Freddie Freeman vs. Rockies
The big guy has 22 career starts against the Rockies and has just brutalized them. He has a career average of .375 (31-for-85) against Colorado, including six doubles, a triple and 10 home runs while driving in 25. Only against Arizona does he have comparable numbers among National League clubs.
This is no Coors Field phenomenon either. He has hit the Rockies harder at Turner Field (.432, six home runs and 13 RBIs in 12 games) than in Denver (.349, four homers and 12 RBIs in 10 games).
Against Colorado’s rotation, Sunday starter Jhoulys Chacin has had trouble with Freeman (3-for-6 with two homers). But watch Friday night when he faces Juan Nicasio. Freeman has five hits in eight career at-bats against him, all of them for extra bases (one double, one triple and three homers). That makes for a slugging average of 2.125. Nicasio has already given up seven homers in eight starts this spring.
Kyle Lohse vs. Braves
This should be interesting. The last time Lohse, Wednesday night’s scheduled starter, worked at Turner Field, he threw an 89-pitch shutout following a first-inning brawl. That’s all.
That was Sept. 24, 2013, the night Carlos Gomez trash-talked his away around the bases after hitting a homer, only to find Brian McCann waiting for him 20 feet up the third baseline. After the field was cleared, Lohse threw a two-hitter, improving his career record at the Ted to 3-0.
But there’s more. Lohse was also the winning pitcher for St. Louis in the first NL Wild Card game in 2012, when the Cards eliminated the Braves 6-2. He had already departed in the sixth after giving up both runs when left field umpire Sam Holbrook made his infamous infield fly rule call in the eighth, helping to snuff a Braves rally and turning the outfield into recycling center.
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