posted May 9, 2008 at 13:31 in MLB Free Picks

The Atlanta Braves, (18-15, 10-22-1 O/U) have won six consecutive games in the BetUS online betting sportsbook to get back over .500 while approaching their longest winning streak in nearly two years.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, (15-19, 23-11 O/U) likely won’t make things easy for the Braves as they enter tonight’s sports betting contest riding their own three-game winning s streak, including a close 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.

The Braves, who beat completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 5-4 win of their own on Thursday night, will hand the ball to veteran left-hander Tom Glavine, (0-1, 4.50 ERA), as the club looks to snap a four-game road losing streak.

Glavine, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was rocked in his last start on Sunday, allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings though the Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-7.

"I felt too good (Sunday)," Glavine told the Braves' official Web site. "For the first time in a while I felt, 'I can let it go and I'm not worried about my hamstring or anything like that.'

"It was one of those days as a pitcher that you dread because if you think in terms of a throttle in a car, it's, 'You're going, you're backing off. You're going, you're backing off.' I never found that consistent tempo in between where I felt like I could repeat my mechanics and make the pitch I was really trying to make."

The Braves will be facing talented right-hander Ian Snell, (2-2, 5.09), who was tagged with a loss in his last outing after allowing four runs on a whopping 10 hits in six innings, helping the Pirates fall to the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Sunday.

"I just can't find a rhythm. I'm not lying. It's like a nightmare," said Snell, who is 1-2 with a 5.28 ERA in five starts against Atlanta. "To tell you the truth, you go out and keep the ball down in the zone, it's like ball. You keep it up, and you get smashed. I had a problem with keeping the ball down last year. Now, I'm keeping it down, and I've got to bring it up."

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends followed by my MLB Betting Picks.

The Braves are 5-0 in Glavine’s last five Friday starts.

The Braves are 65-29 in Glavine’s last 94 starts with four days of rest.

The Pirates are 4-0 in Snell’s last four home starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5.

The Pirates are 12-2 in Snell’s last 14 starts as a home favorite of -110 to -150.

The Under is 11-1 in Glavine’s last 12 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.

The Over is 5-1 in Snell’s last six starts vs. National League East.

The Over is 4-0 in Snell’s last four starts vs. Braves.

The Under is 9-2 in the last eleven meetings in Pittsburgh.

Analysis: I really don’t care that Tom Glavine hasn’t won a game in a month because he’s going to get his second victory of the season tonight as the Braves pound the snot out of Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell, while getting a solid outing from Glavine in his second start since coming off his first career stint on the disabled list.

MLB Free Picks: Braves 7 Pirates 4

07:05 PM EST MLB Odds

Atlanta Braves

Tom Glavine - L +1½ -220

Pittsburgh Pirates

Ian Snell - R -1½ +180

Over 9 -115

Under 9 -105

National League

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