Pirates 3, Braves 2. Playoff spot clinched

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night by a score of 3-2, and with the Brewers losing to the Cincinnati Reds 3-1, the Pirates have now clinched a playoff spot for the 2nd season in a row. The Braves struck first in the bottom of the 1st when Freddy Freeman doubled to right, scoring Phil Gosselin. They would add 1 more in the 2nd when Andrelton Simmons grounded into a double play, scoring Jason Heyward. The Pirates would get on the board in the 4th when Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt threw the ball into centerfield, allowing Andrew McCutchen to score. The Pirates tied the game in the 5th on a solo shot by Travis Snider. The Pirates would take the lead for good in the 6th when Starling Marte doubled to left, scoring McCutchen. Jared Hughes and Tony Watson would shut down the Bravos in the 8th and 9th innings to seal the gam. Gerrit Cole picked up his 11th win of the season after pitching 7 innings and allowing only 2 runs. Alex Wood took the loss despite allowing just 2 runs over 6.2 innings pitched. Tony Watson picked up his second save of the season. The Pirates are now 1.5 GB of St. Louis in the NL Central and 1 game ahead of the Giants for the 1st wildcard spot.