6-28-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
Pirates took 2 of 3 last time these two teams met up and hope to repeat this feat – or better – in Atlanta this weekend. Since their 5/24-26 series, Pittsburgh has posted a 14-12 record while the Braves have struggled with a 14-15 record in that same stretch.
While the 2023 Braves had the most potent offense in baseball – posting a collective 125 wRC+ and while scoring 947 runs, both best in MLB, they haven’t been able to replicate that success as they have been mostly middle of the pack this year. Their 344 runs scored ranks 15th and their 87 home runs is 13th – a year after the team slammed 146 in that same stretch of games.
6/28
Pirates – Martín Pérez (L) 1-3, 57.1 IP, 4.71 ERA, 46 Ks/19 walks, 1.55 WHIP
Braves – Charlie Morton (R) 4-4, 79.1 IP, 4.20 ERA, 80 Ks/35 walks, 1.30 WHIP
6/29
Pirates – Paul Skenes (R) 4-0, 46.1 IP, 2.14 ERA, 61 Ks/8 walks, 0.99 WHIP
Braves – Max Fried (L) 7-3, 90 IP, 3.00 ERA, 80 Ks/27 walks, 1.07 WHIP
6/30
Pirates – Bailey Falter (L) 3-6, 83.1 IP, 4.00 ERA my, 54 Ks/22 walks, 1.14 WHIP
Braves – Spencer Schwellenbach (R) 1-3, 26.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 25 Ks/7 walks, 1.28 WHIP
Pirates:
Bryan Reynolds: He’s got to be the name here until he gives us reason not to. Reynolds rides into this weekend on an MLB-beat 23-game hit streak, during which he has posted a .351/.408/.638 slash line with 6 home runs, 7 doubles, 15 runs and 16 RBIs.
Braves:
Jarred Kelenic: The Braves were so eager to trade for Kelenic from the Mariners last offseason, they took on extensive salary by way of Marco Gonzales, dealing him to the Bucs for essentially nothing immediately afterwards. In his first year since leaving the Pacific coast, Kelenic has a .278/.320/.453 slash line with 24 runs, 25 RBI and 8 home runs in 228 plate appearances.
Pirates:
Connor Joe: With a lack of production from outfield and first base early on in the season, Joe was pressed into more of a full-time role. While he excelled initially, posting an .820 OPS through May 29, he has struggled since then with just 9 hits in 75 plate appearances and being relegated back to a bench role as we saw a resurgence from Rowdy Tellez (.964 OPS in 63 June plate appearances).
Braves:
Ozzie Albies: Coming off his best season statistically where he posted career highs in home runs (36), RBI (109) and OPS+ (125), Albies has struggled to replicate these strong numbers as he has seen decline across the board and currently sitting at 99 wRC+ with just 6 long balls hit to date.
Key Injuries
Pirates: David Bednar (left oblique strain) has turned things around after a rough start to the season, posting a 1.56 ERA over 17.1 innings pitched since May 12th prior to his IL stint.
Braves: Spencer Strider (right elbow sprain) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (left ACL tear) are two of the best players in MLB when healthy so losing both of them early on in the season has left a big hole in both the rotation and the batting order.
Things to Look For
Marcell Ozuna has been in a lull after his hot start but has a .927 OPS in 97 plate appearances versus LHP this season. In his career, he is 4/9 with 2 doubles against Falter and 2/3 with 5 RBI against Perez.
Reynolds still has a bit to go before he can overtake the record for longest hit streak in Pirates history held by Charlie Grimm (30 games between 1922-23) but his success in June has been incredible as he has an OPS of .993 in the month of June over his career. With three games left in the month, can he build even more upon these numbers?
Steel City Pirates 