Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds preview: Julio Teheran vs. David Holmberg

After a positive series in Pittsburgh (despite the dreadful way in which it ended), the Atlanta Braves continue a lengthy road trip with a stop in Cincinnati, as they take on the Reds for a four-game set. Let’s break down the match-up for Thursday’s series opener.

The Pitching Match-up:

Julio Teheran takes the ball for Fredi Gonzalez and company, and while he hasn’t been utterly dominant, he is still perceived as the ace of Atlanta’s staff. For the season, the 23-year-old Teheran has a 3.06 ERA to go along with a 1.09 WHIP, and he bounced back from a couple of shaky outings with a 6-inning, 2-run showing in a win over Oakland on Saturday. If you can’t feel comfortable with Teheran on the mound, then comfort likely isn’t your thing.

On the flip side, the Reds will send left-hander David Holmberg to the mound for his third career start in the big leagues. The 23-year-old Holmberg has enjoyed modest success in the minors, but at the big league level, he has pitched just 6.1 innings over two starts, with an ERA of 11.37 that is “supported” by some horrific peripherals. Obviously, Holmberg isn’t quite that bad, but this is an opportunity for Atlanta’s bats to potentially explode.

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The Particulars:

Date: August 21, 2014

Start Time: 7:10 pm ET

TV Channel: SportSouth, MLB Network (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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The Predictions:

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

• Carlos: 11-7
• Brad: 7-11

Carlos was “blessed” by the comeback victory by the Pirates, while I took it on the chin along with the outfield defense and David Carpenter during the 9th-inning collapse. On Thursday, we will both be backing Julio Teheran in what appears to be a lopsided pitching match-up, and hopefully, the Braves will respond with a bounce-back victory.

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).