Freddie Freeman

Three Cuts: Braves drop 5th straight game in loss to Pirates

Published Jun. 27, 2015 8:54 p.m. ET

Zach Dillard

The Atlanta Braves' losing streak hit a season-worst five games on Saturday evening after a rain-delayed 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here are three observations from the game:

Julio Teheran's numbers, while far below his career expectations, had rebounded in June, primarily because three of his four starts came in the friendly confines of Turner Field. He even pitched well against the Pirates back on June 6 -- his monthly splits being skewed by two solid outings that fell apart in their respective eighth innings -- and he was coming off his deepest shutout outing of the season, a seven-inning gem against Matt Harvey and the Mets.

The problem: This Braves-Pirates series is being played at PNC Park, and whenever Teheran steps away from home problems arise.

The 24-year-old Braves starter allowed six earned runs (five runs coming in a disastrous first inning) on nine hits against the streaking Pirates as his team fell five games below .500 for the first time in 2015. He was able to settle down and save the bullpen extra stress, but it was too late: The Pirates offense had done enough at the end of the opening frame.

"After the first inning there, I think he retired 17 batters out of the next 22. He hit (Andrew) McCutchen, I don't know if that rattled him a little bit and they ended up scoring a big number (in the first)," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Then we got within two runs and instead of us getting a shutdown (inning), they got back in and scored three runs and got us out of striking distance. But there's something -- we've got to minimize those big innings with Julio. That seems to be the thing that gets him every time.

"We've need to sit down with the brain trust, with Roger (McDowell) and myself, and figure how we get him through those innings where he doesn't give up five or four runs."

Teheran's June numbers were a fitting microcosm of his season to date, allowing 12 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings on the road.

The Red Sox lit him up at Fenway. The Pirates followed suit at PNC Park. Those home/road splits keep heading in opposite directions:

That looks like two completely different pitchers.

It also makes it difficult to gauge where Teheran is during what is shaping up to be the worst season of his career to date. He was demonstrably more effective in June than in previous months, but there's no way to guarantee he pitches the bottom of every frame. Eventually these road woes will either need to regress to the mean or McDowell has some work cut out for him.

"You saw the guy that last start went seven innings at 90 pitches and gave us a great opportunity to win the game -- after the first inning, you saw that same guy," Gonzalez said. "There's something there that we have to fix. We've gotta take care of it."

2. Jace Peterson breaks out of mini-slump in big way

The Braves' rookie second baseman has been handed the reins to the team's leadoff positions, an area of concern entering the year with Jason Heyward on his way to St. Louis and few other viable options, and his recent slump has only compounded the issues the team is facing without first baseman Freddie Freeman in the lineup. Peterson entered Saturday's game with just one hit in his previous 27 plate appearances. That was good enough for an .046 batting average over a six-game stretch.

That slump appeared to come to an end against Pirates starter Charlie Morton.

In his first at-bat of the game, Peterson battled Morton to a full count before hitting a high chopper over the pitcher's mound for an infield single. He followed that confidence-building plate appearance with Atlanta's biggest hit of the game, a seventh-inning, bases-clearing double.

It was the closest the Braves ever got to winning the game.

"This game is about confidence. Believe it or not, these guys live at-bat to at-bat. They can be 14 for 14 and then they go 0 for 1 and all of a sudden they panic. Here's a young guy that doesn't let anything else affect him. He plays the game the right way. So hopefully this will catapult him to a nice streak."

(If only Peterson could hit with the bases loaded every time. In 12 career plate appearances with the bases full, Peterson has seven hits, one home run and 15 RBI.)

The Braves offense is showing some signs of life in Pittsburgh, posting 17 hits in the past two games, but without a power threat in the middle the team is having difficulties capitalizing on its opportunities.

3. Braves aim to get to Jeff Locke on Sunday

Locke, a former Braves draft pick, is the worst pitcher standing between Atlanta and a losing streak that could get out of hand.

Following the Locke-Alex Wood matchup on Sunday afternoon, the Braves will host the NL East-leading Washington Nationals and the top pitching staff in baseball. And this time around, they won't avoid Max Scherzer. If the Braves are unable to snap their five-game losing streak against Locke, who owns a 4.73 ERA in 14 starts this season, they will try to find their footing against Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and then Scherzer in the finale.

Without Freeman, who is still dealing with a wrist injury, that could be a tall task.