The Pirates get a visit from the Atlanta Braves in baseball action on Monday, with the home side looking to send the visitors to the showers with a loss.

The Pirates will rely on Jeff Locke to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Paul Maholm will be his counterpart for the Braves. Jeff Locke is 0-3 this season, and Paul Maholm is 13-10.



View Atlanta vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings:
The Pirates sit at No. 13 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Braves sit at a National League No. 7 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 10-rated offensive output, at 8.1 hits per game. The Braves average 8.3 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the National League list.

Defensively, Atlanta features the National League's No. 3-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.6 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 15 in the National League at home, scoring 3.7 runs per game.

Atlanta was a 6-2 Sportsbook in its last match at home against the Mets. They won as -280 favorites, while the total score of 8 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Atlanta looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Mets, a 6-2 final on Sunday in support of Kris Medlen at Turner Field.

The Pirates were a 4-3 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Reds. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Cincinnati at -138 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Pittsburgh suffered a 4-3 loss against Cincinnati on Sunday, as Wandy Rodriguez wasn't able to lead his team to victory at PNC Park.


Atlanta Braves Trends:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After playing NY Mets are 6-4
After a win are 7-3

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Atlanta are 4-6
After playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

A few Braves at Pirates trends to consider:
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Atlanta's last 22 games when playing Pittsburgh
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Pittsburgh's last 22 games when playing Atlanta


Next up:
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Tuesday, October 2