Series preview: Braves at Rockies
When (TV): 8:40 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 3:10 p.m. Thursday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers
Monday: Braves RH Gavin Floyd (0-2, 2.80) vs. RH Christian Bergman (debut)
Tuesday: Braves LH Mike Minor (2-4, 3.07 ERA) vs. RH Juan Nicasio (5-4, 4.68)
Wednesday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (6-3, 1.89) vs. RH Eddie Butler (0-1, 10.13)
Thursday: Braves RH Ervin Santana (5-2, 3.69) vs. RH Jhoulys Chacin (0-4, 5.35)
About the Braves
Batting: Facing the Rockies comes at a good time for Freddie Freeman. He hit .210 with no homers and four RBIs in 17 games before going 2-for-5 with a homer Sunday. He has a .362 average with 18 extra-base hits (10 homers) and 25 RBIs in 25 games against the Rockies. In 10 games at Coors Field, he's 15-for-43 (.349) with four homers and 12 RBIs…. Jason Heyward went 17-for-48 (.354) with four homers and a .426 OBP in an 11-game hitting streak that was snapped Sunday.
Pitching: Floyd is winless despite allowing three or fewer earned runs in all six starts, albeit in only five or 5 1/3 innings in half of them. The Braves scored one or no runs while he was in three of those games. He has a relatively high .301 opponents' average for someone with a 2.80 ERA; opponents have seven unearned runs in addition to 11 earned. He's 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts against the Rockies, and allowed seven hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings for no decision in a May 23 win against them. Floyd allowed two runs in seven innings of his only start at Coors in 2011 … Against the Rockies, Minor is 3-1 with a 4.02 ERA in five starts, Teheran 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts, and Santana 2-0 with a 5.59 ERA in three starts.
Miscellaneous: Chris Johnson is 31-for-88 (.352) with five doubles and two homers in 24 games against the Rockies, including 11-for-28 (.393) with two doubles and one homer in eight games at Coors Field…. Gerald Laird is 14-for-29 (.483) with five doubles and seven RBIs in nine games at Coors Field, and Justin Upton, the ex-Diamondback who's hit .290 with 20 homers and a .567 slugging percentage in 90 games at the Denver ballpark.
About the Rockies
Batting: Troy Tulowitzki leads the majors with a .361 average, including an almost unfathomable .500 average (49-for-98) at Coors with 11 homers. After going hitless in his last four games in May, Tulowitzki is 12-for-29 (.414) with three homers in his past seven games including a homer in Sunday's 6-1 home loss to the Dodgers.
Pitching: The Braves will face one pitcher (Bergman) in his major-league debut and another (Butler) who debuted Friday. Bergman, 26, was 4-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 starts at Triple-A Colorado Springs. Butler, 23, gave up 10 hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings of his debut Friday against the Dodgers.
Miscellaneous: The Rockies were 17-11 at home with a .334 home batting average with a .383 OBP, .542 slugging percentage and 186 runs in 28 games before Sunday, compared to 12-21 on the road with a .239/.291/.396 slash line and 121 runs in 33 road games. Their pitchers had far less severe splits, including a 4.74 ERA and .279 opponents' average at home and 4.36 and .252 opponents' average on the road.
About the Author
