Series preview: Braves at Giants
When (TV): 10:15 p.m. Friday (SPSO), 4:10 p.m. Saturday (Fox), 4:10 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves RH Tommy Hanson (1-3, 3.86 ERA) vs. LH Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 7.36)
Saturday: Braves RH Tim Hudson (2-2, 4.05) vs. RH Tim Lincecum (2-1, 1.67)
Sunday: Braves RH Brandon Beachy (1-1, 3.86) vs. LH Jonathan Sanchez (2-1, 3.13)
About the Braves:
Batting: Jason Heyward, hitting .152 (5-for-33) on the road before Friday, will try to get things going in San Francisco, where he was 4-for-12 with two homers last season as a rookie. ... Brian McCann was tied for third in the NL with a .432 road average before Friday; all 16 of his road hits were singles. ... Martin Prado's .326 average against the Giants includes .364 (8-for-22) in six games at AT&T Park.
Pitching: Hanson has lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in one of four starts, when he pitched seven scoreless innings vs. Florida on April 12. He's 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts vs. the Giants, both in Atlanta. Pablo Sandoval is 0-for-7 against him, and Buster Posey is 0-for-3. ... Hudson is 5-4 with a 3.56 ERA in 13 starts against the Giants, including 1-2 with a 3.58 ERA in five at AT&T.
Miscellaneous: The Braves are 7-7 in regular-season games against the Giants over the past two seasons, but 1-5 at AT&T Park in that period. The Braves outscored the Giants 14-13 in last year's three-game series at AT&T Park, and still lost two of three. San Francisco beat the Braves 3-1 in the 2010 division series, with each game decided by one run.
About the Giants:
Batting: C Buster Posey, who edged Jason Heyward for NL Rookie of the Year, is batting .308 with three homers and 14 RBIs, including .379 with two homers and nine RBIs in his past eight games. ... 3B Pablo Sandoval is 5-for-20 in his past six games, but with four homers, eight RBIs and five walks. Against right-handers, Sandoval has hit .357 with four homers, 12 RBIs and a 1.116 OPS.
Pitching: Bumgarner has allowed 21 hits and 12 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings over three starts, with more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven). Righty hitters are 16-for-40 (.400) with a .480 OBP against him. His only start against the Braves was a win in the 2010 division series (six innings, six hits, two runs). ... Closer Brian Wilson allowed four hits and five runs in his first two games off the disabled list, but has given up only one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances since, with five strikeouts and five saves.
Miscellaneous: The Giants are 6-4 with a surprisingly high (for them) 4.24 ERA in their past 10 games. They allowed six or more runs four times in that stretch, including a 10-2 loss at Colorado on Wednesday. They were off Thursday.
