Pirates look to stop 3-game slide against Braves
Pittsburgh Pirates (30-34, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Atlanta Braves (36-29, second in the NL East)
Atlanta; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Joe Musgrove (4-6, 4.44 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 57 strikeouts) Braves: Kevin Gausman (2-5, 6.15 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 60 strikeouts)
LINE: Braves favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh enters the game as losers of their last three games.
The Braves are 16-15 on their home turf. The Atlanta offense has compiled a .256 batting average as a team this season, good for eleventh in the National League. Freddie Freeman leads the team with a mark of .312.
The Pirates are 17-16 on the road. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled a .256 batting average as a team this season, good for eleventh in the National League. Melky Cabrera leads the team with an average of .331. This is the first meeting of the season for these two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Freeman leads the Braves with 17 home runs and is batting .312. Ronald Acuna Jr. has 13 hits and is batting .000 over the last 10 games for Atlanta.
Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 79 hits and is batting .325. Elias Diaz is 10-for-31 with two doubles, a home run and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 6-4, .240 batting average, 5.04 ERA, outscored by one run
Pirates: 3-7, .284 batting average, 6.33 ERA, outscored by 15 runs
Braves Injuries: Darren O'Day: 60-day IL (forearm), Ender Inciarte: 10-day IL (lumbar strain).
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), Rookie Davis: 10-day IL (finger), Nick Burdi: 60-day IL (biceps), Lonnie Chisenhall: 60-day IL (finger), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Francisco Cervelli: 10-day IL (concussion).
