Brault gets the start for Pirates in series opener against Braves
Atlanta Braves (32-27, second in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (28-30, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Max Fried (7-3, 3.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 56 strikeouts) Pirates: Steven Brault (2-1, 5.87 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 26 strikeouts)
LINE: Braves favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh and Atlanta are set to begin a three-game series.
The Pirates are 11-17 on their home turf. The Pittsburgh pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 4.98. Jordan Lyles leads the team with a 3.38 ERA.
The Braves are 16-12 on the road. The Atlanta offense has compiled a .257 batting average as a team this season, good for tenth in the National League. Freddie Freeman leads the team with an average of .305. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 53 RBIs and is batting .332. Bryan Reynolds is 15-for-35 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Freeman leads the Braves with 29 extra base hits and has 35 RBIs. Austin Riley is 12-for-41 with a double, five home runs and 16 RBIs over the last 10 games for Atlanta.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .303 batting average, 7.04 ERA, outscored by 18 runs
Braves: 6-4, .239 batting average, 4.21 ERA
Pirates Injuries: Trevor Williams: 10-day IL (side), Jameson Taillon: 60-day IL (elbow), Chris Stratton: 10-day IL (side), Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Keone Kela: 10-day IL (shoulder), Nick Burdi: 60-day IL (biceps), Corey Dickerson: 60-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 60-day IL (finger), Jung Ho Kang: 10-day IL (side), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Francisco Cervelli: 7-day IL (concussion).
Braves Injuries: Darren O'Day: 10-day IL (forearm), Ender Inciarte: 10-day IL (lumbar strain).
