Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves Free Pick

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The Atlanta Braves are set to host the Pittsburgh Pirates at SunTrust Park. The game gets going at 5:05 p.m. ET and this NL matchup will be shown on both ATPT and FSSO.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves Odds

Pittsburgh (+135) is coming into this one as the underdog against Atlanta (-145) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 9 runs (-120 for the under and +100 for the over). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds sitting at Pirates +1.5 runs (-160) and Braves -1.5 runs (+140).

The Pirates have gone 66-70 SU this year and are 65-70 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.0 units for moneyline gamblers and 11.4 units ATS. The Braves, on the other hand, are 75-60 SU and 68-65 ATS. They’ve gained 15.9 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 0.9 units ATS.

Atlanta games have a 62-66-5 over/under record in 2018. Pirates games have gone under 66 times, gone over 61 times and pushed on eight occasions.

Nick Kingham will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Kingham is 5-6 with a 4.92 ERA and 58 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Braves this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.

The Braves are turning to righty Julio Teheran (9-7, 4.18 ERA), who has 134 strikeouts and 67 walks to his name as well as a 1.18 WHIP. Teheran is 1-0 with five strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in one start against Pittsburgh this year.

As a unit, Atlanta’s pitchers have yielded 4.0 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have an ERA of 3.52, a WHIP of 1.22 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.6. The bullpen has a 3.95 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.1 K/9.

The Atlanta offense has put up 4.7 runs per contest, including 3.7 per game over its last 10 games and 5.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .269/.322/.431 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.

Freddie Freeman has helped lead the Braves’ offense this year with 20 home runs, 82 RBIs and 83 runs scored.

For the visitors, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starters own a 4.12 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 7.32 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.02, along with a WHIP of 1.28 and a K-per-9 of 9.68.

Pirates hitters have slashed .252/.320/.405 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.1 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).

Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by Starling Marte. Marte is slashing .281/.327/.459 with 17 home runs, 61 RBIs, 68 runs and 30 stolen bases.

The Braves took the previous game in the series by a final score of five runs to three.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Braves, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER

Betting Notes

  • The under has cashed in four of Atlanta’s last seven games.
  • The Pirates have hit five home runs in their last 10 games. The Braves have hit 11 over their last 10.
  • Pittsburgh fielders have committed two errors over their last five games, compared to five errors for Atlanta over its last five.