July 9, 2026 Updated 7:20 am EDT
A pair of baseball’s most consistent hitters square off when the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates play at 12:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, at PNC Park. Michael Harris II has a .307 batting average (seventh in league) for the Braves, and Nick Gonzales ranks fourth at .311. Bryce Elder (5-6, 4.01 ERA) will start for the Braves, who are 53-38 this season and first in the NL East. Mitch Keller (6-6, 5.02 ERA) is expected to start for the Pirates, who are 47-46 and fourth in the NL Central.
How to watch Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh PiratesBraves vs. Pirates odds
Injury reportsBraves
Ronald Acuna Jr.: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Ha-Seong Kim: 10 Day IL (Finger), Robert Suarez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Martín Pérez: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Sean Murphy: 60 Day IL (Finger), Spencer Strider: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Schwellenbach: 60 Day IL (Elbow), AJ Smith-Shawver: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joey Wentz: 60 Day IL (Knee), Joe Jimenez: 60 Day IL (Knee)
Pirates
Endy Rodriguez: 10 Day IL (Lower body), Oneil Cruz: 10 Day IL (Hand), Konnor Griffin: 10 Day IL (Finger), Spencer Horwitz: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Evan Sisk: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Wilber Dotel: 15 Day IL (Lat), Chris Devenski: 60 Day IL (Illness)
Stats to know
Matt Olson is hitting for a .270 BA, .339 OBP and .539 SLG with a 23.6% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. His OPS is .879, which ranks 18th in MLB, and he has scored 62 runs. In 398 plate appearances, he has hit 24 home runs (8th in MLB) and driven in 57 runs.
In 392 plate appearances, Ozzie Albies is hitting .273/.321/.446 with a .767 OPS. He has hit 14 long balls, driven in 50 runs and scored 58 times.
Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds is slashing .281/.395/.470 this season with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and an OPS of .865. He has a 22.5% strikeout rate and a 14.8% walk rate in 405 plate appearances, and he has scored 64 total runs. Reynolds has recorded seven steals on seven attempts.
In 385 plate appearances, Brandon Lowe has posted a 26% strikeout rate and a 9.6% walk rate while slashing .247/.319/.497 with 21 home runs (10th in MLB), 64 RBIs (7th in MLB) and 56 runs scored.
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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images
Jul 9, 2026
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