Pirates vs. Braves Prediction and Odds for Sunday, June 12 (Atlanta Closes Out Series in Blowout Win)

The hottest team in baseball is the defending champions.

The Atlanta Braves have erased a slow start and are now a clear second in the NL East. While they still have ground to catch the dominant Mets, the Braves have put themselves firmly in the postseason mix for the second straight season. Ronald Acuña Jr's health and MVP-like play have played a huge role in the resurgence of the defending champs, can they stay hot on Sunday?

Atlanta gets a frisky Pirates team that will be sending out their best starter in 2022 Jose Quintana, lets breakdown the odds from consensus sportsbooks and find the best bet.

Pirates vs. Braves Odds, Run Line, Total

Run Line:

• Pirates: +1.5 (-120)
• Braves: -1.5 (+100)

Moneyline:

• Pirates: +170
• Braves: -200

Total: 8.5 (Over -120/Under +100)

Pirates vs. Braves Prediction and Pick

This Braves team can do no wrong right now, posting the second best batting average in baseball since the start of June at north of .290. Overall, the team is top 10 in wRC+ and cracking the ball all over the park behind Acuña's .320+ batting average.

While Quintana has been stellar in a bounce back campaign for the Pirates, the Braves particularly rake against southpaws, posting the second best OPS in baseball against them in 2022.

As for pitching, the Braves will turn to their most trustworthy starter on Sunday afternoon, handing the ball to Kyle Wright. He has a 2.39 ERA this season, yielding soft contact and keeping the ball inside the park, allowing an MLB low 0.4 home runs per 9 innings. This isn't all that flukey for the Braves right hander either, his FIP is sitting at 2.75 on the year.

I'm not stepping in front of this Braves train, they are simply too hot right now and have matchup advantages on the mound and at the dish. I'll play Atlanta on the run line.

LEAN: Braves -1.5 (+100)

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!