ATLANTA – Austin Riley drove in five runs while hitting two of his team’s three home runs Sunday afternoon as the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1, capping their impressive power display in a series they dominated after dropping the opener.
Dansby Swanson added a two-run homer for the Braves, who hit 15 homers – they lead Major League Baseball with 75 this season – while winning three of four games against the Pirates. After a 6-4 loss in 10 innings Thursday, Atlanta outscored Pittsburgh 33-3 the rest of the way at Truist Park.
“Obviously they’re hot,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton of the Braves. “I think we need to get out of this ballpark.”
Atlanta hit seven homers Friday night in a 20-1 win, which was also the 24-year-old Riley’s first two-homer game in an MLB career that started two years ago.
“It’s very nice for sure to finally tap into some power and drive the ball,” said Riley, who has nine homers in 2021 – one more than he had last year during the pandemic-shortened season.