemp was intentionally walked to bring Adams up with runners on first and second, two outs. Then, to the absolute joy of everyone in Braves country, Matt Adams mercifully ended the game with an opposite-field RBI knock (5-6 ATL).

Notes:

Batters 1-6 for Atlanta went a combined 14-for-27 (.518 BA) with all six runs and RBI. Batters 7-9 went 1-for-11.
Sam Freeman still hasn’t given up a run as an Atlanta Brave.
Two impressive bullpen streaks were snapped. An Alen Hanson single off Freeman ended a streak of 16 consecutive hitless innings for the Braves pen. Meanwhile, Mercer’s two-run single off Johnson ended a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings for the bullpen unit.
Tyler Glasnow went 3-for-3 and had a strong outing on the mound (6.0 IP, 2 ER).
With the win, Atlanta has guaranteed at least a series split. This comes after series wins against Miami (2-1), Toronto (3-1), and Washington (2-1). With the floundering San Francisco Giants up next, the Braves could realistically continue their streak of series victories.

Next: Bright Spot Behind the Plate

The series will continue on Wednesday with rookie Trevor Williams facing off against Braves ace Julio Teheran. First pitch is 7:35 PM EST.

Home/Braves News