Published Jun 6, 4:17pm ET by
Demilade Adelekun - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 6, 4:17pm ET
Updated Jun 6, 4:17pm ET
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| Atlanta Braves | -148 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +125 |
Bubba Chandler is 2-6 with a 5.05 ERA. The 23-year-old right-hander has the arm to miss bats; his stuff grades well, but the command has been inconsistent enough that he's given Atlanta-caliber lineups too many baserunners to work with. Pittsburgh ranks 30th in runs scored. That's not a team that can afford to hand a game away in the middle innings, and Chandler has done that enough times this season to make the bullpen nervous.
The Pirates have shown flashes of competitiveness this year, but they've struggled to generate offense against quality pitching. Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen give Pittsburgh its best run-producing threats, but their lineup's inability to cash runners has been a persistent problem. Against a Braves team with the best record in baseball, that shortcoming gets magnified.
Bryce Elder is 5-3 with a 2.63 ERA. He came up in Atlanta's rotation by necessity this spring and turned the opportunity into something real. Elder works off a sinker-slider mix that generates ground balls and limits the hard contact that sinks most starters at this level. His 2026 has been a revelation for a pitcher whose previous seasons mostly ended in optioning notices.
Atlanta is 42-21 overall and 19-11 at Truist Park. Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley give the Braves a lineup that punishes mistakes deep in counts, exactly where Chandler tends to get into trouble. The bullpen behind Elder has been one of the best in the NL. Pittsburgh needs a lot to go right to win this game.
Elder at home against the team with the worst offense in baseball. Atlanta's rotation and lineup are both operating at a different level than Pittsburgh's right now. The 2.42 ERA gap between these starters does most of the talking.
Braves.
Pick: Atlanta Braves -148
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Pick
Atlanta Braves -148
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