Atlanta Braves vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/08/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -102, Pirates -118; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves +100, Pirates -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves +100, Pirates -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Atlanta Braves:  52-37 (1st place, NL East)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  46-45 (4th place, NL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 9-4 MLB RUN for +$5,440 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Atlanta Braves:  4-6 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

The Braves are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the New York Mets 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 52-37 record overall and have a road record of 25-19. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Wednesday with the series opener still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .727 OPS. Hurston Waldrep is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Grant Holmes is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 5-4 with a 3.83 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 2 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the New York Mets.

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 46-45 record overall and have a home record of 23-22. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .762 OPS. Paul Skenes is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Jared Jones is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts on 2 hits through 4 innings pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates have looked good in their games this season with their 46-45 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark though with their 23-22 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 52-37 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 25-19 road record this year. The Braves had a really hot start to the season and they are going to have the better pitching matchup in this one, but they have been in a big slump over the last month and haven't looked great lately. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games while the Pirates are 5-5 in their last 10 and the Braves have also been slipping on offense lately, the Pirates having one of the best in the league. Jones is on the mound for the Pirates in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA, but lately he has looked a lot better. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and even his team has been having more success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Braves are going with Holmes in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 5-4 with a 3.83 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs lately, but his team hasn't had much success with him either. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but the team has lost 4 of their last 5 games with him starting and that is going to be an issue with the way the Pirates have been putting up runs lately. Look for the Pirates to start getting hot again with their offense carrying them against this slumping Braves team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Braves Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 8, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Pirates 5 Braves 4.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Atlanta Braves Pittsburgh Pirates prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Atlanta Braves: 38-38 (-10.7 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 217-198 (-47 units) on the moneyline in all games. 105-103 (-17.8 units) on the moneyline in road games. 25-16 OVER in road games. 

Pittsburgh Pirates: 46-43 (+8.1 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 115-111 (+7.4 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 59-50 (+7.2 units) on the moneyline at home when the total is 8 to 8.5. 30-15 OVER in home games.

Atlanta Braves:  M. Perez (SP) Fifteen Day - Forearm. H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Finger. R. Suarez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Acuna Jr. (RF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. S. Murphy (C) Sixty Day IL - Finger. A. Smith-Shawver (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  E. Sisk (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Horwitz (1B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. W. Dotel (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. O. Cruz (CF) Ten Day IL - Hand. C. Devenski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Illness.

“Our guys kept fighting. We had some opportunities earlier in the game, but we didn’t get the big one.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s loss against the Mets in their game on Monday.

“What a great game by Konnor. The huge at-bat there to break the tie, and the plays that he made -- the diving plays -- were unbelievable.” - Don Kelly after his team’s win against the Nationals in their game on Sunday. 

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Drake Baldwin (L) C

Mauricio Dubón (R) LF

Dominic Smith (L) DH

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF

Jim Jarvis (L) SS

Konnor Griffin (R) SS

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Bryan Reynolds (S) DH

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) RF

Ryan O'Hearn (L) 1B

Nick Gonzales (R) 3B

Endy Rodríguez (S) C

Tyler Callihan (L) LF

Jake Mangum (S) CF

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Matt Olson (95)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (24)

RBI:  Matt Olson (57)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (15)

Wins:  Chris Sale (9)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (17)

ERA:  Victor Mederos (0.00)

Batting Average:  Rafael Flores (.667)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (99)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (21)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (63)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (9)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (11)

ERA:  Evan Sisk (2.23)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)