Series preview: Braves at Rockies
When (TV): 8:40 p.m. Monday-Tuesday (SPSO), 3:10 p.m. Wednesday (SPSO).
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves LH Mike Minor (2-1, 0.95 ERA) vs. LH Jeff Francis (1-1, 8.25)
Saturday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (0-0, 7.31) vs. RH Jon Garland (2-0, 3.32)
Sunday: Braves RH Tim Hudson (2-1, 4.50) vs. TBA
About the Braves:
Batting: Freddie Freeman, who's expected to come off the DL on Monday, has a .351 average with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games against the Rockies, including 13-for-32 (.406) with four homers and 11 RBIs in seven games at Coors Field. He has three homers in his past four games at Coors…. Chris Johnson has a .339 average and .371 OBP in 16 games against the Rockies, including .417 (10-for-24) with a homer and six RBIs in seven games at Coors Field.
Pitching: Minor is 9-5 with a 2.00 ERA in 18 starts since July 1. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in two disparate starts against Colorado, both last season. At Coors on May 5, he gave up eight runs, 10 hits (two homers) and four walks in five innings of a game the Braves won (he got no decision). He limited the Rockies to one hit (and four walks) in seven scoreless innings of a Sept. 5 win in Atlanta…. Tim Hudson, going for his 200th career win, is 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA in five starts at Coors (he's 5-0 in five home starts vs. the Rockies)…. Teheran hasn't faced Colorado.
Miscellaneous: The Braves are 12-3 against Colorado over the past two seasons, including 5-2 at Coors Field. They've out-homered Colorado 22-10 in the past two seasons…. Against Francis, Justin Upton is 8-for-22 (.364) with two homers, while B.J. Upton is 0-for-6 with four strikeouts…. Ex-Diamondback Justin Upton's .280 average, .375 OBP and 15 homers in 80 games against the Rockies includes six homers in 41 games (150 at-bats) at Coors…. Minor has allowed five hits in each of his three starts this season, and totaled 16 strikeouts with only one walk in 19 innings.
About the Rockies:
Batting: Carlos Gonzalez was hitting .371 with 11 extra-base hits (four homers) and a .452 OBP in 16 games, including .400 (12-for-30) with one homer in eight games at Coors Field before Sunday's series finale against Arizona…. Michael Cuddyer hit .357 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 15 games before Sunday, including .500 (11-for-22) with two homers and seven RBIs in six home games.
Pitching: Francis has a 6.42 ERA and .332 opponents' average in his past 17 starts going back to July 31, including an 8.25 ERA and .382 OA in three starts this season (21 hits, 11 earned runs and seven walks in 12 innings). Right-handed hitters are 17-for-43 (.395) against him this season…. Against Atlanta, Francis is 3-2 with a 6.49 ERA in five starts, but the lefty hasn't faced the Braves since 2007…. Garland is 1-2 with a 7.25 ERA in four starts against the Braves.
Miscellaneous: Colorado took a majors-best eight-game overall winning streak and an unbeaten home record (8-0) into Sunday's home game against Arizona. The Rockies' 13-4 record was tied with the Braves for best in the majors before Sunday…. The Rockies had a 2.59 home ERA before Sunday, while hitting .306 with 11 homers and 55 runs in eight home games…. Against Minor, Cuddyer is 2-for-2 with a homer and a walk, and Carlos Gonzalez is 3-for-5.
