PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The Pittsburgh Pirates aim for a series sweep Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves in a game that could tighten the National League wild-card race. First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT, with a forecast of 84 degrees and rain. Atlanta enters at 52-37, holding a solid lead in the NL East despite dropping two of three to the New York Mets over the weekend. The Braves lost 7-6 in 10 innings Monday. Pittsburgh improved to 46-45 after taking the series opener 10-2 on Tuesday, the Pirates’ fourth win in five games. The Braves will look to right-hander Reynaldo López, who has been effective in limited recent outings. Over his last six appearances, López has pitched 19 innings with a 1.42 ERA, striking out 17. He threw five innings of three-hit, one-run ball in a loss against the Mets on Monday. In his two most recent starts, he allowed one earned run in five innings in a win over St. Louis on July 1 and one run over three innings June 26 at San Francisco. For Pittsburgh, second baseman Brandon Lowe has provided consistent production. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .250 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. Lowe went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in Sunday’s 11-5 win at Washington. He also drove in two runs Saturday and hit a homer with four RBIs on June 27 against Cincinnati. The teams have met four times this season, with Atlanta winning three of those matchups. The Braves took two of three in Pittsburgh from June 5-7, but the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with Tuesday’s blowout win. First baseman Matt Olson was the offensive standout for Atlanta in Monday’s loss, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs. The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-4 Pirates victory. Atlanta enters as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The over/under is set at 8.5 runs. Atlanta continues its road trip Thursday in Pittsburgh before traveling to St. Louis for a weekend series. Pittsburgh hosts the Braves again Thursday before welcoming the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game set.