Pirates bring 1-0 series lead over Braves into game 2
Atlanta Braves (29-19, second in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-28, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Reynaldo Lopez (2-1, 1.54 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 44 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (5-3, 3.84 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 54 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates take a 1-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the Atlanta Braves.
Pittsburgh is 24-28 overall and 11-14 in home games. The Pirates have the ninth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 4.03.
Atlanta has gone 13-11 in road games and 29-19 overall. The Braves rank fifth in the NL with 53 total home runs, averaging 1.1 per game.
Saturday's game is the second time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew McCutchen has four doubles and seven home runs for the Pirates. Nick Gonzales is 13-for-39 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs over the last 10 games.
Marcell Ozuna has 10 doubles and 15 home runs while hitting .318 for the Braves. Matt Olson is 10-for-39 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .246 batting average, 4.65 ERA, even run differential
Braves: 4-6, .230 batting average, 3.64 ERA, outscored by four runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Ke'Bryan Hayes: 10-Day IL (back), Jason Delay: 60-Day IL (knee), Marco Gonzales: 15-Day IL (forearm), Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (left triceps inflammation), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Braves: AJ Smith-Shawver: 15-Day IL (oblique), Austin Riley: day-to-day (oblique), Tyler Matzek: 15-Day IL (elbow), Angel Perdomo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Spencer Strider: 15-Day IL (right elbow strain), Sean Murphy: 10-Day IL (oblique strain)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
