ATLANTA -- Following Saturday’s emotional, well-executed win over the Braves, Jordan Comadena, the team’s bullpen catcher and catching assistant, had a compliment for Liover Peguero.

Following Johan Oviedo and Ronald Acuña Jr.’s kerfuffle, Endy Rodríguez delivered a perfect throw to nab Acuña trying to steal second base. All Peguero had to do was receive the ball and apply the tag -- a small role, but a role nonetheless. As Comadena walked out of the clubhouse, Peguero exclaimed, “We’re out here learning!”

The Pirates, defined by their youth, have shown signs that they are, indeed, learning.

In the micro, a four-run, bottom of the seventh inning resulted in a 5-2 loss on Sunday at Truist Park and sank their chances to take the game, the series and the season series against the Braves. In the macro, Pittsburgh took three of seven games from baseball’s best team on the season and nearly took two of three in Atlanta.

“Overall, seven games against the best team in baseball,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We went toe-to-toe with them. I was really proud of our group. We did a lot of things well.”

Pittsburgh has been doing a lot of things well over the last 50 games, in which they are 25-25. During that stretch, they’ve claimed series victories against the Cardinals, Royals, Brewers and Phillies -- the latter two teams appear destined for the postseason. They’ve split four-game sets against the Brewers and Braves, too.

Pittsburgh has made these strides in spite of its circumstances. During this stretch, Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo have, essentially, been the only two true starting pitchers while Roansy Contreras and Quinn Priester figure things out in Indianapolis. Henry Davis (right hand) is currently on the injured list and hasn’t played since Aug. 20, though he did begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. Oneil Cruz still isn’t in the equation as he recovers from his fractured left fibula.

A year ago, exactly, the Pirates were 36 games under .500. With Sunday’s loss, they’re 11 games under .500. There’s still progress to be made. There’s still growth to be had. But as summer begins to transition into fall, there’s a life, a vibe that wasn’t present in 2021 or 2022.

“Around the Deadline when we traded [Carlos] Santana and Rich [Hill] and all those guys, it turned into an opportunity for a lot of the younger guys,” said Ke’Bryan Hayes. “We’ve been playing really well, especially as of late. It’s a ‘we’re in the hunt’ type of vibe. It shows how hungry all the young guys are to get opportunity going into next year. Then, you never know.”

Added Bryan Reynolds, “The past few Septembers we’ve just been crawling, trying to fight to get to the offseason. This September, we’ve made good strides. We’re building toward the future right now. A lot of good things are happening.”

The next several weeks will provide the Pirates with an opportunity to play almost exclusively meaningful, high-stakes baseball, even if their own playoff ship has sailed.

They’ll have a four-game set against the Nationals, who are 28-25 in the second half. That will be followed by a three-game set against the Yankees, who have played better upon calling up top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Austin Wells. Next week, they’ll have a three-city gauntlet against the Cubs, Reds and Phillies, then finish the season with three games against the Marlins. That’s 19 games remaining, all of which will come against quality opponents.

“They’re going to have to learn to play in these atmospheres,” Shelton said on Friday. “Looking at the last however many games we have left, the Nationals have played well in the second half. The Yankees have called up all their kids -- they’re playing well. … Over the next 20 games, it’s going to be a really good experience because everyone we’re playing has playoff implications. That’s going to be important for us as we move forward into next year.”

The Pirates have shown that they can hang with the big dogs, but becoming a big dog requires consistent execution of the little things. On Sunday, the Pirates fell flat.

Pittsburgh led, 2-1, through the first six innings behind Luis L. Ortiz’s 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, as well as Reynolds and Jack Suwinski’s RBI doubles. In the seventh, the game flipped.

Joshua Palacios began the top of the frame with a triple, but ended up stranded on third base as Jared Triolo grounded out, Connor Joe flied out and Jason Delay popped out. In the bottom half of the frame, the Braves put up a four-spot to take the lead, Acuña delivering the go-ahead, two-run single that put Atlanta in front for good.

“We have to score there,” Shelton said. “We cannot give away opportunities in any case. But you definitely cannot give away opportunities to this club."

Lesson learned.