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After taking game one, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to make it two in a row over the Atlanta Braves. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Braves-Pirates prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Yesterday was one of the worst outings of Spencer Strider's young career. After getting through the first two innings with ease, the wheels came off in the third. Conner Joe drove in the first run, Then McCutchen drove in the next. Henry Davis drove McCutchen in and then there were two walks. Jared Triolo singled scoring two, and that was the end of the night for Strider. It was 2.2 innings of work and six earned runs against him.
The Braves did fight back. Ozzie Albier homered in the top of the fourth, and Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna both drove in runs to make it 4-6. Connor Joe would add a home run in the bottom of the fourth, in what would end up being the deciding run. The Braves would fall 7-6 to the Pirates. Now, they look to get back on track in game two of the series.
Here are the Braves-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Pirates Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-102)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-118)
Over: 10 (-110)
Under: 10 (-110)
How To Watch Braves vs. Pirates
TV: BSSO/ATTP
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Braves have lost three straight games, and pitching has been an issue in the process. They have surrendered 21 runs in three games, well above their season average. On the season, their pitching has been pretty solid. They are ninth in the majors in team ERA while sitting 16th in WHIP and 12th in opponent batting average. Looking to right the ship today will be Yonny Chirinos. Chirinos is 5-4 on the year with a 4.42 ERA. He was brought over from Tampa Bay and has made two starts with the Braves. In those two starts, he has pitched 8.2 innings and given up seven runs. Still, he got the win the last time out in a 12-5 victory over the Angels.
While the pitching has struggled, the offense is still hitting well. On the year the Braves are third in runs scored, second in batting average, second in on base percentage, and first in slugging. In the last six games, they have launched 13 home runs. Three of those are off the bat of Matt Olson. He is hitting .333 over the last week with ten RBIs. He also has a double and has scored five times. That gives him an OPS of 1.254, which leads the team.
It does not lead the team by much though as Michael Harris II is hot as well. He has two home runs and two doubles in the last week, leading to six RBIs. He is hitting great, with a .429 average, and a .435 on-base percentage. That gives him an OPS of 1.244 over the last week while he has scored seven times.
Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies also have two home runs in the last week. Riley has driven in four while scoring four times and hitting .259. Meanwhile, Albies has driven in five while adding thee doubles and a triple and scoring six times.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates scored six runs in an inning last night to help lead the way to a victory. They had scored six runs in a game just once in their prior six games. On the season, the offense sits 25th in the majors in runs scored, 25th in batting average and slugging, while sitting 24th in on-base percentage.
A few guys in the line up have been hitting fairly well recently, starting with the star of the game last night, Connor Joe. Joe is hitting .267 over the last week while playing in just four games. In those games he has two home runs and three RBIs with a double and four runs scored. Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds also has two home runs and four RBIs. He has added a double and five runs scored while hitting .360 in the last week. He has been getting one base a lot too, with a .429 OBP and he has even stolen a base.
Henry Davis has also added four RBIs and a home run. It has not been the best week at the plarte for him though. He is hitting just .125 and getting on base at a .192 clip. Still, with three runs scored and four RBIs, when he is making contact, it has been productive.
The Pirates will be sending Mitch Keller to the mound today. He is 9-8 on the season with a 4.35 ERA. Last time out he was shelled though. He gave up nine hits and three walks in five innings. That led to the Brewers scoring eight runs on him with the help of a home run. That is the second time in the last four starts he has given up eight runs, and the third time inthe last four starts he has given up six or more runs. Since the start of July, he has had an ERA north of 6.50. That is a far departure from where he was to start the year, going into July with a 3.34 ERA on the year.
Final Braves-Pirates Prediction & Pick
Minus one bad inning last night, the Braves were the better team. They strung together hits well, and slugged well. A bad inning does not define a season for either side and should not impact this game much. Despite giving up six runs in one inning, the Braves still almost won the game. Mitch Keller has fallen apart. Since the All-Star break, he is 0-4 and allowed the highest barrel rate among starting pitchers with three starts. Even more, he has major struggled against left-handed batters, which the Braves will trot out today. While Yonny Chirinos is not great, he will be better than Keller toda as the Braves are primed to score plenty. Take the Braves and the Over in this match-up.
Final Braves-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (-102) and Over 10 (-110)
