St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves preview: Minor faces Wainwright

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) pitches in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday night brought the end of the frustrating, seven-game losing streak for the Atlanta Braves but things don’t get much easier on Wednesday evening, as they face a tall ask in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. That tall task is represented in one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball, and he is a familiar face to any long-time Braves fan.

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is set to take the ball in this one, and he is up to his old tricks with a 2.16 ERA this season. As for the familiarity, Wainwright was once an Atlanta farm-hand, and it is never a pleasurable experience to watch him mow down opposing offenses with a unique repertoire that includes a filthy breaking ball. Atlanta’s bats managed just two runs even in the win on Tuesday, and repeating that will be a tall task in itself against Wainwright.

As for the Braves, Mike Minor is back for just his second start of the season, and his presence provides a bit of optimism. Minor scattered seven hits while allowing only two runs over six innings in his 2014 debut, and after a season that saw him establish a presence as the team’s de facto ace, that is incredibly encouraging. The St. Louis offense is quite potent when things get going, though, and Minor will need to be sharp from the opening pitch.

Here is a look at the particulars for Wednesday:

Date: May 7, 2014

Start Time: 7:10 p.m.

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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