One two-game streak will end Tuesday in a series opener between the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates as Atlanta is on a two-game winning streak and Pittsburgh a two-game skid. The Braves are favored on the MLB lines behind Max Fried.
Braves vs Pirates MLB Odds, Preview & Prediction
- When: Tuesday, 7:05 PM ET
- Where: PNC Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Max Fried/Steven Brault
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: Atlanta / Pittsburgh
- MLB Lines: Braves -156, Pirates +146 (total 9)
Why Bet on Atlanta?
The Braves come in having taken two of three at home vs. Detroit over the weekend. Dansby Swanson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home, an RBI double, two runs scored and a walk in Sunday’s win. Swanson did his damage against Tigers starter Matthew Boyd, burning him for a two-run home run in the third inning and an RBI double in the fifth inning. He has now clocked homers in back-to-back contests. For the campaign as a whole, Swanson is hitting .264/.320/.495 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI and five steals over the course of 216 at-bats. Outfielder Nick Markakis didn’t play Sunday but it was simply for rest. He should be in there Tuesday.
Freddie Freeman is two doubles shy of 300 career. He’s looking to become the sixth player in franchise history with 300 doubles hits and 200 home runs. The other five Braves players to reach those marks are Hank Aaron, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Eddie Mathews and Dale Murphy. The Braves are trying to become the third franchise in the majors with at least six players at 200 home runs and 300 doubles. The Yankees have 11, while Boston has six. All but one of Freeman’s doubles have come since 2011, his first full season in the majors. Since that season, only New York’s Robinson Canó (307) has more two-base hits than Freeman among active players.
The Braves have a .811 OPS against lefties this season, and are one of six teams in the majors with a plus .800 OPS against lefties this season. Freeman is hitting .328 (19-for-58) with four home runs and a .994 OPS against lefties this season.
It’s lefty Max Fried on the mound for the Braves. Fried (7-3) took the loss last Tuesday as Atlanta was downed 5-4 by the Nationals, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks over 5.2 innings while striking out five. The three free passes and four runs allowed each tied his season high. Fried now boasts a 3.19 ERA and 56:16 K:BB through 62 innings in his first full big-league campaign. The lefty will be starting with two extra days of rest.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs: 4.93
- Hits: 8.81
- Walks: 3.54
- Strike Outs: 8.54
- Runs: 4.80
- Hits: 8.31
- Walks: 3.90
- Strike Outs: 8.76
Why Bet on Pittsburgh?
General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that the Pirates are “going to take our time” with catcher Francisco Cervelli’s concussion recovery. Cervelli recently resumed conditioning workouts, but it sounds like he’s going to be sidelined for a while. Elias Diaz will be the main catcher for the Pirates while Cervelli is out.
Josh Bell went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the Pirates’ loss to the Brewers on Sunday. Bell plated a run with a ground out in the fourth inning and also doubled in the sixth. The 26-year-old first baseman has evolved into a star this year, hitting .332/.395/.681 with 43 runs scored, 18 home runs and 53 RBI across 253 plate appearances. Bell finished the month of May with a .390 batting average, 12 homers and 31 RBIs. No player in Pirates history had that high of an average with that many homers and RBI in a month. The only Major Leaguer in the last 18 seasons with numbers that high in each of the triple crown categories in a month was J.D. Martinez in September 2017 (.404 BA, 16 HR, 36 RBI).
Since moving to the third spot of the starting lineup on May 25, Starling Marte has gone 15-for-37 (.405) with two home runs and six RBI in eight games from that position in the lineup.
It’s Steven Brault (2-1, 5.87) on the mound. The 27-year-old left-hander will be making his fourth start and 10th appearance of the season when he takes the mound against the Braves. He pitched 5.1 scoreless innings while winning a 7-2 decision over the Reds last Wednesday afternoon. Brault has gone 1-0 with a 5.54 ERA (13.0ip/8er) in his three starts this season.
Brault is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA (4.1ip/4r/1er) in two career relief appearances vs. Atlanta. He pitched 2.0 scoreless innings last year on 8/20 at PNC Park and gave up four runs in 2.1ip and suffered the loss last year on 9/2 at SunTrust Park (gave up four runs in the eighth inning of a 5-1 loss).
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs: 4.22
- Hits: 8.95
- Walks: 2.69
- Strike Outs: 8.31
- Runs: 5.40
- Hits: 8.97
- Walks: 3.57
- Strike Outs: 8.93
Braves vs Pirates MLB Betting Trends
- Braves are 8-2 in their last 10 road games.
- Braves are 6-2 in their last 8 vs. National League Central.
- Braves are 9-4 in their last 13 vs. a team with a losing record.
- Pirates are 1-6 in their last 7 during game 1 of a series.
- Pirates are 1-6 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Pirates are 1-6 in their last 7 home games.
Expert MLB Prediction for Braves vs Pirates
Braves 5, Pirates 3
