Three takeaways: Atlanta Braves comeback falls short vs Pirates

Perhaps the Atlanta Braves wished it would’ve kept raining in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, as they sat through a two-hour rain delay only to end up getting beaten by the Pirates 7-4 when all was said and done.

The wet, murky night was appropriate for the mood of the Atlanta Braves dugout after starting pitcher Kevin Gausman was ambushed for seven earned runs – five of them coming in the second inning – on his way to his fifth loss of the season.

It wasn’t the brightest of nights for the rest of those donning the tomahawks, either.

The offense couldn’t muster much of a battle against the Pirates’ starter Joe Musgrove, who held the Atlanta bats to just three runs on five hits (with two of those three runs not coming until the 9th inning).

There was, however, some production from the right-handed hitters of the Atlanta lineup, as Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Dansby Swanson both hit long home runs late in the contest.

Perhaps the brightest spot of the evening was the Braves’ bullpen, which righted the ship after Gausman’s exit, pitching 3 scoreless frames.

Ultimately, though, the Braves (33-28) saw their three-game winning streak scuttled by the Bucs, and with the Phillies victory on Wednesday night, Atlanta finds itself back to a 1.5 game deficit in the National League East race.

Mike Foltynewicz will battle against the Pirates’ Chris Archer in the series’ rubber match on Thursday.

Here’s three of our takeaways from Wednesday night’s 7-4 defeat.