Series preview: vs Colorado Rockies
When (TV): 7:35 p.m. Friday (SPSO), 4:10 p.m. Saturday (SPSO), 5:10 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves RH Gavin Floyd (0-1, 2.41 ERA) vs. RH Jordan Lyles (5-1, 3.50 ERA)
Saturday: Braves LH Mike Minor (2-2, 3.80) vs. RH Juan Nicasio (4-2, 4.03)
Sunday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (3-3, 1.92) vs. LH Franklin Morales (3-3, 5.40)
About the Braves:
Batting: Justin Upton's three-game homer streak ended Wednesday night but he still went 3-for-4 to make him 15-for-44 (.341) with four doubles, four home runs and seven RBIs since his four-strikeout game on May 5. Freddie Freeman has hit .365 (31-for-85) for his career against the Rockies. His 10 homers against them are the most for any opponent other than the Mets (13) but in 37 fewer games. Chris Johnson was 1-for-21 in his past five games entering Thursday.
Pitching: Floyd gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings in St. Louis his last outing but only one was earned. He also gained the respect of his new teammates when he hit Jaime Garcia in apparent retaliation for Garcia plunking Freeman after a Justin Upton homer. Floyd has allowed only five earned runs in 18 2/3 innings in his first three starts coming off Tommy John surgery, with five walks and 17 strikeouts.
Miscellaneous: The Braves won six out of seven against the Rockies last season, including four in a row at Turner Field July 29-Aug. 1. The Braves hit .331 with 13 home runs in those seven games against the Rockies. while Braves pitchers had a 3.26 ERA.
About the Rockies:
Batting: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was leading the majors with a .378 batting average entering play Thursday, and on top of the National League with 13 home runs. He is batting .521 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 71 at-bats at Coors Field this year and only .247 with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 11 RBIs in 77 at-bats on the road. Former Georgia Tech standout Charlie Blackmon is hitting .335 for the Rockies, fourth in the NL.
Pitching: Lyles, a 23-year-old Florence, S.C. native, is in his first season with the Rockies after spending three with the Astros. After three losing seasons, going 9-29 overall, with ERAs in the 5.00s in Houston, he's holding his own through his first nine starts with the Rockies. Though he is coming off his worst outing of the year, giving up six runs in 3 1/3 innings to the Padres, when he walked six and struck out only three. Closer LaTroy Hawkins, 41, has given up 22 hits in 16 1/3 innings but has converted 10 of 11 saves.
Miscellaneous: Carlos Gonzalez left Wednesday's game with recurrence of swelling in his left index finger, which he first injured fouling a ball off on May 1. He is day-to-day. Gonzalez is hitting .276 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 44 games.
- Carroll Rogers
