LOS ANGELES — Mike Minor takes his six-start Braves winning streak into Sunday's series finale, and are expected to face a Dodgers rookie instead of originally scheduled starter Ted Lilly.
The Dodgers plan to start right-hander Matt Magill in place of the veteran lefty, who was scratched due to a chronic disk problem in his neck.
Instead of facing Lilly, who’s 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA 11 starts against Atlanta, the Braves get Magill, who is 0-1 with a 6.58 ERA in five major league starts — all Dodgers losses.
Magill got no decision in his only start against the Braves on May 19, allowing one run and five hits in five innings of a 5-2 Braves win. He faced Minor that day, and Magill will face the surging Braves lefty again Sunday.
Minor is 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA and .185 opponents’ average in his past seven starts, with 45 strikeouts and nine walks in 47 innings. Since the middle of last season, he’s established himself as one of the top pitchers in the National League — “Legitimately,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Minor is 14-6 with a 2.35 ERA and .197 opponents’ average in 27 starts since the beginning of July, with 145 strikeouts and 32 walks in 172-1/3 innings.
Gonzalez said he now feels good going into games when Minor is pitching, which wasn’t always the case. For his first couple of seasons and through the first few months of the 2012 season, Minor was plagued by meltdown innings where he unraveled.
“I’ll give you an analogy,” Gonzalez said. “You come driving to the ballpark (now) and go, ‘Oh, good, Mike’s pitching,’ or, ‘(Julio) Teheran’s pitching,’ instead of going, ‘Oh (expletive), are we going to get through this game? Do we have enough bullpen to get through if he blows up in the third inning?’”
With Lilly out of the picture for Sunday, Gonzalez will make a lineup change or two. He had intended to start backup outfielder Reed Johnson, who is 3-for-7 against Lilly. Left fielder Justin Upton is 2-for-26 against Lilly.
Gonzalez also said he would probably have Brian McCann catch again Sunday, after catching Saturday night. If Lilly had pitched, he likely would have rested McCann on Sunday afternoon.
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