Series preview: Braves at Mets
When (TV): Monday-Wednesday 7:10 p.m., Thursday 12:10 p.m. (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Monday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (7-5, 3.35 ERA) vs. RH Dillon Gee (7-7, 4.32)
Tuesday: Braves RH Kris Medlen (6-9, 3.64) vs. RH Carlos Torres (0-1, 0.79)
Wednesday: Braves RH Tim Hudson (7-7, 4.08) vs. RH Jeremy Hefner (4-7, 3.93)
Thursday: Braves LH Paul Maholm (9-9, 4.41) vs. RH Zack Wheeler (3-1, 3.58)
About the Braves:
Batting: Brian McCann is 28-for-72 (.389) with six doubles, six homers and 18 RBIs in his past 19 games, including three homers in his last five games. He has six homers in 31 games at New York's Citi Field…. Chris Johnson has hit .353 (41-for-116) in his past 31 games…. Dan Uggla's past seven hits have all been of extra-base hit variety (four homers, three doubles), including three homers in his last five games. He's hitting .197 for the season and last had a single July 5.
Pitching: After posting a 7.31 ERA and allowing five homers and seven walks in his first three starts, Teheran has a 2.69 ERA with 10 homers and 16 walks in his past 15 starts. He has 82 strikeouts in 97 innings in the latter period. He's 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts against the Mets, both at Citi Field…. Other Braves starters vs. the Mets: Medlen is 4-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 17 games (seven starts), Hudson is 16-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts, and Maholm is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 14 games (13 starts).
Miscellaneous: Freddie Freeman's home run Saturday was his second in 41 road games this season. He hit .269 with a .354 OBP, .372 slugging percentage and 21 RBIs on the road before Sunday, and has a .346/.416/.579 line with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 42 home games…. Against Dillon Gee, Jason Heyward is 8-for-19 with a homer, Freeman is 5-for-18 with a homer, Jose Constanza 2-for-3 with a homer, and Uggla is 4-for-24.
About the Mets:
Batting: Sprayberry High graduate Marlon Byrd is 24-for-71 (.338) with nine extra-base hits and 16 RBIs in 16 July games, including four homers and 13 RBIs in his past eight games…. David Wright has hit .330 with 17 extra-base hits (six homers) in his past 28 games, including 5-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs in a weekend series vs. the Phillies.
Pitching: Gee is 2-0 with a 3.73 ERA in his past five starts, and 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his past three home starts. He has a 2.83 ERA in eight home starts, and a 5.46 ERA in 11 road starts. Gee is 3-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 10 starts vs. the Braves, including 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA in two this season. In his last start against them, he allowed two runs and five hits in 8-1/3 innings of a June 17 loss in Atlanta…. Other starters' records against Braves: Torres is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four games (no starts), Hefner is 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA in three games (two starts), and Wheeler is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one start.
Miscellaneous: The Braves again avoid facing Mets ace Matt Harvey. At the end of the series, they will have played the Mets 14 times this season and faced Harvey once…. The Braves also aren't expected to face nemesis Lucas Duda, who's been on the DL for a month with an intercostal strain. Duda's seven homers at Citi Field led the Mets before Sunday, and against the Braves he's hit .324 with six homers in his past 19 games, including .375 with two homers in nine this season.
By David O’Brien
