ATLANTA (AP) — Julio Lugo scored from third base on a contested play at the plate, giving the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 win in 19 innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates early Wednesday morning.

The game, which ended at 1:50 2 a.m., was the longest in Turner Field history and matched the longest in the major leagues this season. At 6 hours, 39 minutes, it was the longest by time for both teams.

Lugo took on Scott Proctor’s grounder to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, whose throw to catcher Michael McKenry easily beat Lugo to the plate.

Lugo tried to avoid McKenry’s tag with a pop-up slide. Replays indicated McKenry made the tag, but home plate umpire Jerry Meals called Lugo safe.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle argued the call vigorously, following Meals off the field as the Braves celebrated.

With one out in the 19th, Daniel McCutchen walked Lugo. Jordan Schafer followed with a single to center, moving Lugo to third.

With their bench and bullpen depleted, the Braves had to let Proctor (2-3), their eighth pitcher of the game, hit for himself. Schafer advanced to second without a throw before Proctor’s grounder led to the final play.

The Phillies and Reds played 19 innings on May 25.

The Pirates’ previous longest game was 6:12 at San Diego on Aug. 25, 1979. The Braves’ previous longest game by time was 6:10 against the Mets on July 4, 1985, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The Pirates scored two runs in the first and pushed their lead to 3-0 in the second on McKenry’s homer. The Braves answered with three runs in the third, and the score remained 3-3 through the next 15 innings.

Several thousand fans from the announced crowd of 22,036 were still in the stands in the 19th inning, many standing and chanting.

The Braves lost catcher Brian McCann in the 10th inning when he strained his left oblique. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday.

McCutchen (3-2) gave up one run in 5 1-3 innings.

The Pirates fell one game behind first-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

The Pirates had a chance to avoid extra innings but wasted a scoring chance in the ninth. McKenry had an infield single off Craig Kimbrel and moved to third on pinch-hitter Brandon Wood’s single.

The Braves called a pitchout as Xavier Paul was squaring to bunt and McKenry was running toward the plate. McKenry stopped too late and was thrown out at third. Kimbrel struck out Paul to end the inning.

Atlanta’s Chipper Jones, who strained his right quadriceps in Monday night’s game, hit a groundout as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Jones, 39, came off the 15-day disabled list on Monday following arthroscopic surgery on July 9 to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.

Nate McLouth and manager Fredi Gonzalez were ejected by Meals in the ninth. McLouth struck out swinging and then remained at the plate, apparently to argue a called strike two by Meals. Gonzalez ran onto the field too late to intervene and keep McLouth in the game.

NOTES: It was the Pirates’ longest game since May 27, 2006, when they beat Houston 8-7 in 18 innings. It was the Braves’ longest since Oct. 5, 2006, when they won 7-6 at Houston in 18 innings…. McKenry ended the Pirates’ streak of 77 innings without a homer since a shot by Brandon Wood at Houston on July 16. … Schafer, still bothered by his jammed left middle finger he hurt Wednesday in Colorado, was scratched from the Braves’ lineup. He entered the game in the ninth as a defensive replacement in center. … Pirates C Ryan Doumit (left ankle sprain) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle argues with first base umpire Jeff Kellogg after Kellogg called Ryan Doumit out at first on the end of a double play during Wednesday’s game at PNC Park.

Sometimes, results naturally overshadow events that led to them.

For example, Brooks Conrad’s pinch-hit home run in the 11th inning Wednesday gave the Atlanta Braves a 4-2 victory against the Pirates at PNC Park and masked the Pirates’ inability to score.

Manager Clint Hurdle shuffled the lineup before the game, placing Jose Tabata in the leadoff spot and batting Andrew McCutchen third in an attempt to create some consistency on offense. The Pirates tied the score twice, but could not capitalize on enough opportunities to take the lead.

With the score tied, 2-2, in the 11th, Braves catcher Brian McCann singled with one out against Jeff Karstens, who came out of the bullpen, and Wilkin Ramirez pinch-ran for him. Conrad then hit a 1-2 pitch over the right-center field wall to gave the Braves the lead.

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel retired the Pirates in order in the bottom of the inning and earned his 14th save.

The third, fourth and fifth hitters, McCutchen, Neil Walker and Ryan Doumit, combined to go 0 for 14. The offense has scored two runs in the past three games — all losses, including two shutouts. The Pirates were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine Wednesday.

“We’ve got to find a way to pick up our pitchers more than we have seven weeks into the season,” Hurdle said.

The Pirates offensive deficiencies came into stark relief in the ninth, when Steve Pearce came to the plate with the score tied, 2-2.

Pearce, who started at third and was hitting second for the second time in his career, already had driven in both Pirates runs, one on a homer that curled around the left-field foul pole.

Lyle Overbay had worked a leadoff walk, and Pedro Ciriaco ran for him. Ronny Cedeno grounded back to pitcher Jonny Venters, who turned to throw to second and start a double play, but shortstop Alex Gonzalez and second baseman Dan Uggla ran into each other and dropped the throw, putting Pirates on first and second.

Pinch-hitter Chris Snyder’s sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, and Venters intentionally walked Tabata to load the bases for Pearce. But Pearce grounded into an inning-ending, third-to-catcher-to-first double play.

“We had a big chance to win in the ninth inning, and I rolled over,” Pearce said. “He made a great pitch.”

The Braves recalled Mike Minor from the minors to start in place of Tim Hudson, who has a stiff back. Minor held the Pirates to one run in 5 2/3 innings.

“He was keeping us off balance,” Pearce said. “If you took a good hack on something, he’d immediately change.”

It did not look like the game would need extra innings after the Braves opened the first inning with three consecutive hits against Pirates starter James McDonald. Center fielder Jordan Schafer doubled, Gonzalez hit a bloop single and third baseman Chipper Jones singled through the infield to score Schafer from third. McDonald escaped with only one run allowed, thanks to a popup and double play.

“You don’t want a game getting out of hand in the first two innings,” McDonald said. “I feel like it’s my job to stay in there and compete and keep my team in the game as long as possible.”

Tabata reached first on an infield single in the third, stole second and scored on Pearce’s single to tie the score, 1-1.

McDonald struck out two batters in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth, allowing only one base-runner in those three innings. He allowed two runs in six innings, walking one and striking out six.

Left fielder Eric Hinske hit a long home run over the Clemente Wall in right field in the sixth, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Matt Diaz and Overbay hit two-out singles in the sixth to force Minor from the game, but Cedeno grounded out to end the inning.

Pearce hit his first home run of the season to tie the score at 2-2 in the seventh and finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

“I felt great at the plate today,” he said. “I was looking for something in my zone to hit and I turned on it.”

The rest of the offense did not feel as well, and the Pirate will follow an off day Thursday with a three-game series that starts Friday in Chicago against the Cubs.

First published on May 26, 2011 at 12:00 am

Pirates starter James McDonald watches as Braves left fielder Eric Hinske rounds the bases after he hit a long home run over the Clemente Wall in right field in the sixth, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Brooks Conrad’s pinch-hit home run in the top of the 11th inning gave the Atlanta Braves a 4-2 victory against the Pirates Wednesday at PNC Park.

Catcher Brian McCann singled with one out in the 11th off of Jeff Karstens, who came out of the bullpen. Conrad hit a 1-2 pitch over the right-center field wall, which also scored pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez and gave the Braves the lead.

The Pirates scored their first runs since the weekend: They lost two consecutive games by the score of 2-0.

Pirates starter James McDonald escaped early trouble to strike out six batters in six innings of two-run ball.

Braves starter Mike Minor, who was recently recalled from the minor leagues to start Wednesday, allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings.

The Braves led off the game with three consecutive hits against McDonald. Center fielder Jordan Schafer doubled, shortstop Alex Gonzalez hit a bloop single and third baseman Chipper Jones singled through the infield to score Schafer from third. McDonald escaped the inning with only one run allowed, though, getting the Braves to pop out and ground into a double play.

Jose Tabata reached on an infield single in the third, stole second and scored on Steve Pearce’s single to tie the score at 1-1.

McDonald struck out two batters in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth, allowing only one base runner in those three innings.

Left fielder Eric Hinske hit a long home run over the Clemente Wall in right field in the sixth, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Matt Diaz and Lyle Overbay hit two-out singles in the sixth to force Minor from the game, but Ronny Cedeno grounded out to end the inning.

Pearce, who started at third base, curled his first home run of the season around the left-field foul pole in the seventh to tie the score at 2-2.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but could not score. Overbay walked to lead off the ninth, and Pedro Ciriaco pinch-ran for him. Cedeno grounded back to pitcher Jonny Venters, who turned to throw to second and start the double play, but Gonzalez and second baseman Dan Uggla ran into each other and dropped the throw, giving the Pirates men on first and second.

Pinch-hitter Chris Snyder bunted to advance the runners to second and third, and Venters intentionally walked Tabata to load the bases for Pearce, but Pearce grounded into a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning.

First published on May 25, 2011 at 3:54 pm

Morton (5-2) continued his strong start, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking three in seven-plus innings.

Yet he couldn’t quite match Jurrjens, whose stuff has been electric this spring. The 25-year-old right-hander handcuffed the Pirates all night, needing just 97 pitches – 71 strikes – to send the Pirates to their second straight shutout loss.

The Braves came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which they dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

Jurrjens made sure none of it mattered against a Pirates offense that has suddenly stopped scoring runs.

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but now haven’t scored in 19 innings.

Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

All five of Pittsburgh’s hits were singles and the Pirates were unable to capitalize on the few chances they had.

They managed to put two on with none out in the sixth thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Pittsburgh didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton. The former Brave has bounced back from an awful 2010 in which he went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

He has become one of the National League’s biggest surprises behind a nasty sinker that has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity.

He had won his last three decisions, including a shutout against Cincinnati last Thursday, and had a 2.62 ERA. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs.

The Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, but they made it count when they did.

Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second, coming home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Conrad. They made it 2-0 an inning later thanks to an RBI double by Martin Prado.

Atlanta had a chance to break it open in the fifth but Morton benefited from an overzealous fan.

Prado beat out a double-play attempt to keep the inning alive and Chipper Jones followed with a deep drive to right-center. A fan reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball with a baseball cap but it squirted free and dropped onto the field. Umpires awarded Jones a ground-rule double, forcing Prado to stop at third. The call was upheld on replay and Morton got out of the jam when Brian McCann grounded out to first.

Not that it mattered. Two runs were all Jurrjens needed.

NOTES: Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla didn’t start for the first time this season but entered in the eighth as a defensive replacement. … Atlanta RHP Tim Hudson’s back is feeling much better. He will miss Wednesday’s scheduled start with back pain but is expected to be available when his next turn in the rotation comes on May 30. … Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless ninth. Meek rejoined the club Sunday after spending time on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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PITTSBURGH – Jair Jurrjens pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Jurrjens (6-1) struck out four and walked one in 7 2/3 innings while dropping his ERA to 1.56. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save.

Alex Gonzalez had three hits and scored a run for the Braves, who scratched out just enough offense to end Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton’s three-game winning streak.

Morton (5-2) continued his strong start, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking three in seven-plus innings.

Yet the former Brave couldn’t quite match Jurrjens, whose stuff has been electric this spring. The 25-year-old right-hander handcuffed the Pirates all night, needing just 97 pitches – 71 strikes – to send the Pirates to their second straight shutout loss.

The Braves came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which they dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

Jurrjens made sure none of it mattered against a Pirates offense that has suddenly stopped scoring runs.

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but now haven’t scored in 19 innings.

Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

All five of Pittsburgh’s hits were singles and the Pirates were unable to capitalize on the few chances they had.

They managed to put two on with none out in the sixth thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Pittsburgh didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton, who has bounced back from an awful 2010 in which he went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

He has become one of the National League’s biggest surprises behind a nasty sinker that has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity.

He had won his last three decisions, including a shutout against Cincinnati last Thursday, and had a 2.62 ERA. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs.

The Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, but they made it count when they did.

Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second, coming home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Conrad. They made it 2-0 an inning later thanks to an RBI double by Martin Prado.

Atlanta had a chance to break it open in the fifth but Morton benefited from an overzealous fan.

Prado beat out a double-play attempt to keep the inning alive and Chipper Jones followed with a deep drive to right-center. A fan reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball with a baseball cap but it squirted free and dropped onto the field. Umpires awarded Jones a ground-rule double, forcing Prado to stop at third. The call was upheld on replay and Morton got out of the jam when Brian McCann grounded out to first.

Not that it mattered. Two runs were all Jurrjens needed.

NOTES: Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla didn’t start for the first time this season but entered in the eighth as a defensive replacement. … Atlanta RHP Tim Hudson’s back is feeling much better. He will miss Wednesday’s scheduled start with back pain but is expected to be available when his next turn in the rotation comes on May 30. … Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless ninth. Meek rejoined the club Sunday after spending time on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Jurrjens shines as Braves beat Pirates

By The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Jair Jurrjens pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Jurrjens (6-1) struck out four and walked one in 7 2-3 innings while dropping his ERA to 1.56. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save.

Alex Gonzalez had three hits and scored a run for the Braves, who scratched out just enough offense to end Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton’s three-game winning streak.

Morton (5-2) continued his strong start, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking three in seven-plus innings.

Yet he couldn’t quite match Jurrjens, whose stuff has been electric this spring. The 25-year-old right-hander handcuffed the Pirates all night, needing just 97 pitches — 71 strikes — to send the Pirates to their second straight shutout loss.

The Braves came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which they dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

Jurrjens made sure none of it mattered against a Pirates offense that has suddenly stopped scoring runs.

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but now haven’t scored in 19 innings.

Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

All five of Pittsburgh’s hits were singles and the Pirates were unable to capitalize on the few chances they had.

They managed to put two on with none out in the sixth thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Pittsburgh didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton. The former Brave has bounced back from an awful 2010 in which he went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

He has become one of the National League’s biggest surprises behind a nasty sinker that has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity.

He had won his last three decisions, including a shutout against Cincinnati last Thursday, and had a 2.62 ERA. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs.

The Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, but they made it count when they did.

Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second, coming home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Conrad. They made it 2-0 an inning later thanks to an RBI double by Martin Prado.

Atlanta had a chance to break it open in the fifth but Morton benefited from an overzealous fan.

Prado beat out a double-play attempt to keep the inning alive and Chipper Jones followed with a deep drive to right-center. A fan reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball with a baseball cap but it squirted free and dropped onto the field. Umpires awarded Jones a ground-rule double, forcing Prado to stop at third. The call was upheld on replay and Morton got out of the jam when Brian McCann grounded out to first.

Not that it mattered. Two runs were all Jurrjens needed.

NOTES: Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla didn’t start for the first time this season but entered in the eighth as a defensive replacement. … Atlanta RHP Tim Hudson’s back is feeling much better. He will miss Wednesday’s scheduled start with back pain but is expected to be available when his next turn in the rotation comes on May 30. … Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless ninth. Meek rejoined the club Sunday after spending time on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Story created May 24, 2011 – 23:59:48 EDT.

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By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A year ago, Charlie Morton admits he would have thought he “was like Cy Young” if he pitched the way he did in a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Not anymore. Seven solid innings is good, sure. It’s just not good enough for one of the National League’s biggest surprises.

“I look back and I think I pitched OK and I think that speaks to how far I’ve come,” Morton said.

The 27-year-old continued his bounce-back year with another strong performance, allowing just two runs and striking out four, even if it wasn’t enough to outduel Atlanta’s dazzling Jair Jurrjens.

Jurrjens (6-1) shut down Pittsburgh over 7 2-3 innings, never allowing a Pirate to reach third base.

It was a command performance, but then again, Morton is used to it. He and Jurrjens came up in Atlanta’s organization at the same time before the Braves shipped Morton to Pittsburgh in 2009.

“He was just dealing when I was there and I was just getting by,” Morton said with a laugh.

Morton is doing considerably more than that these days. Following an awful 2010 when he went 2-12 and appeared to be on his way out of the majors, Morton has rediscovered his stuff and his confidence this spring.

He spent the offseason refining his mechanics and developing an effective sinker. Consider the Braves impressed.

“His stuff was really nasty,” Atlanta’s Jordan Schafer said. “I think he had a problem controlling his pitches (before) but he could pretty much pound the strike zone tonight. From everything I could see, he looked good. It looked like he has stuff going in the right direction.”

Too bad Pittsburgh’s offense appears to be heading the opposite way.

The Pirates have failed to score in 19 straight innings and didn’t get a runner to third against Jurrjens.

Alex Gonzalez had three hits and scored a run for the Braves, who scratched out just enough offense to snap Morton’s three-game winning streak.

“Luckily we had JJ going tonight because we haven’t been scoring a lot of runs lately,” Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “But when you get pitching like that – and our bullpen came in and shut it down – two runs was enough tonight.”

Jurrjens made sure of it. The 25-year-old right-hander handcuffed the Pirates all night, needing just 97 pitches – 71 strikes – to drop his ERA to 1.56.

The Braves came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which they dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but now haven’t scored in four days.

Then again, Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

“I think out of (his) pitches, there were maybe one or two that didn’t hit the mark where (catcher Brian) McCann set up,” Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “So when you have that kind of command with all your pitches, you’re going to be successful.”

The Pirates’ best chance came in the sixth when they managed to put two on with none out thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Pittsburgh didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton. His rapidly developing sinker has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs, and while the Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, they made it count when they did.

Alex Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second, coming home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Conrad. The Braves made it 2-0 an inning later thanks to an RBI double by Martin Prado.

Atlanta had a chance to break it open in the fifth but Morton benefited from an overzealous fan.

Prado beat out a double-play attempt to keep the inning alive and Chipper Jones followed with a deep drive to right-center. A fan reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball with a baseball cap but it squirted free and dropped onto the field. Umpires awarded Jones a ground-rule double, forcing Prado to stop at third. The call was upheld on replay and Morton got out of the jam when McCann grounded out to first.

Morton said he didn’t get rattled after the play, something that might have happened a season ago.

“Things could have gone the other way very quickly,” he said. “But I think it’s just a sign of maturity that they didn’t.”

NOTES: Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla didn’t start for the first time this season but entered in the eighth as a defensive replacement. … Braves RHP Tim Hudson’s back is feeling much better. He will miss Wednesday’s scheduled start with back pain but is expected to be available when his next turn in the rotation comes on May 30. … Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless ninth. Meek rejoined the club Sunday after spending time on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PITTSBURGH — Charlie Morton remembers watching Jair Jurrjens pitch while the two were teammates in Atlanta and marveling at Jurrjens’ stuff.

“He was just dealing when I was there and I was just getting by,” Morton said with a laugh.

A few years later, Jurrjens still has the upperhand.

The 25-year-old right-hander continued his sparkling spring, pitching six-hit ball into the eighth inning to lead the Braves to a 2-0 win over Morton and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Jurrjens (6-1) struck out four and walked one in 7 2-3 innings while dropping his ERA to 1.56. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save.

“I’m just trying to throw strikes,” Jurrjens said. “It’s not easy coming from a day off trying to pitch and the position players over there also had a day off, so you’re trying to take advantage of that and just throw strikes and make them get themselves out.”

The Pirates were only too happy to oblige. Pittsburgh never got a runner to third base while extending its scoreless streak to 19 innings.

Alex Gonzalez had three hits and scored a run for the Braves, who scratched out just enough offense to end Morton’s three-game winning streak.

Morton (5-2) continued his bounceback year, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking three in seven-plus innings.

Yet he couldn’t quite match Jurrjens, who has been electric through the season’s first two months. He had little trouble with the punchless Pirates, needing just 97 pitches — 71 strikes — to send Pittsburgh to its second straight shutout loss.

Jurrjens’ control worsened as the game went on. He threw three balls total in the first three innings.

“I looked up and I saw the ball-strike thing and I was like, ‘Is that right?’” Morton said. “He’s really good at throwing the ball where he wants with all his pitches.”

He needed to be sharp to help the ailing Braves.

Atlanta came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which it dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

“Luckily we had JJ going tonight because we haven’t been scoring a lot of runs lately,” Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “But when you get pitching like that — and our bullpen came in and shut it down — two runs was enough tonight.”

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but haven’t crossed the plate since doing it three times in the seventh inning of a 6-2 win over Detroit on Saturday.

Then again, Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

“I think out of (his) pitches, there were maybe one or two that didn’t hit the mark where (catcher Brian) McCann set up,” Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “So when you have that kind of command with all your pitches, you’re going to be successful.”

Pittsburgh’s best opportunity came in the sixth when they put two on with no outs thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Pirates didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton, who has bounced nicely back from an awful 2010 in which he went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

He has become one of the National League’s biggest surprises behind a nasty sinker that has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity.

He had won his last three decisions, including a shutout against Cincinnati last Thursday, and had a 2.62 ERA coming in. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs.

The Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, but they made it count when they did.

Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second, coming home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Conrad. They made it 2-0 an inning later thanks to an RBI double by Martin Prado.

Atlanta had a chance to break it open in the fifth but Morton benefited from an overzealous fan.

Prado beat out a double-play attempt to keep the inning alive and Chipper Jones followed with a deep drive to right-center. A fan reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball with a baseball cap but it squirted free and dropped onto the field. Umpires awarded Jones a ground-rule double, forcing Prado to stop at third. The call was upheld on replay and Morton got out of the jam when McCann grounded out to first.

Not that it mattered. Two runs were all Jurrjens needed.

“He’s been like this all year — quality start after quality start,” Fredi Gonzalez said. “It’s just nice to see the consistency.”

NOTES: Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla didn’t start for the first time this season but entered in the eighth as a defensive replacement. … Atlanta RHP Tim Hudson’s back is feeling much better. He will miss Wednesday’s scheduled start with back pain but is expected to be available when his next turn in the rotation comes on May 30. … Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless ninth. Meek rejoined the club Sunday after spending time on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

PITTSBURGH — Jair Jurrjens pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Jurrjens (6-1) struck out four and walked one in 7 2-3 innings while dropping his ERA to 1.56. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save.

Alex Gonzalez had three hits and scored a run for the Braves, who scratched out just enough offense to end Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton’s three-game winning streak.

Morton (5-2) continued his strong start, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking three in seven-plus innings.

Yet he couldn’t quite match Jurrjens, whose stuff has been electric this spring. The 25-year-old right-hander handcuffed the Pirates all night, needing just 97 pitches — 71 strikes — to send the Pirates to their second straight shutout loss.

The Braves came to town on the last stop of a miserable road trip in which they dropped four out of five and put starting outfielders Jason Heyward and Nate McLouth on the disabled list with injuries.

Jurrjens made sure none of it mattered against a Pirates offense that has suddenly stopped scoring runs.

Pittsburgh appeared to have found a groove last week, putting together a season-high four-game winning streak that pulled it within a game of .500. The Pirates scored 26 runs during the span but now haven’t scored in 19 innings.

Jurrjens didn’t give them much of a chance.

All five of Pittsburgh’s hits were singles and the Pirates were unable to capitalize on the few chances they had.

They managed to put two on with none out in the sixth thanks to an infield hit and a walk, but Neil Walker popped to shortstop and Lyle Overbay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Pittsburgh didn’t threaten again.

Atlanta pushed across a run in the second thanks to a rare flyball allowed by Morton. The former Brave has bounced back from an awful 2010 in which he went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

He has become one of the National League’s biggest surprises behind a nasty sinker that has made opponents beat the ball into the ground with regularity.

He had won his last three decisions, including a shutout against Cincinnati last Thursday, and had a 2.62 ERA. More than 75 percent of his outs this season have come on groundballs.

The Braves didn’t get the ball in the air often, but they made it count when they did.