Series preview: Braves at Padres
When (TV): 10:10 p.m. Monday-Tuesday (SPSO), 3:40 p.m. Wednesday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Monday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (4-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. RH Jason Marquis (7-2, 3.73)
Tuesday: Braves RH Tim Hudson (4-5, 4.48) vs. RH Andrew Cashner (4-3, 3.68)
Wednesday: Braves RH Paul Maholm (7-4, 3.46) vs. RH Edinson Volquez (4-5, 6.33)
About the Braves:
Batting: Andrelton Simmons had three hits Saturday to make him 22-for-64 (.344) with five doubles in his past 14 games. Jason Heyward was 10-for-26 (.385) with two doubles and a homer in his past six games before Sunday. Justin Upton was 13-for-72 (.181) with one double, one RBI, eight walks and 29 strikeouts in his past 18 games before Sunday.
Pitching: Teheran is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in his past eight starts, with 43 strikeouts and eight walks in 55 innings. He took a no-hitter through 7-2/3 innings Wednesday against Pittsburgh and gave up just one single and two walks with a career-high 11 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings. He hasn't faced San Diego. Hudson is 6-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) against the Padres, including 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in four games at Petco Park. Maholm is 1-5 with a 4.02 ERA in seven starts vs. the Padres.
Miscellaneous: Against Marquis, Brian McCann is 5-for-15 with five walks, Heyward is 2-for-6 with a homer, and Dan Uggla is 4-for-16 with a homer. McCann has hit .338 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 22 games at Petco Park, with a .438 OBP and .581 slugging percentage. Others who've fared well at Petco: Justin Upton, .291 with 19 extra-base hits (nine homers) in 40 games; and Chris Johnson, with a .295 average, .415 OBP and seven extra-base hits in 44 at-bats.
About the Padres:
Batting: Kyle Blanks was 12-for-28 (.429) with three doubles, three homers and eight RBIs in eight June games before Sunday, and Carlos Quentin was 14-for-29 (.483) with three doubles and two homers in seven June games. Chase Headley was just 17-for-101 (.168) with two doubles, one homer and six RBIs in his past 26 games before Sunday.
Pitching: Ex-Brave Marquis is 6-0 with a 3.28 ERA with a .251 opponents' average in his past eight starts, despite almost as many walks (28) as strikeouts (31) in 46 2/3 innings. Against the Braves, he's 3-5 with a 7.69 ERA in nine starts. He was roughed up in his only start against them in 2012, allowing eight hits, six runs and three homers in 4 2/3 innings of an August loss in Atlanta. Cashner has an 81.00 ERA in one relief appearance against the Braves, having allowed three hits, one run and two walks while recording one out. Volquez is 1-3 with a 4.56 ERA in five starts against the Braves.
Miscellaneous: Ex-Brave Mark Kotsay has a .301 career average (71-for-236) with 18 extra-base hits and a .345 OBP in 71 games against Atlanta. The Padres had a .229 average and nine homers and 41 runs in eight June games before Sunday, but were 4-4 with a 4.74 ERA that was the NL's fourth-highest for the month. Since May 15, they were 12-12 with a 4.48 ERA, .269 average and 24 homers in 24 games, including 6-6 at home. The Braves and Padres have split 16 games since the beginning of the 2011 season, with the Padres winning two of three in each of the past two series in San Diego.
By David O’Brien
