Braves 6, Pirates 2: Justin Upton homered as host Atlanta snapped out of its offensive doldrums, ending a five-game losing streak.

Upton, Chris Johnson, Andrelton Simmons and Christian Bethancourt each finished with two hits as the Braves – who had scored 17 runs in losing 10 of their previous 11 games – scored twice in the second, third and fourth innings. Julio Teheran (14-13), who received a total of two runs of support in his previous four starts, held the Pirates to two runs on six hits in five innings while contributing two hits and two RBIs.

Jeff Locke (7-6) surrendered six runs on eight hits with five walks in four innings as Pittsburgh fell for just the third time in the past 14 games while maintaining its one-game lead over San Francisco for the top National League wild-card spot and its 1 1/2-game deficit behind St. Louis in the NL Central. Andrew McCutchen homered for the second time in three days and Starling Marte added two hits.

Johnson doubled leading off the second and after B.J. Upton walked and Teheran reached on an infield single, Emilio Bonifacio’s single to right plated two runs to put Atlanta ahead 2-0. The Braves doubled their lead in the third when Locke walked B.J. Upton to load the bases for Teheran, who stroked a single to center to score Johnson and Bethancourt.

Justin Upton pushed the advantage to 6-0 in the fourth, launching his 28th homer of the season to left after Freddie Freeman walked as the Braves scored multiple runs in three consecutive innings for the first time all season. McCutchen tagged Teheran in the fifth with a two-run blast into the left-field seats after Marte singled, but the Pirates drew no closer as Craig Kimbrel recorded the final two outs for his 45th save.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh 3B Josh Harrison went 1-for-5 – extending his hitting streak to 12 games – and is hitting .316, trailing Colorado’s Justin Morneau by one point for the NL lead. … Teheran is the seventh Atlanta pitcher since 2000 to make at least 30 starts and post an ERA under 3.00, finishing at 2.89. … Pittsburgh C Russell Martin left the game in the fourth with tightness in his left hamstring, while Johnson departed after five innings with a lower back strain.