Braves' opponent: Cincinnati Reds
Keep an eye on: The basepaths. The Reds are leading the majors with 37 stolen bases in 39 attempts, and they swiped six bases in the four-game series against the Braves at Turner Field, including five off of rookie right-hander Mike Foltynewicz. Speedster Billy Hamilton is leading the majors with 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts and that's despite batting only .203 on the season with a .258 on-base percentage.
Who's hot: Former Sprayberry High and Georgia Tech standout Marlon Byrd compiled five straight multi-hit games this past week, while going 10 for 24 (.417) with a double, a triple, four home runs and nine RBIs.
Who's not: Jay Bruce is 4-for-27 (.148) in the month of May with no home runs.
Braves connection: Former Brave Brayan Pena is seeing plenty of action behind the plate with Devin Mesoraco limited by a hip injury. Pena went 3-for-11 in last week's series against the Braves. Former Braves' farmhand J.J. Hoover pitched a pair of scoreless innings of relief against the Braves in Atlanta last week. For his career, he's 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in eight relief appearances against the Braves.
In the news: Joey Votto received a one-game suspension for bumping chests with umpire Chris Conroy during an argument over balls and strikes Wednesday in Pittsburgh. He sat out the first game of the Reds' Saturday doubleheader against the White Sox. He came back with three hits in the second game. Mesoraco returned to the Reds lineup for the first time since April 11 because he could bat from the DH spot over the weekend in Chicago against the White Sox. His catching duties are still limited by a hip impingement that could require surgery.
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