ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves bullpen blew yet another save, but this time it didn't cost the Braves a victory.

Christian Bethancourt saw to that with a memorable homer.

The rookie catcher led off the bottom of the ninth inning by slicing reliever Vance Worley's first pitch over the right-field fence as the Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Saturday night.

"It was something I'll always remember," said Bethancourt, who had the souvenir ball in his locker after it was retrieved for him. "To have my first home run and first walk-off hit in the same game is something I'll never forget."

The swing, on a cutter away, wasn't a pretty one, but it certainly paid off.

"His back foot came out and he swung late," Worley (2-4) said. "I thought for sure it was going to keep curving. ... It was a good pitch to him and somehow he got enough barrel on it."

The Pirates (30-25) had tied it in the eighth on a two-run single by right fielder Gregory Polanco, his third hit of the game, against reliever Jim Johnson as the Braves bullpen blew a save for the 10th time.

Former Pittsburgh closer Jason Grilli (1-2) pitched a perfect top of the ninth, though, and Bethancourt made him a winner with his opposite-field drive.

The Braves (27-28) had lost their previous three games despite scoring 22 runs as their bullpen imploded each time. It was the first time since 1945, when the franchise was in Boston, that the Braves had dropped three straight while scoring at least six runs in every game.

Braves starter Julio Teheran came into the eighth inning having faced just two batters above the minimum, but was pulled with one out after allowing singles to catcher Francisco Cervelli and shortstop Jordy Mercer.

After Johnson got the second out on a grounder that moved up the runner, Polanco came through with a two-run single to tie the score.

Teheran gave up five hits, walked none and struck out five. He reluctantly came out after 103 pitches, which matched his season high.

"You don't want to come out when you are pitching well," the right-hander said. "I wanted to battle right there."

Pirates starter Jeff Locke went 6 1/3 innings while allowing seven hits and being charged with the Braves' four runs. He struck out four and walked two, the only real damage against him being a two-run homer by center fielder Andrew McCutchen in the fourth inning.

"I told him to keep his head up," Bethancourt said. "He pitched very well. He was throwing harder. I don't know if he was mad or what."

Braves center fielder Cameron Maybin, who had two hits and a stolen base, drove in Bethancourt in the seventh with a single for a two-run lead that disappeared an inning later.

The Braves took a quick lead on third baseman Chris Johnson's leadoff home run in the second, then turned to small ball in the third to make it 2-0.

Locke left a 1-1 fastball in the middle of the plate to Johnson and he sent a drive to center field that bounced off the top of the fence for his first homer of the season.

In the third, Maybin singled leading off, stole second base, moved to third on a grounder and scored on first baseman Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly.

The Pirates tied it on one swing by McCutchen in the fourth. Teheran hung a 2-2 slider and, with Polanco running after a leadoff single, McCutchen lined his eighth homer of the season into the seats in left-center field.

It was the 13th home run allowed by Teheran this season -- the fourth most in the National League.

The Braves went back ahead in the bottom of the fourth with the aid of Jonny Gomes' first stolen base since 2013. The veteran left fielder walked with two outs and, after reaching second, scored on shortstop Andrelton Simmons' single.

The loss was just the third in the past 15 games for the Pi