Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves preview: Kyle Kendrick vs. Mike Minor

After a high wire act from Alex Wood on Sunday allowed for a victory, the Atlanta Braves continued to struggle offensively in being no-hit by the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener. Quite obviously, it is difficult to win when a team is unable to consistently generate offense, but on Tuesday night, the Braves will take aim at what looks to be an easier target.

The Pitching Match-up:

Mike Minor has been scary good lately. Since returning to the rotation after a brief hiatus, Minor has allowed only seven earned runs over 28.1 innings (2.22 ERA), and with that, his season-long numbers have improved greatly. The 26-year-old left-hander is also a fantastic match-up against the lefty-dominant Phillies, and that could allow for continued success for Minor.

In opposition, the Phillies will send right-hander Kyle Kendrick to the mound, and he is a sight for sore eyes after the Hamels-led crew from Monday. The 30-year-old Kendrick has a 4.97 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 166.2 innings this season, and while he may be slightly better than that, his career ERA (4.47) is nothing that would generate excitement. It will be crucial for the bats to awaken against what is a prime opponent.

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The Particulars:

Date: September 2, 2014

Start Time: 7:10 pm ET

TV Channel: SportSouth

Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates

Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)

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The Predictions:

Before we offer our predictions for today, here’s a look at our records to this point:

• Carlos: 15-8
• Brad: 10-13

After a weekend hiatus, we have both selected Mike Minor to continue his recent impressive performance. In addition, Kyle Kendrick is never someone that is easy to back, so if you choose do to so, it will be at your own peril.

Please feel free to sound off in the comments with your predictions for the game and feel free to rub it in our faces when you beat us on twitter (@ATLBeatBlog).