Braves' Adams hits walk-off to end marathon

ATLANTA -- This might not have been as wacky as the 19-inning game these same two teams played in 2011. But a long rain delay combined with an exchange of ninth-inning rallies certainly made things interesting as the Braves completed a 6-5 win over the Pirates during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Nick Markakis gave the Braves life when he delivered a game-tying, two-out double off Tony Watson, and Matt Adams further endeared himself to his new teammates when he laced an opposite-field, walk-off single against the Pirates' closer at 1:52 a.m. ET.

Watson had been granted a lead when Jordy Mercer's two-out, two-run single off Jim Johnson in the top of the ninth ended the Braves bullpen's scoreless streak at 23 innings.
"We were like, 'If we are going to wait here this whole time, we might as well win the game,'" Braves second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "I think this is the longest I have been at the field. That is crazy, but baseball is life, and I'm happy we got the [win]."
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With the Pirates leading 3-2 entering the seventh, the two teams sat through a three-hour, 12-minute rain delay before play resumed at 12:51 a.m. ET. Phillips and Matt Kemp recorded seventh-inning RBI singles to give the Braves a one-run lead that was preserved until the eventful ninth inning unfolded.

"The fight was there. They got their closer in and we're down, and we fight back," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Mercer gets a big hit after David Freese's walk, and you put yourself in the position you want to be in: Watson with an opportunity to close. We'll continue to play. We'll continue to fight."
Mercer's sixth-ining solo shot -- his first career opposite-field home run to clear an outfield wall -- off R.A. Dickey sneaked just over the right-field wall to give the Pirates a two-run advantage that was reduced to one run when Adams opened the bottom half of the inning with his second home run since joining the Braves on Sunday.

Adams' home run accounted for the last blemish on Tyler Glasnow's line; he recorded a career-high three hits and managed to limit the Braves to just two runs despite allowing a season-high nine hits.

"We've had some wild finishes here," Hurdle said. "The game ended up all over the place. At the end of the day, we were one run behind them."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Threat ender: After Adams doubled and scored on Kurt Suzuki's single in the fourth, Dickey's two-out single brought Ender Inciarte to the plate with two on and a chance to record a hit in his eighth straight at-bat. But Glasnow escaped further damage when left fielder Adam Frazier hauled in Inciarte's fly ball near the warning track.
Stingy bullpen:Alen Hanson's two-out single off Sam Freeman in the seventh inning snapped the Braves bullpen's streak of not allowing a hit over 16 consecutive innings, an Atlanta record. But Freeman and Arodys Vizcaíno kept the scoreless streak alive until Johnson surrendered two singles and issued a walk before allowing the go-ahead single to Mercer, who kept the at-bat alive by fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches

"Normally J.J. doesn't do that and things happen," Phillips said. "It [stinks] that it happened, but we picked him up today. He was still in the dugout, and he was cheering us on. That is what we all do, and that's what veterans do. I know everybody was happy to go home."
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QUOTABLE
"It's just a fun group of guys to play with. They go about their business the right way. We fought to the end, and it was fun to be apart of."
-- Adams, who was acquired from the Cardinals on Saturday
"I don't think we've got enough time. From start to finish, it's seven hours."
-- Hurdle, when asked afterward how he would explain a night like this
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
By going 3-for-3 with a bloop single and a pair of infield hits, Glasnow put together the first three-hit game by a Pirates pitcher since Doug Drabek went 3-for-4 against the Cardinals on May 27, 1991.
WHAT'S NEXT
Pirates: Right-hander Trevor Williams will start the third game of the Pirates' four-game set against the Braves on Wednesday at 7:35 p.m. ET. Williams, set to make his fourth start in the rotation spot previously occupied by Jameson Taillon, gave up three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings and lost to the Phillies at PNC Park on Friday.
Braves:Julio Teheran will take the mound when Atlanta and Pittsburgh resume their four-game series Wednesday night. Teheran has produced a 13.00 ERA over his past four home starts.
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