Atlanta will wrap up its three-game series in Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon. The Braves got off to a strong start in the series, picking up a 2-1 win on Monday night. They have not lost consecutive games since Aug. 7, allowing them to make a push for the National League East title. This story was published prior to Tuesday night’s game.
Atlanta appeared to be falling out of the NL East race when it lost four games in a five-game series against division-rival New York, but the Braves responded by winning 11 of their next 12 games. They took three out of four in a rematch series against the Mets at home last week before adding a series victory against Houston over the weekend. Atlanta is in a must-win spot in games like these against the Pirates if they want to contend for the NL East crown. The Braves are three games back of New York in the standings heading into Tuesday’s slate, but they have an eight-game cushion atop the NL Wild Card race.
Starting the road trip with a W!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/Egav7m0qwo
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 23, 2022
They are sitting at No. 10 in the MLB offensively, batting at a .251 clip. Shortstop Dansby Swanson leads the way with 140 hits, while third baseman Austin Riley has hit 34 home runs and driven in 78 runs. They are facing a Pittsburgh pitching staff that ranks No. 27 with an ERA of 4.66. Right-handed pitcher Kyle Wright is in line to start for Atlanta in this game. He picked up a win against Houston last Friday, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven across six strong innings. Wright threw 61 of 84 pitches for strikes, posting his sixth quality start in his last seven games. He brings a 3.14 ERA into this appearance.