Series preview: vs Mets
When (TV): 7:10 p.m. Tuesday (SPSO), 7:10 p.m. Wednesday (FSSO), 7:10 p.m. Thursday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS:
Tuesday: Braves RH Aaron Harang (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RH Bartolo Colon (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Wednesday: Braves RH Ervin Santana (9-10, 3.24 in 2013) vs. RH Zack Wheeler (0-1, 4.50)
Thursday: Braves RH David Hale (0-0, 0.00) vs. RH Jenrry Mejia (1-0, 1.50)
ABOUT THE BRAVES:
Batting: Freddie Freeman had multi-hit games in three of his first six games while batting .421. Chris Johnson is the only Brave with hits in each of the team's first six games, batting .304 (7-for-23) with three doubles, a home run and two game-winning RBIs. Jason Heyward is 0-for-17 since his two-run homer off the Brewers' Kyle Lohse on Tuesday. The Braves' 2.5 runs-per-game average is tied with the Reds for 13th in the National League.
Pitching: The Braves are second to the Brewers in the majors with a 1.56 ERA through the first six games. Harang pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 2-1 win in his Braves debut Tuesday in Milwaukee, allowing only two singles and a walk. Ervin Santana is set to debut for the Braves on Wednesday night after giving up six runs in his final Triple-A tune-up. The late free agent signing, following elbow injuries to Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, will make his first start as a National Leaguer.
Miscellaneous: The Braves are honoring Hank Aaron in a pre-game ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of his 715th home run. The Braves are 11-6 in home openers since moving into Turner Field in 1997, but 1-3 in home openers against the Mets in that time.
ABOUT THE METS:
Batting: The Mets are hitting .178 as a team, worst in the major leagues. They struck out 53 times in their first five games, a team record. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud is 0-for-15 to start his first full season in New York. Lucas Duda, who hit two home runs Friday against the Reds, gets the start at first base Tuesday over Ike Davis, who hit a pinch-hit walk-off grand slam on Saturday.
Pitching: Colon lost 5-1 to the Nationals in his Mets debut after allowing three runs on nine hits. including home runs by Ian Desmond and pitcher Gio Gonzalez in a span of three batters. The 40-year-old Colon went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA in a resurgent 2013 season in Oakland. The Mets lost closer Bobby Parnell to an elbow injury — he's headed for Tommy John surgery — and the team needed three scoreless innings from the bullpen Sunday to lower its league-worst bullpen ERA to 6.88.
Miscellaneous: The Mets went 2-4 on their season-opening homestand, getting swept by the Nationals to open the season before taking two of three against the Reds. The Mets went 9-10 against the Braves last season, the most wins by any NL East team against the division champions. The Marlins and Nationals won six and the Phillies won eight.
Carroll Rogers
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