Braves vs. Pirates Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, August 24 (Braves Are Money When Kyle Wright Starts)
By Peter Dewey
Early afternoon baseball? What a start to our Wednesday!
The defending champion Atlanta Braves have a road matchup with the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates at 12:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday, and you know we’re going to have a pick to make.
The Braves are hoping to gain some ground in the NL East since they’re taking on a weaker opponent, and they’ll have righty Kyle Wright (15-5, 3.14 ERA) on the mound against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (4-9, 4.49 ERA).
The Pirates have dropped into last place in the NL Central, and their offense has struggled since the All-Star break. Does that give us any value on the Braves?
Here are the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday’s game:
Braves vs. Pirates Odds, Run Line and Total
Run Line:
- Braves -1.5 (-135)
- Pirates +1.5 (+115)
Moneyline:
- Braves: -225
- Pirates: +190
Total:
- 8.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Braves vs. Pirates Prediction and Pick
The Braves and Pirates have fared very differently when these two starters pitch in 2022.
Atlanta is 17-6 in Kyle Wright’s outings, and it has won nine of his last 10 starts, with the only loss coming to the New York Mets in early August. Keller, on the other hand, has seen the Pirates go just 2-6 in his last eight starts and 8-15 overall when he gets the ball.
Part of that is because the Braves are a far better offense, but Wright also is the superior pitcher, allowing more than three runs just once since the start of July. Keller has lowered his ERA from 5.21 to 4.49 over the past two months, but I’m not sure it will be enough against an Atlanta team that ranks second in OPS and third in runs scored in 2022.
As long as Wright gives the Braves a quality start, they should be able to attack this poor Pirates staff, especially their bullpen (27th in bullpen ERA), to pull off an easy win.
Lean: Braves -1.5 (-135)
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.