Braves vs. Pirates: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The Atlanta Braves visit the Steel City for Game 1 of their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After an abysmal start to the season, Atlanta has hit its stride and climbed the NL East rankings steadily.

Atlanta is coming off a narrow 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds to register a series victory. Its main task now is to neutralize the hapless Pirates as it travels to Pittsburgh for the series.

The Pirates, meanwhile, are coming off a 5-0 shutout loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. With the devastating loss, they have dropped its fourth series in a row.

Braves vs Pirates recent form and records

Atlanta owns an 18-19 record and is third in its division. Although the team has won six of its last 10 games, its record on the road will be questioned against Pittsburgh, as it has won just six of a possible 19 games away from home.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, owns a 12-26 record, has lost seven straight and has won one out of its last 10 games. Although the Pirates have a slightly better record at home than on the road, it's still nothing to write home about, as they've just won seven of 19 games at PNC Park.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

SEA: Bryce Elder (2-1, 5.06 ERA, 22 K), PIT: TBA

Atlanta Braves

Given that the Pirates have yet to announce its starter, Atlanta's starter Bryce Elder takes the spotlight as the pitcher to watch. The 25-year-old righty has posted a winning 2-1 record across six starts amid the team's struggles. He also has a quite concerning 5.06 ERA and just 22 strikeouts across 32 innings so far this season.

Must-Watch Hitters

Pittsburgh Pirates

Given the team's struggles, Oneil Cruz has been one of the few bright spots in th /measly Pirates offense this yeaar. The outfielder is batting at a .246/.377/.484 clip with an OPS of .861, eight home runs and 18 RBIs and is tied for an MLB-best 15 stolen bases.

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Braves vs Pirates baseball betting odds

Friday, 5/9	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
ATL	-141	-1.5, +110	O 8.5, -122
PIT	+127	+1.5, -134	U 8.5, +100

Braves vs Pirates expert picks and game prediction

Although not in their prime form, the Braves are making steady progress in equalizing what once was an abysmal record to start the year. Given the Pirates' struggles on both sides of the ball, it should be a breeze for the visitors to score the series-opening win in Steel City.

Run Line: -1.5, +110

Total Runs: U 9.5, +100

Prediction: ATL wins, 4-1

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Braves vs. Pirates: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - May 9, MLB 2025