Series preview: Braves vs. Reds

When (TV): 7:35 p.m. Friday (WPCH), 7:10 p.m. Saturday (Fox), 8 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2).

Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5

Probable starting pitchers:

Friday: Braves RH Tommy Hanson (5-3, 2.72 ERA) vs. RH Mike Leake (3-2, 5.70)

Saturday: Braves RH Derek Lowe (3-4, 3.53) vs. RH Bronson Arroyo (3-5, 5.28)

Sunday: Braves RH Jair Jurrjens (6-1, 1.56) vs. RH Johnny Cueto (2-1, 2.19)

About the Braves:

• Batting: Eric Hinske is 20-for-56 (.357) with three doubles, four homers, nine RBIs and a .998 OPS in his past 19 games. The Braves are 10-3 in his starts in that period. ... Brian McCann has a .325 average with 10 homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.024 OPS in 33 games against the Reds. ... Dan Uggla is 5-for-50 with one RBI (solo homer) in his past 14 games, and 2-for-33 with no extra-base hits in his past nine. ... David Ross is 10-for-26 (.385) with three homers against right-handers and 1-for-10 against lefties.

• Pitching: Hanson had not allowed more than three earned runs or two walks all season before giving up four of each in six innings Saturday for no decision at Anaheim. He's 7-4 with a 2.33 ERA and a .193 opponents' average in 17 starts since Sept. 1. Hanson is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts vs. Cincinnati, with eight of nine earned runs coming in one start. He had an 0.68 ERA in the other two. ... Lowe is 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in six games (five starts) vs. the Reds, and Jurrjens is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts.

• Miscellaneous: The Braves went 3-4 while batting .233 and totaling 17 runs on a seven-game trip that ended Wednesday. They went homerless in five of seven. ... Against Friday night's starter Leake, Uggla is 1-for-2 with a homer. Martin Prado is 2-for-3, while Hinske, McCann and Chipper Jones each is 0-for-3. ... Among National League qualifiers, Uggla's .180 average was third-lowest before Thursday, his .250 OBP was second-lowest, and his .128 average with runners in scoring position was fourth-lowest.

About the Reds:

• Batting: Before Thursday, reigning NL MVP Joey Votto hit .341 with four homers, 17 RBIs and a 1.072 OPS in 23 road games, compared with .323 with 2 homers, 12 RBIs and .916 OPS in 26 games at Cincinnati's hitter-friendly ballpark. ... Jay Bruce had six homers and 20 RBIs in 23 road games. ... Ex-Braves SS Edgar Renteria was 9-for-53 (.170) with two extra-base hits and a .498 OPS in May and was hitting .233 overall with three doubles, no homers, .590 OPS in 29 games before Thursday.

• Pitching: Leake is 3-1 with a 5.77 ERA in six starts and made three relief appearances since his last start May 3. In his only game against the Braves, he gave up three runs (one earned) and five hits in six innings for no decision in Atlanta on May 20, 2010. ... Against the Braves, Arroyo is 6-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 13 games (12 starts), and Cueto is 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA in three starts.

•  Miscellaneous: Votto was third in the NL in batting average (.331) and OBP (.991) before Thursday, trailing St. Louis duo Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday in both. Votto's .457 OBP was second in the league (Berkman, .463). ... Scott Rolen hit .241 with no homers and a .294 OBP in his past 20 games before Thursday. ... In Leake's past 19 starts dating to June 10, he's 6-5 despite a 6. 23 ERA. He has received more than 7.2 support runs per nine innings pitched in that period.