Atlanta Braves vs Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Prediction for Thursday July 9 2026
Braves Preview
The Thursday MLB schedule will get started with a battle between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates from PNC Park. Be ready for the baseball season with all of our MLB predictions. The Braves (53-38) are six games above .500 on the road and hold a 2.5 game lead over Philadelphia for the top spot in the NL East Division. Last night, C Joey Bart broke a scoreless eighth-inning tie with a two-run blast to lift Atlanta to a 3-0 road victory against Pittsburgh.
Twenty-seven year old righty Bryce Elder (5-6 4.01 ERA) will need to hit the reset button at the All-Star Break. The Braves have dropped Elder’s previous three starts and he has surrendered 19 runs across his last 14 frames.
Pirates Preview
The Pittsburgh Pirates have won six of their last ten games and are four games back in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot. During Wednesday’s home loss, Pittsburgh batters were limited to four hits and struck out 11 times. SP Jared Jones fanned eight batters across six shutout frames and did not factor in the decision for the Pirates (47-46), who fell to 24-23 at home.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly will give the nod to thirty year old right-hander Mitch Keller (6-6 5.02 ERA) in the series finale. Last time out, Keller (6 IP) was tagged for eight hits and five runs during a 9-5 road loss against Washington.
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Braves vs Pirates Pick
Atlanta OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (hamstring) has resumed baseball activities and is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week. Through 91 games, Atlanta ranks 15th in OPS and 8th in runs scored. For the season, Pittsburgh ranks 2nd in OPS and 3rd in runs scored. Take the Pirates to win at home. Final Score Prediction, Pittsburgh Pirates win 6-3.
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