Thursday, May 20th at 7:20 PM EDT at Truist Park
It’s the start of an extended weekend set between National League rivals on the diamond down in Hotlanta. The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road as they open up a four-game set with the Atlanta Braves Thursday night. Pittsburgh closed out a two-game set on the road with St. Louis Wednesday night hoping for a split after losing 5-2 on Tuesday night in the series opener. Atlanta closed a three-game set at home against the Mets hoping to salvage the finale Wednesday. The Braves dropped the first two games of the set, losing 3-1 on Monday and then 4-3 on Tuesday. In the season series back in 2019, Atlanta won five of the seven meetings, including a four-game home sweep June 10-13, 2019 in the most recent series.
Pittsburgh lost their second straight and their fourth in the last six games as they were dumped by the Cardinals on the road in the opener of their short two-game set. The Pirates entered Wednesday in the basement of the NL Central, 6.5 games behind the Cardinals for the top spot. In Tuesday’s game, Pittsburgh got two hits from Kevin Newman and Gregory Polanco (RBI) though they couldn’t dig out of a 5-0 hole after three innings. The early hole handed JT Brubaker (3-3) the loss on the mound. He threw 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts before departing.
Wil Crowe is expected to get the ball for Pittsburgh as he makes his sixth appearance and fifth start of the season in this contest.
He comes in 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA, a 1.355 WHIP, 10 walks and 17 strikeouts over 20.2 innings of work on the year. Crowe took the loss in his last start, which came last Thursday at home against the Giants. He threw five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a 3-1 Pirates loss. In his last three starts, Crowe is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, six walks and 12 strikeouts over 16 innings of work. Crowe didn’t factor in the decision in his lone start against the Braves, which came with the Nationals in the second game of a doubleheader on the road September 4, 2020. He threw 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in a game the Nationals went on to win 10-9. That gives Crowe no record, an 11.57 ERA, a 3.429 WHIP, four walks and three strikeouts over 2.1 innings in his lone career start at Truist Park.
Atlanta suffered another setback at home and went into Wednesday hoping to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Mets after falling Tuesday night. The Braves entered Wednesday third in the NL East, four games behind the Mets for the top spot in the division race. In Tuesday’s game, Atlanta struggled at the plate once again, finishing with only five hits while going one for seven with runners in scoring position. Freddie Freeman (his 12th) and Austin Riley (his fifth) each homered in the loss but it wasn’t enough. Tucker Davidson threw six innings, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts while not factoring in the decision. Will Smith (0-4) took the loss in relief as he allowed one run on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts in one inning of work.
Drew Smyly takes the ball and logs his seventh start of the season for the Braves in this contest. He comes in 2-2 with a 5.23 ERA, a 1.355 WHIP, 12 walks and 26 strikeouts over 31 innings of work this season while giving up nine homers. Smyly earned the win in his last start, which came Friday on the road against the Brewers. He threw six innings, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts in a 6-3 Braves win. In his last three starts, Smyly is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, nine walks and 11 strikeouts over 16 innings of work. Smyly makes his fifth career appearance and fourth start against the Pirates in this contest.
He comes in 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA, a 1.415 WHIP, four walks and 20 strikeouts over 17.2 innings in those outings. Smyly is 0-1 with a 10.00 ERA, a 1.444 WHIP, two walks and seven strikeouts over nine innings in two career starts at Truist Park. Both teams have had their struggles of late, which makes for some tough sledding here. Crowe has yet to earn a win on the mound this season while Smyly has been prone to the long ball, giving up an average of 2.6 homers per nine innings this season. Smyly has been lit up in his two starts at Truist Park this season, which is cause for concern given how anemic the Braves’ bats have been in their set with the Mets. Pittsburgh isn’t a good offensive team by any stretch of the imagination but with the way Atlanta has sputtered at the plate, coupled with Smyly’s issues on the mound, this one ends up going to the visitors.
MLB Pick: Pittsburgh +1.5 (-127) at Betonline