ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Pillar hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the eighth inning to rally the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the red-hot Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
Pillar’s shot came off Danny Coulombe (1-1) and scored Austin Riley, who opened the eighth with a single.
A.J. Minter (1-3) pitched a perfect eighth and closer Raisel Iglesias got the save in his first appearance of the season. Iglesias, who missed the first 32 games of the season with a strained right shoulder, struck out two in a perfect ninth.
Spencer Strider struck out 10 in five innings, giving up two runs. The Braves are 7-0 in Strider’s starts this season.
Adam Frazier had three RBIs for the Orioles, who lost for just the fifth time in 21 games.
Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom’s sixth error in 18 games this season led to a costly run in the sixth inning. His failure to secure a ground ball put runners on first and third in a 3-3 game, and a Frazier fielder’s choice gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead.
Ryan Mountcastle had two hits and scored two runs and Anthony Santander had a pair of doubles and two runs scored for the Orioles.
Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish limited the Braves to three runs over five innings while striking out four.
Marcell Ozuna crushed a leadoff home run to right field in the third inning to open the scoring. Ozuna had been off to a slow start this season, hitting .085 in April, but he has hit four home runs in the first week of May.
UP NEXT
RHP Tyler Wells (2-1, 3.34 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles in the series finale Sunday morning against Braves RHP Bryce Elder (3-0, 1.75 ERA).
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