Behind Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, Braves beat Pirates in season finale to avoid series sweep

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the finale of a disappointing season seeking a sweep against the Atlanta Braves, only to endure the same storyline that plagued their performance at the plate.

Instead of a sweep, their bats went to sleep.

From a ceremonial start by former Pirates right-hander Charlie Morton to a nine-strikeout performance by lefty Chris Sale to getting blanked by the bullpen, the Braves prevented the Pirates from getting their offense going.

Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run home run off Johan Oviedo in the first inning, and the Braves added two more runs in the eighth to pull away for a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at Truist Park.

After successive 76-86 seasons, the Pirates finished with a 71-91 record and in last place in the NL Central Division for the sixth time in seven years.

The Braves used the 41-year-old Morton, a key member of their 2021 World Series champions, as an opener in what might be the final start of an 18-year MLB career that included a seven-year stretch with the Pirates from 2009-15, when they earned three consecutive wild-card playoff berths.

Morton could have a chance to start and finish his career with the Braves, who drafted him in the third round in 2002 before trading him to the Pirates for Gold Glove center fielder Nate McLouth. Morton pitched for Atlanta from 2021-24 before signing with the Baltimore Orioles, who dealt him to the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline. The Braves signed Morton on Sept. 22, after he was designated for assignment.

Morton was noncommittal about retiring but realizes he might be done.

“I think he’s been saying that’s his last time for the last five or six years, so I don’t know if it’s true yet. I’ve got to hear it from his mouth,” Pirates 38-year-old designated hitter Andrew McCutchen said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show. “It’s great to be out there on the field with him. He’s one of the first guys I remember facing, when he was in the Braves organization way back when. Facing him in Triple-A and thinking this guy is one of the nastiest guys I’ve ever faced at the time.

“To be his teammate for some time and to see him develop into the pitcher that we all knew that he could be, he didn’t necessarily figure it out with us, but he did eventually figure it out. To have the success he’s having, it’s one of those proud moments, from one teammate to another. Him having the success that he did, not fun facing him ever.”

Morton walked Jared Triolo but got Nick Gonzales to ground into a 5-4-3 double play, then gave up back-to-back singles to Tommy Pham and McCutchen before getting Joey Bart to fly out to center.

“I’m glad he was able to lollipop a curveball in there for me to get a hit,” McCutchen said. “I’m proud of him for what he’s done. He’s had a really good career, and he definitely should be proud of that.”

Oviedo (2-1) walked Matt Olson then left a first-pitch fastball over the middle for Acuna Jr., who smashed it 451 feet to left-center for his 21st home run and a 2-0 lead. That accounted for the only runs allowed by Oviedo, who gave up three hits and three walks with three strikeouts on 71 pitches in five innings.

“The first inning had the walk and home run, then I thought he settled down eventually,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I thought his command was off a little bit but he did a great job battling through it and finding a way to keep us right there, with a chance to win the baseball game.”

After Morton got Alexander Canario swinging for a strikeout to start the second inning, Braves manager Brian Snitker turned to Sale, the 2024 NL Cy Young winner. Morton exchanged hugs with his teammates, then walked off the mound while Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” blared over the loudspeakers and was greeted by his wife and four children.

The Pirates cut their deficit in half in the sixth, when Bryan Reynolds pinch-hit for McCutchen and doubled to left and then scored on Bart’s single to right. But Bart was caught stealing second base, and Sale struck out Canario to end the frame.

Sale (7-5) struck out nine while allowing four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings, and Tyler Kinley and Raisel Iglesias tossed a clean inning each.

Rookie left-hander Hunter Barco, who made his major-league debut Tuesday at Cincinnati, pitched two scoreless innings for the Pirates and fanned Acuna for his first career MLB strikeout.

“That’s a good player to do it against,” Barco said. “I was excited to get it done.”

But Yohan Ramirez gave up a leadoff double in the eighth to Nick Allen, who scored on a single to right by Olson to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. Acuna drew a walk to move Olson to second, where he scored when Triolo fielded Baldwin’s grounder up the middle but made an errant throw to first that skipped off the glove of Rafael Flores.

Despite winning six of their final eight games, it was a deflating ending to a disappointing season. The Pirates fired Derek Shelton as manager May 8 following a 12-26 start and went 59-65 under Kelly, a Mt. Lebanon and Point Park alum who also played for the Pirates.

Kelly tried to put a positive spin on the season by noting that the Pirates went 32-33 after the All-Star break and kept getting better every day.

“I think we’ve shown signs of that, especially in the second half. I know .500 isn’t the goal, but we’re right there,” Kelly said. “As we continue to get better, continue to work, continue to stress that every single day having that winning attitude, showing up to win the baseball game, to work towards that and earn that respect. I think we showed signs of it. Not there yet but on the right track.”