Can Braves take second straight from Pirates?
Atlanta interim manager Brian Snitker scored a surprise victory in his second game on the job. Tonight, aims for a game-split vs. NL Central heavyweight Pittsburgh.
The Braves and Pirates wrap up their series in the Steel City at 7:05 p.m. ET. According to oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv, the hosts represent decisive favorites. Atlanta, on the other hand, comes in as a +165 underdog.
There hasn’t been much separation between the two clubs this week. After absorbing a 12-9 loss on Tuesday, the Braves (10-29) snatched a 3-1 triumph for Snitker last night. Ace Julio Teheran twirled 7 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball before Arodys Vizcaino registered a four-out save.
Snitker hopes the stellar pitching carries over to the finale. To that end, Mike Foltynewicz (1-1, 2.89 ERA) is the next man up. The 24-year-old posted eight scoreless frames over the weekend at Kansas City. Here, he attempts to stifle an offense that racked up 35 hits and four homers between the first two contests of the series.
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Jeff Locke (1-3, 5.45) counters on the mound for the Buccos. In Saturday’s 8-2 defeat to the Cubs, the veteran southpaw surrendered six base knocks and six runs in 5 1/3 innings. While Locke’s never been accused of possessing a plethora of swing-and-miss stuff, his strikeout-to-walk ratio now sits at an NL-worst 1.19.
Another positive for the visitors: They hit .276 vs. lefties. We’re predicting another nip-and-tuck affair, even though it’s difficult to justify rolling with the Braves in a back-to-back sense. Look for Pittsburgh (21-18) to do just enough to let Tony Watson, Mark Melancon and company shut the door late.
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