Pittsburgh's story right now is Konnor Griffin. The No. 1 prospect in baseball got called up, delivered an RBI double in his debut, and the front office didn't wait around — they signed him to a 9-year, $140 million extension before he's played a full big-league season. He's already been a difference-maker, delivering the go-ahead knock in an 11-5 win over Washington. That came in the middle of a stretch where the Pirates won 3 of their last 5 and took the series from the Nationals.
The absences still sting for Pittsburgh. Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are both targeting a return after the All-Star break, not before, and Evan Sisk just went down with elbow inflammation to thin out an already stretched bullpen. Endy Rodriguez was pulled from Sunday's win with a hip issue and is day-to-day. Atlanta's injury list reads longer on paper — Strider, Schwellenbach, and Smith-Shawver are all out until deep into the summer at earliest, and Suarez is trying to work back from elbow concerns of his own — but the Braves have simply had more length in the organization to withstand it.
Atlanta's 52-37 mark still says contender even after dropping 3 of its last 4 to the Mets sandwiched around that one blowout win. Pittsburgh's 46-45 record says scrappy .500 ballclub finding its footing behind a rookie who might be special. Wednesday's not a statement game for either side, but it's a real one — Atlanta needs to stop the bleeding against a lineup with real teeth, and Pittsburgh needs its bullpen to hold up while it waits on Cruz and Horwitz.