Worley provides no relief for Pirates

Associated Press

ATLANTA

Former starter Vance Worley was eyeing extra innings and preparing for a possible long-relief stint.

Instead, he lasted only one pitch.

Worley gave up a game-ending homer to Atlanta Braves rookie Christian Bethancourt in the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 5-4 on Saturday night.

Bethancourt lined Worley’s offering over the right-field wall for his first major league homer.

“I was going to be out there in long relief if we didn’t score,” Worley said. “I thought it was a good pitch to him and somehow he got enough barrel on it.”

Bethancourt said Braves coaches sent him to the plate with a scouting report on Worley that “the guy was going to go out and throw sliders and cutters away. I was looking for one of two pitches.”

Worley said he threw a cutter, down and away. Bethancourt thought it was a slider. Either way, he was ready to swing.

“I hit it and thought it was going to be a foul ball,” Bethancourt said, adding he maintained hope when Gregory Polanco ran toward the right-field wall.

Worley also wasn’t expecting a homer on Bethancourt’s swing.

“His back foot came out, he swung late and I thought for sure it was going to keep curving,” Worley said, adding the shot “never really started curving” the way he expected.

Worley (2-4) said he had to shake off a loss that was especially disappointing after the Pirates rallied from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game on Polanco’s two-run single off Jim Johnson in the eighth.

Pittsburgh lost for only the third time in 15 games.

“I’ll be ready tomorrow,” Worley said.

“Hopefully the outcome’s a little better if that’s the case.”

Polanco, who has a 10-game hitting streak, had three hits.

Former Pirates closer Jason Grilli (1-2) pitched a perfect ninth, and the Braves ended Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak.

Chris Johnson hit his first homer of the season in the second for Atlanta.

Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the fourth for a 2-all tie.

Atlanta starter Julio Teheran gave up just three hits through seven innings but was pulled after allowing one-out singles to Francisco Cervelli and Jordy Mercer in the eighth.

With two outs, Jim Johnson gave up Polanco’s tying single.

Jeff Locke allowed seven hits and four runs in 61/3 innings.