The Pittsburgh Pirates are facing off against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. The game gets going at 7:05 p.m. ET and this NL matchup will be shown on ATPT and FSSE.
Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Vegas is listing Atlanta (+105) as the underdog to Pittsburgh (-115). The total sits at eight runs and bettors can wager on the over for -115 and the under for -105. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds sitting at -200 for the Braves +1.5 runs and +170 for the Pirates -1.5.
The Pirates are 63-62 straight up (SU) and 60-64 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle much for gamblers, losing 0.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 7.8 units (ATS). The Braves have gone 68-55 SU this year and are 63-58 ATS. Overall, the team’s gained 18.6 units for moneyline bettors and 0.8 units ATS.
Neither side has positioned itself as a strong over/under bet this year. Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of 58-58-8 in 2018. The Braves have an over/under record of 59-57-5.
Kevin Gausman will get the start for Atlanta. The right-handed Gausman (7-9, 4.22 ERA) has racked up 116 strikeouts in 143 innings so far. He has yet to face Pittsburgh this year, but he did make two starts against the Pirates in 2017, posting a 0-1 record against them with an 8.44 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
The Pirates will turn to righty Chris Archer (4-5, 4.49 ERA), who has 118 punchouts and 37 walks to his name as well as a 1.42 WHIP. Archer did not record a start against the Braves in 2017.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have given up 4.4 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.11, a WHIP of 1.30 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 4.12 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 9.7 K/9.
The Pittsburgh hitters have put up 4.4 runs per contest, including 3.8 per game over its last 10 games and 1.8 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .252/.337/.331 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Pirates’ hitters have been led by Corey Dickerson, who is slashing .308/.340/.485 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and 53 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Atlanta’s pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.63 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.65 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.20, along with a K/9 of 9.19.
The Braves offense has slashed .261/.327/.426 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Atlanta’s offense has been led by Freddie Freeman. Freeman is slashing .321/.403/.532 with 20 home runs, 77 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
The Pirates are coming off of a 2-1 win against the Cubs, while the Braves just dropped a 4-2 game to the Rockies.
Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Braves, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in four of Atlanta’s last seven games.
- The Braves have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit eight over their last 10.
- The Atlanta defense has allowed five errors over the last 10 games, compared to 10 errors for Pittsburgh over its last 10.
