Atlanta @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 19, 2014 ) Atlanta 11, Pittsburgh 3

Gerrit Cole makes his return to the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation Wednesday when he leads his club into the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Cole has been sidelined with a right lat strain since throwing five scoreless innings against Philadelphia on July 4. His return comes at a challenging time for the Pirates, who have lost seven in a row and are two games out in the race for the second National League wild-card spot.

Atlanta is heading in the other direction, taking the first two games of the series by an 18-6 margin to push its winning streak to five games. The Braves moved into a tie with San Francisco for the second wild card while staying six behind Washington in the NL East. Left fielder Justin Upton has been fueling the charge, hitting .421 with three home runs and eight RBIs during the five-game run.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Alex Wood (9-9, 3.07 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (7-4, 3.78)

Wood won his second straight start Friday against Oakland, limiting the Athletics to two runs and four hits in six innings. He had just one strikeout, a season low as a starter, after fanning 12 in 7 1/3 innings five days earlier against Washington. The 23-year-old has a 2.84 ERA in 17 starts this season.

Cole tossed seven scoreless frames while throwing 92 pitches in his final rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. He failed to get through six innings in each of his final three major-league starts prior to the injury. Cole, who has never faced Atlanta, is 3-1 with a 3.56 ERA in seven home starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Braves SS Andrelton Simmons is day-to-day with a sore hip.

2. Pittsburgh's losing streak matches its longest since a 10-game slide in 2011.

3. Pirates OF Travis Snider is 16-for-38 during a 10-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Braves 5, Pirates 4