​PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joey Bart delivered a decisive two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 victory over his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, after Pirates starter Jared Jones carried a perfect game into the seventh before departing. Bart, who had been traded to Atlanta from the Pirates on June 18, followed Mike Yastrzemski’s double with a 422-foot blast to left-center off a slider from Dennis Santana (2-4). Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth to cap the scoring.
Jones struck out eight over 77 pitches, with 53 of those pitches for strikes, decreasing his ERA to 4.37 from 5.28. His no-hit bid nearly ended in the third when Bart belted a long drive to left field, but Bryan Reynolds hauled it in at the wall to preserve the performance. The 24-year-old right-hander has not tossed more than 81 pitches in any of his eight starts since returning on May 20 after missing last season due to ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery (internal brace) on May 21, 2025.
Mason Montgomery took over to start the seventh, retiring Michael Harris II on a grounder to first before surrendering a single to left by Ozzie Albies with one out. He then fanned Matt Olson and Baldwin to end the frame. Atlanta’s Dylan Dodd (1-0) worked a perfect seventh inning to earn the win, and Raisel Iglesias recorded two more strikeouts in the ninth for his 18th save.
Braves starter Grant Holmes lasted five innings, allowing three hits while recording three strikeouts and one walk. The Pirates left runners on base in each of the first four innings. In the third, they had two men in scoring position after Reynolds swiped second following a two-out single; Holmes managed to induce Jared Triolo to ground out to third, ending the threat.
Looking ahead, Mitch Keller (6-6, 5.02 ERA) is scheduled to face Braves right-hander Bryce Elder (5-6, 4.01) in the series finale on Thursday.
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