Atlanta @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 16, 2018 ) Atlanta 9, Pittsburgh 12

The Atlanta Braves must lick their wounds after a frustrating weekend and go back to work as they open a seven-game road trip with the first of three contests against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. The Braves were swept in four games at home by red-hot Colorado, including a 4-2 setback on Sunday, but managed to keep a one-half game lead on second-place Philadelphia in the National League East.

“We’ve been through it before,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters after Sunday’s loss. “We’ve just got to regroup and start another winning streak (Monday).” The Braves hand the ball to Kevin Gausman for the critical series opener Monday and he will face Pittsburgh’s Chris Archer in a battle of former American League East rivals who were dealt at the trade deadline in late July. The Pirates recorded just five runs in a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, but managed to win the last two after suffering through a season high-tying five-game losing streak. Corey Dickerson is warming up again for Pittsburgh, going 9-for-21 during a five-game hitting streak to raise his batting average to a team-best .308.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Kevin Gausman (7-9, 4.22 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Chris Archer (4-5, 4.49)

Gausman has won his last two starts with the Braves after limiting Miami to two runs over six innings on Wednesday and Milwaukee to one run across eight frames five days earlier. The 27-year-old LSU product surrendered six runs on 16 hits with 12 strikeouts and four walks across 19 innings since being acquired from Baltimore. David Freese is 2-for-6 with a homer versus Gausman, who is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in two career turns against Pittsburgh.

Archer has struggled through most of his three starts since coming over from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, but he is 1-0 and the Pirates have won two of the three games during that stretch. The 29-year-old North Carolina native beat Colorado with five innings of two-run ball on Aug. 8 before yielding four tallies on six hits across five frames at Minnesota one week later. Ryan Flaherty is 5-for-18 against Archer, who faces Atlanta for the first time.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh OF-2B Adam Frazier went 3-for-5 with a walk-off homer, two RBIs and two runs scored in the last two contests.

2. Atlanta rookie OF Ronald Acuna Jr. saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end Sunday, but owns eight of his 19 homers this month.

3. The Pirates swept three from the Braves at home last season and the teams play six times in the next 14 days.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Braves 4