Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves Round Two: What to Expect

After rebounding in the final game of the re-opening weekend, the Pirates are looking to bounce back against the Atlanta Braves. After having troubles at SunTrust Park earlier in the year, the Pirates are hoping this one can go their way.

The Pittsburgh Pirates re-opened PNC Park to full capacity this weekend with a four-game weekend set against the Milwaukee Brewers. However, things did not go the way the Pirates wanted them to as they ended up dropping three of four in the series, and fell to 30-53 on the season. However, they did bounce back with a nice 2-0 win in the finale, as the Pirates got a strong start from Tyler Anderson, who went seven shutout innings. As the Pirates look to keep things going, it won't be easy as they welcome in the Atlanta Braves, a team they did not have a lot of fun against last time. With just a week's worth of games left before the All-Star break, the Pirates are hoping to get back on track before a much-needed break.

However, the last time the Pirates and Braves squared off, it did not go the Pirates way in Atlanta. That series helped jumpstart a 10-game losing streak for the Pirates, which was exacerbated by a 20-1 loss. In total, the Pirates were outscored 37-9 in the series and ended up dropping three out of the four games played. Now, the Pirates are looking to return the favor as they welcome the Atlanta Braves into PNC Park. Currently, the Pirates are on the downswing, having lost six of their last seven and having gone just 3-7 over their last 10 games. With just seven games left before the All-Star Break, the Pirates are looking to get it going before the break. Today, we look at what to expect as the Pirates welcome in the Braves for a three-game series.

What Happened Last Time

By now, we all know what happened the last time the Pirates and the Braves faced off back in late May. The Pirates lost three out of four games in the series that was highlighted by a 20-1 loss in game two of the series. Overall, the Pirates were outscored 37-9 in the series, but one thing lost in all of that was the fact the Pirates took the first game in one of their best-played games of the season. They won 6-4 in extra innings as the Pirates bullpen shined with five shutout innings. The Pirates are hoping to channel the success from this game and bring it back to their home park. The Pirates have had success against the Braves at PNC Park over the past several seasons, going 10-6 against the Braves at PNC Park over the last five seasons.

However, the Braves come into PNC Park on a role as they have won four of their last five games, including taking two of three from the Marlins last time out. The Braves are sitting right in the thick of the National League East race at 41-42, and are four games back of the New York Mets. The men leading the Braves as of late are two of the most dangerous men in the lineup in Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies. Freeman over his last seven is hitting .455 with three RBI and has become a table-setter for the Braves. He is tied for the team lead with six runs scored over his last seven games and is getting on and giving guys opportunities. Albies is then taking advantage of those opportunities hitting .400 with three home runs and 13 RBI in his last seven. Pirates pitchers will have to shut these two guys down if they want to be successful in this series.

Two of the Best Second Basemen Go At It

One thing this three-game series at PNC Park gives us is a chance to see two of the best second baseman go at it. For the Pirates, it is NL All-Star starting second baseman Adam Frazier, and for the Braves it is All-Star reserve second baseman Ozzie Albies. Both players are having extremely good seasons, and both look to lead their respective offenses. For Albies, he plays more of the run producer role, hitting .265 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI in 313 at-bats. He has a ton of natural power and is a huge part of the middle of the Braves' order. Defensively, Albies is good for a 2.4 WAR this season and has an impressive .990 fielding percentage in 705 innings at second base.

On the other side, you have the hit machine that has been Pirates' second baseman, Adam Frazier. He has had a career year in terms of putting the bat on the ball, hitting .321 with four home runs and 28 RBI. He has been struggling a little as of late, hitting just .200 over his last seven games, but overall he ha still one of the top hitters in all of baseball. He is second in the National League in hits (103) and third in doubles (24) while hitting a career-high .321. He is also playing some of the best defense of his career posting a 2.4 WAR and having a .984 fielding percentage while turning 34 double plays. They are two of the top second baseman in all of baseball, and we get to watch them battle it out at PNC Park.

Build Off Strong Start

Yesterday, the Pirates got one of the best starts of the season from left-hander Tyler Anderson. Anderson threw seven shutout innings allowing three hits while walking two and striking out six. For the Pirates starter who has the least amount of run support this season, he took it upon himself to lead this team. This is a kind of performance that a starting rotation can build off of and use that as momentum. Chase De Jong gets the ball in game one followed by Chad Kuhl and Wil Crowe in the three-game series. All these are younger pitchers trying to find their way and will have a tall task facing one of the top lineups in the MLB.

However, all three have shown they are capable of handling a strong lineup this season. Chase De Jong right from the get-go turned in two strong starts against the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals. The Nationals game was his best yet, as he went four innings but only allowed one earned run. The big thing with De Jong is getting him to work deeper into games. He has worked 5.0 innings in four of his six starts but has yet to work past the fifth inning. De Jong needs to work on being more efficient and that will take him deeper into games. If these three pitchers can learn and build off of what Anderson did, it will go a long way in helping this Pirates team get back on track.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (30-53) welcome in the Atlanta Braves (41-42) for a three-game series tonight at 7:05 pm. Chase De Jong (0-3, 5.65) takes the hill looking for his first Pirates win against Max Fried (5-4, 4.16) for the Braves. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.

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