Series preview: vs. San Francisco Giants
When (TV): 7:35 p.m. Friday, 7:10 p.m. Saturday, 1:35 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves LH Mike Minor (season debut) vs. Giants RH Tim Lincecum (1-1, 5.96 ERA)
Saturday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (2-1, 1.47) vs. RH Ryan Vogelsong (0-1, 5.40)
Sunday: Braves LH Alex Wood (2-4, 2.93) vs. LH Madison Bumgarner (2-3, 3.74)
About the Braves:
Batting: Freddie Freeman was 5-for-32 (.156) with one extra-base hit and one walk in his past eight games before Thursday, after hitting .422 with 12 extra-base hits, 10 walks and eight strikeouts in 17 games. Justin Upton was 24-for-62 (.387) with eight homers and 18 RBIs in his past 17 games, including three homers in his past four. The Braves hit .204 while going 6-8 against the Giants in 2012-13.
Pitching: Minor is 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA in four starts against the Giants, with 28 strikeouts and four walks in 24 2/3 innings. Half of his eight earned runs against them came in one start in June. Teheran is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts vs. the Giants, and Wood allowed two runs and three walks in one relief inning in his lone game against them.
Miscellaneous: Justin Upton is 11-for-49 (.224) with no homers and 17 strikeouts against Lincecum. Jason Heyward (4-for-14), Freeman (3-for-14) and Dan Uggla (0-for-13, six strikeouts) are other regulars with 10 at-bats against him. Heyward has hit .278 with six homers in 24 games vs. the Giants, with a .374 OBP and a .544 slugging percentage.
About the Giants:
Batting: Former Braves minor leaguer Brandon Hicks has become a lineup regular for the first time, batting .213 with five homers and a .342 OBP in 61 at-bats, including four homers in his past seven games. Six of Brandon Belt's team-high seven homers have come on the road. Angel Pagan has hit .340 with nine extra-base hits. Michael Morse has hit .302 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 28 games. Buster Posey is hitting only .264, but has a .350 OBP and six homers. Pablo Sandoval has hit .177 with two homers, including .140 on the road.
Pitching: Lincecum has one quality start in five games and lasted five or fewer innings three times and never more than six. He's 1-5 with a 3.35 ERA in his past six starts against the Braves, and the Giants scored two or fewer runs while he was in five of those games. He was 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against the Braves in 2013. Vogelsong is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in four games (three starts) vs. the Braves, and Bumgarner is 2-3 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts against them.
Miscellaneous: The Braves won't face Tim Hudson, who is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA and .195 opponents' average in six starts. Against Minor, Posey is 4-for-8, Morse is 4-for-9, Pagan is 1-for-8, and Sandoval is 0-for-8. The Giants are 6-1 with a .273 average and 2.91 ERA in their past seven games. Ex-Braves outfielder Gregor Blanco is 4-for-32 (.125) with one extra-base hit in 24 games, including 1-for-21 on the road.
