St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves preview: Nothing easy for the home team
By Brad Rowland
Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) reacts to striking out in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Update: The Braves have released the lineup and there are MAJOR changes. Take a look by clicking here.
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By now, it is public knowledge that the Atlanta Braves have lost six consecutive baseball games, and the latest disaster wasn’t a pleasant one, as the “good guys” were swept for the second straight time with a loss on Sunday against the Giants. Now, the schedule doesn’t let up (at all) as the St. Louis Cardinals visit Turner Field for a three-game set.
Aaron Harang is set to take the mound for Atlanta, and he is coming off his first setback of the young season. The big right-hander allowed a career-high 9 earned runs in just 4.2 innings in his last outing, and even with his historically impressive start to the year, that start pushed his ERA to nearly 3.00 overall. It will be incredibly intriguing to see how he responds, and it could have a long-lasting impact on the rotation with Gavin Floyd now available.
The bats have been the bigger issue for the Braves in recent days, and they will have their hands full once again with Shelby Miller on the hill for St. Louis. The 23-year-old has a 3.15 ERA on the season, and while his WHIP (1.46) indicates a bit of luck, Miller has a long pedigree of impressive “stuff” and Atlanta’s lineup has been a disaster in recent days. It would be encouraging to see some growth from the offense here, but it’s tough to bank on, especially given the track record this season.
Here is a look at the particulars for Monday:
Date: May 5, 2014
Start Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV Channel: SportSouth, ESPN (National)
Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates
Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)
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