May 27, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Starling Marte (6) hits a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
A day off heading into Tuesday’s series opener at PNC Park might have served the Pittsburgh Pirates better than the visiting Atlanta Braves.
The Pirates played 27 games in 27 days before Monday’s respite, going 12-15 — including losing 10 of their last 14 — and perhaps succumbing to some fatigue over the weekend.
Pittsburgh is coming off a series against Milwaukee where it lost three of four, including a 5 1/2-hour, 13-inning game Saturday.
“Yeah. Pretty excited about (a day off),” Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier said. “Try to get our feet back under us … and hit the ground running on Tuesday.”
The Braves won 12 of 16 before hitting a dip — three straight losses — and seemed to be just getting things back on track with two wins in a row before Monday’s off day, which could be something of a momentum-killer.
“We are a very good team,” Atlanta catcher Brian McCann told the team’s website. “It starts with pitching. We have five great starters.”
A pair of left-handers are scheduled to face each other in the series opener: Atlanta’s Max Fried (7-3, 3.19 ERA) against Pittsburgh’s Steven Brault (2-1, 5.87 ERA).
The Pirates have been forced to thrust Brault into a starter’s role because of injuries, and results have been mixed.
In three starts this season, he is 1-0 with a 5.54 ERA after his previous 43 appearances were out of the bullpen. In 19 career major league starts, he is 3-4 with a 4.87 ERA.
Brault is coming off one of his best starts, however. On Wednesday he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 7-2 win at Cincinnati.
“You never want to get an opportunity because of injuries, but, yeah, when an opportunity presents itself, you have to take advantage of it,” Brault said. “I do want to be a starter. I know that as people come back there will be less spots. For now, I’m just focusing on starting whenever I get the ball and go as deep into games as possible being effective.”
Brault gave up three hits, struck out five and did not allow a Reds baserunner through the first three innings Wednesday.
“I was able to get ahead of hitters,” Brault said. “When I can move my fastball to both sides of the plate, I can be effective.”
Against the Braves, Brault has no starts but is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two career relief appearances.
Fried has never faced Pittsburgh.
His first two appearances this season were in relief. He has made 11 starts since then, seven of them quality starts.
Last Tuesday, his three-start win streak ended when he gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits and hit two batters in 5 2/3 innings, with five strikeouts and a season-high three walks, in a 5-4 loss against Washington.
Fried’s curveball command eluded him in that game.
“He’s been so precise, and he wasn’t horrible tonight,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “If we score five or six runs, you can live with that. He’s not going to be pinpoint all the time, but I thought he did a great job of staying in counts and keeping the game in check.”
At the same time, Fried continues to get comfortable with his slider.
“The feeling just keeps getting better off my fingers,” he said. “Just being able to trust it in any count is big, especially when I have my catchers telling me it’s a good pitch and they want me to throw it.”
