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Final Score: Atlanta 2 - Pittsburgh 3

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Freddie Sanchez ripped a bouncer up the middle to plate the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Atlanta Braves, 3-2 in the opener of a four- game series at PNC Park.

The Pirates blew a one-run lead in the eighth, but a two-out single by Doug Mientkiewicz put runners of the corners in the ninth. Sanchez drove a 2-1 pitch past reliever Jeff Bennett, and Brian Bixler marched home for the clincher.

"The last one I hit it too hard," Sanchez said. "I was able to find a hole and no one was able to get there. That helped it out a lot. I'm trying to get better with pitch selection."

Sanchez accounted for all three RBI in leading Pittsburgh to its fourth straight victory. Ryan Doumit added two hits in the win.

Pirates starter Ian Snell allowed just two hits and one run, while surviving six walks in seven innings of a no-decision. Matt Grabow (2-1) earned the win by getting out of a ninth-inning jam in his only inning of work.

The Braves had their six-game win streak snapped, as Brian McCann went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a walk. Jeff Francoeur knocked in both Atlanta runs.

Tom Glavine, whose last win came on September 8 last season, threw seven quality innings, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks while not factoring into the decision. Bennett (0-2) was credited with the loss by only recording one out in the final inning.

"For the most part, I felt like it was pitches I wanted to make," Glavine said. "I felt if I missed, I missed in the wrong spot. I would like to have my strike-to-ball ratio a little bit better."

Snell worked around four walks and one hit through five innings, but the right-hander's control issues caught up with him in the sixth. After walking Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira, McCann singled to right to load the bases with no outs.

The Braves could only muster one run, however, as Francoeur grounded to second to force in Jones, and Mark Kotsay hit into an inning-ending double play.

Trailing 1-0 in the seventh, the Pirates loaded the bases with just one out. The recently acquired Jason Michaels came on to pinch hit for Snell, but was mowed down on three pitches for the second out of the inning.

Glavine couldn't blow it past Sanchez, who took the first pitch he saw the other way, pushing in the go-ahead runs before Bixler was thrown out trying to score from first.

Pittsburgh called on Damaso Marte to hold its one-run lead but the reliever faltered in the eighth. Teixeira started a two-out rally by lacing a single to left, and McCann followed with his third hit of the game to end Marte's night.

Tyler Yates's first offering to Francoeur was drilled into the outfield, plating Teixeira and knotting things up at two apiece.

Grabow relieved Yates in with two on and no outs in the ninth, but maintained the tie by fanning Kelly Johnson and inducing a double-play ball off the bat of Yunel Escobar.