PITTSBURGH -- Matt Joyce drove in three runs and Jonathon Niese posted a solid six-inning start, leading the Pirates to an 8-5 win over the Braves on Monday night at PNC Park.
Joyce punctuated Pittsburgh's three-run first inning with an RBI single to right field off Braves starter Williams Perez and tagged his fifth homer, a two-run shot into the right-field seats, in the seventh inning as part of a three-hit day. Niese made his second straight quality start, limiting Atlanta to two runs on five hits over six innings.
The Braves kept it close with their first multi-homer performance since Opening Day, as Jeff Francoeur took Niese deep to left field in the sixth inning and Kelly Johnson launched a two-run shot to center off Cory Luebke in the eighth.