Game Thread: Musgrove leads the way into Atlanta

In a rematch of last Wednesday’s 7-4 Pirates victory in Pittsburgh, Joe Musgrove (4-6, 4.44) will face off against Kevin Gausman (2-5, 6.15) this time at SunTrust Park in Cobb County, Georgia. First pitch is at 7:20 p.m. Eastern.

In that Game, the Pirates battered Gausman for seven runs on twelve hits in just five innings. Elias Diaz and Colin Moran both homered.

Gausman pitched well for the Braves after being acquired last year from the Orioles at the trade deadline, putting up a 2.87 ERA in ten starts, but to date has a 4.51 ERA with the Braves in 22 starts.

Musgrove pitched into the ninth inning, the longest outing of his major league career, but back to back homers by Ronald Acuna and Dansby Swanson to lead off that inning dashed Musgrove’s hopes of a complete game.

After yesterday’s monstrous home run in Milwaukee’s Miller Park, Jung-ho Kang remains in the lineup, this time at third base while Colin Moran moves over to second, replacing Adam Frazier.

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PIRATES

1 R Kevin Newman SS

2 S Bryan Reynolds LF

3 R Starling Marte CF

4 S Josh Bell 1B

5 L Colin Moran 2B

6 L Gregory Polanco RF

7 R Jung-ho Kang 3B

8 R Elias Diaz C

9 R Joe Musgrove RHP

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BRAVES

1 R Ronald Acuna CF

2 R Dansby Swanson SS

3 L Freddie Freeman 1B

4 R Josh Donaldson 3B

5 L Nick Markakis RF

6 R Austin Riley LF

7 L Brian McCann C

8 S Ozzie Albies 2B

9 R Kevin Gausman RHP