Jason Heyward was hitless in his last 19 at-bats entering the game, but hit one of Atlanta's three 2-run homers in support of Kris Medlen, giving the Braves a 7-2 win over the Pirates.
Medlen allowed a single unearned run in seven innings of work. In the third inning, Medlen hit Neil Walker with one out; the next batter, Garrett Jones, flied out to center and B.J. Upton quickly threw back to first in an attempt at a double play, but air-mailed the throw. Brian McCann backed up and fired the ball to second, but Walker was ruled safe although replays showed he was out. Walker subsequently scored on Gaby Sanchez's ground-rule double.
Pittsburgh didn't keep the lead for long, though. After Freddie Freeman drew a leadoff walk in the fourth against Pirates starter A.J. Burnett, Brian McCann belted his seventh home run of the season to give Atlanta the lead. Later in the inning with Medlen batting, Burnett fell behind 2-0 on pitches that appeared to be, and were, strikes. Burnett had been having trouble getting the inside strike to lefties called earlier in the game, but tensions finally boiled over in the Medlen at-bat. Catcher Russell Martin apparently said something to home plate umpire Dan Iassogna because as Martin walked to the mound, Iassogna gave him the heave-ho. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle ran out of the dugout for his turn to argue, and he was ejected as well.
Atlanta's two other home runs came in the fifth. Jason Heyward's shot came after Andrelton Simmons had reached on an infield hit. After a Justin Upton single, Freddie Freeman smashed his sixth homer of the year for a 6-1 lead.
A seventh run crossed the plate in the seventh inning on Chris Johnson's sacrifice fly; Clint Barmes drove in Pittsburgh's second run with a ninth-inning double.
In addition to his fourth-inning home run, Brian McCann's single in the seventh was the 1,000th hit of his major-league career.