With the balls flying out of the park on Monday afternoon, the Braves staved off a late Pirates rally to bring down a 7-5 victory in Grapefruit League action.
Brandon McCarthy got the start and breezed through nearly four innings of work. He faced the minimum through the first eight batters he faced thanks to a double play, and then allowed a single to the Pittsburgh pitcher before getting a lineout to complete three scoreless. (Yes, the Braves used a DH in this game, but the Pirates didn’t. Go figure.) McCarthy did get tagged by Starling Marte for a solo homer in the fourth, but retired the next hitter to finish his day.