Series preview: Braves vs. Mets
When (TV): 7:10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers:
Monday: Braves LH Alex Wood (6-6, 3.07 ERA) vs. RH Zack Wheeler (3-8, 4.45)
Tuesday: Braves LH Mike Minor (2-5, 4.50) vs. RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-2, 3.23)
Wednesday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (7-5, 2.34) vs. RH Jacob deGrom (1-4, 3.62)
About the Braves
Batting: Freddie Freeman is 23-for-62 (.371) with nine extra-base hits (two homers) in his past 15 games. He has a .320 career average with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 59 games against the Mets, including 11-for-26 (.423) this season with four doubles, a homer and seven RBIs in six games. … Justin Upton is 10-for-31 (.323) with two homers and nine RBIs in his past eight games. He's 10-for-25 (.400) with three homers and seven RBIs against the Mets this year. … Jason Heyward is 1-for-24 with nine walks in his past nine games.
Pitching: Wood threw seven scoreless innings (three hits) at Houston on Wednesday for the win in his return to the rotation. He has a 2.60 ERA in eight starts, but a 3-5 record due to a lack of run support. He's allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of eight starts. Wood went 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in three starts vs. the Mets, all in 2013. … Minor is 4-2 with a 4.88 ERA in nine starts against the Mets. … Teheran is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA in four games (three starts) against them.
Miscellaneous: Since going 5-0 with 1.37 ERA at home from May 9-20, the Braves are 5-10 with a 4.22 ERA in their past 15 home games. … Against Wheeler, Freeman is 6-for-11 with a homer, Heyward is 5-for-12 with a homer and Justin Upton is 0-for-12 with five strikeouts.
About the Mets
Batting: David Wright was 15-for-39 (.385) with eight extra-base hits and eight RBIs in a 10-game hitting streak before missing the past three games against the Pirates due to a shoulder injury. He's uncertain for this week. … Curtis Granderson is 0-for-17 with two walks his past four games, after going 17-for-43 (.395) with five doubles, four homers, eight walks and a .526 OBP in his previous 15 games.
Pitching: Wheeler is 2-5 with a 4.89 ERA in his past nine starts, allowing four or more earned runs in five of those games and one or no earned runs in three. He's 3-1 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts vs. the Braves, 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two this season. Lefties have hit .301 against him with a .384 OBP in 153 at-bats; righties have hit .225/.296 in 178 at-bats. … Matsuzaka is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in five games (three starts) against the Braves, while deGrom hasn't faced them.
Miscellaneous: The Mets are 18-25 vs. Atlanta since the start of the 2013 season, but have beaten the Braves in 11 of the past 21 games between the teams. They've split six this season. … The Mets have lost 16 of their past 25 games, but are 6-5 in their past 11 including a 3-1 series win at Miami and a two-game split with Oakland. … Against Wood, Daniel Murphy is 4-for-8.
David O’Brien
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