Bucs capitalize on miscues to foil Braves

PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco racked up four hits, and R.A. Dickey was marred by costly defensive miscues as the Pirates made the most of their opportunities and turned four double plays while claiming a 6-4 win over the Braves on Saturday night at PNC Park.
Polanco singled to begin a two-run second inning, doubled during a two-run third inning and capped a two-run sixth inning with a RBI single off Ian Krol. The Pirates took advantage of two errors and the three passed balls charged against Kurt Suzuki, who had trouble handling the knuckleball in his first official game as Dickey's catcher.
Dickey gave the Braves an early lead when he blooped a two-out, two-run single to shallow right field off Pirates starter Chad Kuhl, who also surrendered Jace Peterson's third-inning RBI triple during his five-inning effort.
• Polanco's patience pays off
"Chad battled tonight and part of it might have been the other team and part of it might have been himself tonight a little bit," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Making his Braves debut, Dickey allowed six runs -- three earned -- and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. The 42-year-old former Cy Young Award winner endured a frustrating sixth inning when Alen Hanson reached on an infield single that hit off Dickey's right foot and then scored with the assistance of a wild pitch and two passed balls.
• Sloppy play fails to deter Dickey, Braves
"We didn't do enough to help ourselves," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Double trouble:Dansby Swanson doubled in the first inning and then got caught too far off the bag when Adonis García lined into a double play. Brandon Phillips grounded into a double play after the Braves put two on with none out in the third inning, and Peterson killed another potential rally in the fifth inning when he grounded into a double play after Atlanta had put two on with one out.
"The double plays were huge," Hurdle said. "I can't speak enough about the double plays. There were a lot of challenges to be met off the mound for him through five innings, and the double plays played big. You give [Kuhl] credit. He was in a corner. He got the best double play when he needed one. It was the last one, to clean out the fifth inning. He did what he needed to do to give us a chance to win the game."

Defensive miscues: The Pirates capped a two-run second inning when Freddie Freeman was unable to secure the throw Garcia made after fielding Kuhl's two-out grounder. The visitors' defense woes extended into the two-run third when catcher Suzuki whiffed on a knuckleball, allowing Polanco to advance to third base. Second baseman Phillips then booted a grounder off the bat of John Jaso, who scored on Josh Harrison's two-out single.
QUOTABLE
"I felt pretty good, and in control for the most part. It wasn't like I was giving up missiles in the gaps. I was in pretty good control, and it was moving well and late, which is good for me this early in the season." -- Dickey
"We're just a couple big hits away from turning some of these games around. We just have to stay the course and keep getting after it. Eventually, when there's a few guys on base, balls will start finding the gaps." -- Snitker
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Dickey's two-run single was his first hit since he doubled against the Giants on June 5, 2013. He totaled just 13 at-bats between these two hits.

REPLAY REVIEWS
The Braves made a successful challenge in the fourth inning, when a replay review resulted in a double play. First base umpire originally ruled Starling Marte beat Swanson's throw to first base.
Polanco was called out when he attempted to stretch his sixth-inning single into a double. The Pirates challenged Swanson never tagged Polanco, but the call stood after a 1:58 review.

A crew chief challenge in the ninth inning confirmed Nick Markakis was hit on the hand by Tony Watson's pitch.
WHAT'S NEXT
Braves:Julio Teheran will make his second start when Atlanta and Pittsburgh conclude this three-game series Sunday at 1:35 p.m ET. Teheran tossed six scoreless innings during Monday's Opening Day loss to the Mets.
Pirates:Gerrit Cole will try to redeem himself after his Opening Day meltdown on Monday against the Red Sox. Cole pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings before yielding five runs in the fifth during a 5-3 loss in Boston.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.