Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants: Can the Braves snap the skid?

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) warms up in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

We are in new territory with the Atlanta Braves at the moment, as the team has suddenly hit the skids after a red-hot star to the 2014 season. Fredi Gonzalez and company have lost four consecutive games, thanks in large part to an offensive outage, but Saturday night brings another opportunity to get that unit going.

Fortunately, the Braves will send right-hander Julio Teheran to the hill on Saturday night, and he has arguably been the best pitcher on the staff for more than a year. Teheran has been lights-out this season (1.47 ERA in his five starts), and in the last three outings, the youngster has allowed exactly one run. The offense will have to help him in order to get back on the right track, but Julio’s presence brings some comfort.

On the other end, Saturday presents the ideal match-up to get the bats ramped up against San Francisco. The Giants will deploy right-hander Ryan Vogelsong as the starting pitcher, and his ERA stands north of 5.00 as things kick off at Turner Field. There is nothing terribly special about Vogelsong, and he has been openly rumored to be on his way out of the San Francisco rotation. No one in Braves country would object to being the straw that broke the camel’s back in this spot.

Here is a look at the particulars for Saturday:

Date: May 3, 2014

Start Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV Channel: Fox Sports South

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

Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)

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