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The Atlanta Braves take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third game of a four-game series on Wednesday, August 9. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET from PNC Park. Max Fried (3-1, 1.69 ERA) will take the mound for the Braves, and Quinn Priester (2-1, 8.69 ERA) will pitch for the Pirates.
The Braves are -270 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Pirates coming in at +220. The total is set at 9.5.
Braves-Pirates picks: Wednesday, August 9th
Injury report
Braves
OF Sam Hilliard (right heel contusion), RP Dylan Lee (left shoulder inflammation)
Pirates
RP Dauri Moreta (lower back inflammation), INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae (left ankle sprain), SS Oneil Cruz (fractured left fibula)
Starting pitchers
Max Fried vs. Quinn Priester
Fried has missed most of the season on the injured list, but returned last week in a strong outing against the Cubs. He had not seen a major league mound since may, but he kept the Northsiders runless over six innings and recorded eight strikeouts. He seems to be back in full force from his forearm injury.
Priester has pitched just four games after getting called up in July. He has struggled on the mound, finishing July with an ERA of 9.19 over three games. In his latest start, he allowed three earned runs in four innings against the Brewers. He struck out three batters and walked another three.
Over/Under pick
The totals of the first two games were both high, finishing at 13 and 14. I’m going to continue betting on this trend, as both offenses have been significantly contributing to these scores. The Pirates have surprised some very solid pitchers, and the Priester will likely struggle to contain the Braves.
Pick: Over 9.5
Moneyline pick
The teams have split the first two games of the series in two high-scoring affairs, with the Pirates taking the first, 7-6, and the Braves taking the second, 8-6. This pitching matchup is too disparate here for me to not take the favorites. Fried returning to the rotation is huge news for the Braves, and he should be able to limit this Pirates batting lineup enough to put Atlanta over the edge. The Braves should have a field day with Priester.
Pick: Braves -270