Series preview: Braves at Dodgers
When (TV): 10:10 p.m. Thursday (SPSO), 10:10 p.m. Friday-Saturday (FSSO), 4:10 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Thursday: Braves RHP Tim Hudson (4-4, 4.80 ERA) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (2-1, 4.80)
Friday: Braves LHP Paul Maholm (7-4, 3.68) vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2, 2.89)
Saturday: Braves RHP Kris Medlen (2-6, 3.14) vs. RHP Stephen Fife (1-0, 4.50)
Sunday: Braves LHP Mike Minor (7-2, 2.52) vs. LH Ted Lilly (0-2, 5.09)
About the Braves:
Batting: Andrelton Simmons is 18-for-50 (.360) during an 11-game hitting streak. Freddie Freeman has 28 RBIs in his past 30 games, and he's 19-for-53 (.358) with four homers and 14 RBIs in his past 13. He has two doubles and two homers in seven games at Dodger Stadium. Chris Johnson has hit .425 at Dodger Stadium, going 17-for-40 with eight doubles, a triple, two homers and 10 RBIs in 11 games. He comes in hot, having gone 19-for-49 (.388) in his past 16 games.
Pitching: After going 0-3 with an 8.69 ERA in four starts through May 27, Hudson allowed three hits and one unearned run in 7 1/3 innings Saturday vs. Washington. He and Greinke have severe home/road statistical disparities. Hudson is 1-4 with a 7.69 ERA in six road starts and 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six home starts. He's 6-3 with a 3.67 ERA in 13 starts vs. the Dodgers, none since 2011. Maholm is 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA in 10 starts vs. the Dodgers, and Minor is 0-1 despite a 2.52 ERA in four against them. Medlen, raised about 30 minutes from Dodger Stadium, is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in seven games (two starts) vs. the Dodgers, including no decision with seven two-hit innings (one unearned run) May 18.
Miscellaneous: Justin Upton is 5-for-9 with a homer against Greinke. Heyward is 10-for-82 (.122) with no homers in 23 games against the Dodgers, including 5-for-42 (.119) with no extra-base hits at Dodger Stadium. The Braves are 8-8 against the Dodgers since the beginning of the 2011 season, 2-5 in L.A. They swept the Dodgers on May 17-19 at Turner Field while posting a 1.67 ERA. That began a 12-2 home surge in which the Braves have a 1.74 ERA. They are 4-7 with a 4.98 ERA in their past 11 road games.
About the Dodgers:
Batting: Cuban rookie Yasiel Puig was 5-for-8 with a double, two homers and eight RBIs in his first two games before Wednesday night's series finale with the Padres. The outfielder had two homers and five RBIs Tuesday. Adrian Gonzalez had a .385 average with 10 doubles and five homers in 30 home games before Wednesday. Against Hudson, he's 8-for-17 with two homers, and Matt Kemp is 6-for-15 with a homer, but Kemp is on the DL. Kemp (.251) and Andre Ethier (.235) have been big disappointments, with only six homers between them, including two at Dodger Stadium.
Pitching: Greinke is 0-1 with an 8.78 ERA and .444 opponents' average in his past three starts, twice lasting only four innings. He's 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA three home starts, but gave up 10 hits and four earned runs May 27 vs. the Angels. Right-handed hitters have a .377 average with a .429 OBP against him. He's 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against the Braves. Lilly is 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 11 starts vs. Atlanta; Ryu allowed five hits and two runs in five innings and got no decision in his first start against the Braves last month, and Fife hasn't faced them.
Miscellaneous: Before Wednesday, the Dodgers were 12-19 since the beginning of May, but were 9-3 with a .287 average and 2.75 ERA in their past 12 home games.
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