The Pittsburgh Pirates… maybe this is where it begins and ends.

On June 7, the Braves completed a sweep of the Bucs at home on an ecstatic, late-inning, 3-run double by MHII. That night, they stood 45-21, its high-water mark for the season. Since then, as we all know, things have gone a bit into the dumper – the Braves are 8-16.

But tonight, with a neat 3-0 victory at PNC Park, the Braves put themselves in a position to win its first series since June 20 when they bested Milwaukee – salted by another giddy win (an Ozzie walk-off HR).

For a good while tonight, things didn’t look all that great. In fact, after allowing a 3-HR/10-RBI performance last night to that O’Hearn guy, the Braves risked another evening of genuine ignominy. For the first 6 innings, Pirate starter Jared Jones had crafted a perfect game. And, after only 77 pitches, he looked just fine moving forward.

Luckily for the good guys, Buc manager Don Kelly pulled Jones. After MHII scratched a hit off reliever Mason Montgomery in the 7th, Atlanta jumped on reliever Dennis Santana in the 8th with a Yaz double and a Joey Bart 2-run bomb. Tack on a 9th inning MHII double & an RBI single by Drake, and there’s your 3 runs.

To be honest, I was surprised that we were the club that actually got the shutout tonight – but Grant Holmes, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, Dylan Lee, and Raisel Iglesias threw nothing but goose eggs. Quite a collective effort & we needed every bit of it.

If you watched the game, Jared Jones was beginning to look scarier each inning. Mixing a genuine plus 4-seamer with an occasional change and a dang-nasty slider, he blew thru the Braves lineup. Only Bart, who drove one deep to the LF fence, had any solid contact. (Pittsburgh LF Bryan Reynolds actually reached slightly above the fence to make the grab, but it was the easiest “HR robbery” you’ll ever see.) This guy’s stuff was electric, ridiculous, whatever you wanna call it – he had everything going tonight.

Luckily, our Kenny Powers matched him thru 5, only allowing 3 singles & a walk, striking out 5 – and also benefiting from a nifty catch, this one deep in the LF corner by Mauricio Dubón. Bottom 6, Didier Fuentes took over & he wasn’t fooling around either, issuing some real heat. He eased thru the inning with 2 Ks, allowing only a bloop single.

By then, all I could think was: We’re getting a helluva pitching effort here, but… can we get a hit, please?

Yes, and more… After Ozzie scratched a hit in the 7th off new reliever Montgomery, the Braves got to Pirates RHP Santana in the 8th. Yaz cranked a spinning slider high off the RF wall for a well-struck double. Then, Bart immediately crushed a first-pitch sinker (that certainly didn’t sink enough) into the RCF stands for a much-needed HR. 2-0 ATL.

Enter Dylan Lee, and now we’re envisioning a nice ending to this nerve-wracking movie. In fact, Lee was downright nasty himself, striking out 2 & facing the minimum on the strength of a filthy slider. 

MHII opened up the 9th by plopping a double into the LCF gap off new Pirate hurler Isaac Mattson. With 2 outs and 2 strikes, Drake laced an RBI single into center for insurance. 3-0 ATL.

We all like redemption stories, don’t we? Andy Dufresne, Winston Churchill… Raisel Iglesias – right? OK, maybe the stakes weren’t nearly the same, but, after getting fully terrorized by Juan Soto this past Sunday, Iggy made sure the Bucs had “No Fun” in the 9th. K, F8, BB, K, ballgame.

At presstime, the Phils are down by a TD/PAT in Cincy, so there’s a chance to regain our 3-game lead by the end of the evening. [editor’s note: Reds 11-Philly 5 final]

Tomorrow’s rubber game in Pittsburgh a 12:35 “businessman’s special,” as it was once called. Braves send out Bryce Elder (5-6, 4.01 ERA) vs. Bucs’ Mitch Keller (6-6, 5.02). Go Braves.