Series preview: at New York Mets
When (TV): 7:10 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers:
Tuesday: Braves LH Alex Wood (9-9, 3.05 ERA) vs. RH Dillon Gee (4-6, 3.84)
Wednesday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (12-9, 2.96) vs. RH Zack Wheeler (9-8, 3.48)
Thursday: Braves LH Mike Minor (5-8, 4.90 ERA) vs. LH Jonathon Niese (7-9, 3.47 ERA)
About the Braves:
Batting: The Braves went scoreless for 15 innings in a row during a stretch of the final two games at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, and scored in only four of 30 innings there over the last three games. Jason Heyward enters the series on a six-game hitting streak, while batting 11-for-27 (.407) with a double, a home run and seven RBIs. Evan Gattis hit his 20th home run Sunday against the Reds to become the first Braves catcher to reach 20 home runs in each of his first two full seasons with the Braves since Earl Williams in 1971-72.
Pitching: Wood pitched a dominant game against the Pirates his last time out, allowing only two balls out of the infield in the first five innings and shutting them out for the first seven. A leadoff walk and a couple of baserunners cost him a no-decision though after Jordan Walden allowed both runs to score in an eventual 3-2 loss. Wood has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his past five starts, while going 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA, a .200 opponents' batting average, with 13 walks and 30 strikeouts.
Miscellaneous: Shortstop Andrelton Simmons is expected back in the lineup for the series-opener in New York after manager Fredi Gonzalez gave him Sunday off against the Reds and a two-day break to rest his sore ankle, given Monday's off day. Simmons is hitting .268 with four extra-base hits and seven RBIs in 10 games since returning from a week out with a sprained left ankle.
About the Mets:
Batting: Lucas Duda hit two home runs, drove in a career-high five runs and helped turn a triple play to help Bartolo Colon beat the Dodgers Sunday. It was only the Mets' second win in their previous seven games. Duda, who hit a three-run homer 457 feet Sunday, is now third in the National League with 26 home runs. David Wright is 3-for-his-past-28 and hasn't hit a home run since July 11. He has dealt with shoulder soreness for more than a month and had to come out of Sunday's game with a neck muscle spasm.
Pitching: Gee is in the midst of the longest losing streak of his career, at 0-5 with a 5.71 ERA over seven starts since July 9 when he beat the Braves 4-1. He's given up four earned runs in each of his past two starts in losses to Oakland and Washington. Gee has fared well against the Braves in his career, going 5-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 13 career games against them. He's allowed two or fewer runs in each of his past four starts against them, while going 2-1 with a 1.23 ERA (four earned runs in 29 1/3 innings). Wheeler, drafted out of East Paulding High, is 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA in six starts against his hometown team.
Miscellaneous: The Mets won three out of four against the Braves at Citi Field before the All-Star break. Coming into New York for that series, the Braves had led the season series 6-3.
- Carroll Rogers
