ATLANTA (AP) — Mauricio Dubón homered for the third straight game and the Atlanta Braves opened another home series with a victory, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Friday night.
Dubón was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs. It is the first time in his eight-year career he has homered in three consecutive games.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI and Matt Olson had two hits and a run.
Martín Pérez (4-3) went five innings and gave up three runs before giving way to the bullpen, which blanked MLB’s fourth-highest scoring offense in the final four innings. Raisel Iglesias got his 12th save and lowered his ERA to 0.92 after pitching the ninth inning.
The Braves have won the opening game of a home series nine times in 10 tries this season.
Dubón’s two-run, 405-foot homer to left field tied it at 3 in the third inning, and his double gave the Braves a 4-3 lead in the fifth. He later scored on an RBI double by Austin Riley.
Mitch Keller (5-3) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has given up 13 runs in his last two starts.
Pittsburgh saw its 11-game homer streak end.
Marcell Ozuna, who played for the Braves from 2020-25, was 2 for 4 with an RBI and received a strong ovation before his first at-bat in his first game since departing Atlanta. Nick Gonzalez and Henry Davis also had RBIs.
Up next
Braves RHP Spencer Strider (3-1, 3.77 ERA) was scheduled to start Saturday against Pirates RHP Braxton Ashcraft (5-2, 2.77).
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