Braves Face San Francisco In A Four Game Series

The Atlanta Braves travel up the California Coast to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco Giants for a four game series.  Atlanta (23-23) takes on the defending World Series Champs who are 28-20, winners of eight of their last ten games.  San Francisco is leading the National League in hitting with a .274 mark, but are rather pedestrian on the mound this season, only 0.6 Wins Above Average from their staff.

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Tonight’s starters are Shelby Miller (5-1, 1.50 ERA) for the Braves and Chris Heston (4-3, 4.33 ERA) for the Giants.  Miller has been sensational in his first nine starts in Braves uniform with a 0.90 WHIP on the year.  Through the first quarter of the MLB season, Shelby Miller has been arguably the best starter in the National League.

Heston has had a rough last two starts versus Cincinnati and Colorado.  He has given up 11 ERs in 7.2 IP!  Chris should feel excited that his next start is at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park, not in Great American Ball Park or Coors Field.

For tomorrow’s game, the Braves send Mike Foltynewicz to the mound versus longtime Atlanta Brave Tim Hudson.  Folty (3-1, 4.25) pitched brilliantly in his last start versus the Brewers (7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K).  But his inconsistency in his first five Braves starts has led him to having a middle of the road 4.25 ERA.

Hudson (2-4, 5.04 ERA) has not done well for the Giants this season at age 39.  His ERA is 6.00 in his last seven starts and got shelled in Denver versus the Rockies (8ER in 3.2IP).  We all know that Huddy will want to deliver his best against his former team.  I’m hoping for a Tim Hudson no-decision in a low-scoring affair tomorrow night.

Rookie Williams Perez squares off with former Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum in Saturday night’s contest between the Braves and Giants.  Perez (0-0, 4.05 ERA) has pitched very well in his two starts for the Braves.  A leaky bullpen blew Perez’s lead against the Dodgers on Memorial Day.  Lincecum looks to have returned to form in 2015.  His 5-2 record and a 2.56 is more in line with the type of pitcher we know that he has been in the past.  The Giants like to score runs for Timmy in his starts, as he averages 5.47 runs of support in games he pitches.

In the series finale Sunday afternoon, Julio Teheran tries his luck against World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.  Teheran (4-2, 4.91 ERA) looks to get past his dreadful last start against the Dodgers (4.1 IP, 8 ER).  Bumgarner (6-2, 3.00 ERA) has allowed just five earned runs in his last three starts.

If Atlanta’s pitching staff can control the hot bats of the Giants, Atlanta can definitely make this a competitive series.  It will be hard to beat Lincecum and Bumgarner with the way they’re pitching this season, but if Atlanta can pounce on Heston and Hudson, the Braves have a shot at splitting the series, maybe even taking 3 of 4.  First pitch tonight is at 10:10PM ET.  Go Braves!