Braves vs. Pirates - News - July 06, 2021 | FOX Sports

John Nogowski - Enjoys four-hit afternoon Nogowski went 4-for-5 in Wednesday's 14-3 loss to the Braves.

Impact The newly-acquired first baseman is now 7-for-12 since debuting in Pittsburgh, with all seven hits being singles. Three games is a small sample size, but the early results are promising for Nogowski, who had just one hit in 18 at-bats with the Cardinals this year. The 28-year-old hit fifth Wednesday, a spot in the lineup that could present plenty of RBI opportunities with the likes of Adam Frazier, KeBryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds hitting in front of him. Nogowski also pitched a scoreless inning in the blowout loss.

JULY 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Dansby Swanson - Steals base in three-hit game Swanson went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs in Wednesday's 14-3 win over the Pirates.

Impact It was a huge afternoon for Swanson, who entered Wednesday hitting .167 with one RBI in his previous eight games. The 27-year-old has been plagued by the strikeout, fanning in 30.9 percent of his 2021 at-bats and hitting just .233. That being said, it would likely take a further drop-off in production, and an extreme one at that, for Swanson to lose his grip on the starting shortstop job.

JULY 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Abraham Almonte - Drives in four runs off bench Almonte went 2-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 14-3 win over the Pirates.

Impact The 32-year-old posted quite an impressive statline, considering he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. Almonte hit a two-run single in his first at-bat before launching a two-run homer in the eighth. The long-ball was just his second of the season and his first since June 5. Orlando Arcia's call-up figures to reduce Almonte's playing time to some extent, but he proved Wednesday he can be a very impactful bench player.

JULY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ronald Acuña Jr. - Homers in big afternoon Acuna went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and three runs scored in Wednesday's 14-3 beatdown of the Pirates.

Impact The 23-year-old's third-inning blast narrowed Pittsburgh's lead to 3-2, and he later crossed home a couple more times as Atlanta poured on the runs in the later innings. Acuna had hit an uncharacteristic .196 in 13 games leading up to Wednesday but appeared to get back on track in the afternoon blowout. His power has hardly dissipated, though, as he's now launched six homers in his last 17 games.

JULY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Jacob Stallings - Homers in blowout loss Stallings went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 14-3 loss to the Braves.

Impact Stallings' first-inning homer was ultimately the only scoring in a miserable, rain-interrupted game for the Pirates. The catcher is now hitting .205 with six RBI and 12 strikeouts in his last ten games. A .226 average through 212 at-bats is certainly underwhelming, but Stallings has little competition from .135-hitting backup Michael Perez.

JULY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Wil Crowe - Fans four in no-decision Crowe allowed two runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 4.2 innings, striking out four and not factoring into the decision of Wednesday's 14-3 loss to the Braves.

Impact The righty has now allowed two runs in four of his last five starts and has an ERA of 6.05 in 2021. Crowe has failed to provide significant length in his starts this season, completing six innings just once in twelve outings. Steven Brault (lat) may usurp Crowe in the rotation once healthy, but he isn't expected back until the end of July, meaning Crowe will likely remain in the starting mix following the All-Star break.

JULY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Smyly, offense step up in win over Pirates PITTSBURGH -- Thanks to Drew Smyly’s turnaround and the re-emergence of a slumbering offense, the Braves avoided what would have been a demo...

JULY 7, 2021 • MLB.COM