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Atlanta Braves Venture to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley

By John Buhler

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The Atlanta Braves hope to turn their horrid string of back luck on the road around when they take on the Chicago Cubs at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.  Unfortunately for the Atlanta Braves, the Cubbies have played great baseball of late and have the look of a playoff team.

-= Atlanta Braves Swept by Friars, Lose 10th Straight at Petco =-

In tonight’s series opener Mike Foltynewicz (4-4, 5.61 ERA) will try his best to keep up with the best pitcher on the Cubs staff in Jake Arrieta (14-6, 2.39 ERA).  Seriously, how did Jake Arrieta not make the National League All-Star team?  Bruce Bochy, you messed up big time with that decision.

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    • Folty could actually have a strong start for the Atlanta Braves tonight as Mike grew up in Illinois and will probably have many friends and family members in attendance to watch his start.  Then again, Folty’s inability to work efficiently by not establishing a good secondary offering (besides his blazing fastball, of course) is troublesome given the way Wrigley Field tends to favor the hitters.

    Tomorrow afternoon’s starters are Shelby Miller (5-9, 2.43 ERA) for Atlanta and Kyle Kendricks (6-5, 3.97 ERA) for Chicago.  Miller had a no-hit bid going through seven innings in his last start Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Since the offense apparently hates Shelby, no he didn’t get great run support in his no-decision.  Against all odds, Shelby Miller continues to battle for the Atlanta Braves, essentially having to pitch a perfect game for him to get a win.

    Saturday will feature Williams Perez (4-4, 4.34 ERA) for the Atlanta Braves and Dan Haren (1-1, 5.40) for the Chicago Cubs.  When did Dan Haren become a Chicago Cub?  Last thing I remember was that he was pitching in South Beach for a struggling Miami Marlins franchise.

    -= Mallex Smith: Is He Major League Ready? =-

    Perez had an okay start against the San Diego Padres the other day, but his three earned runs in the bottom of the second were too much for the meager Atlanta Braves offense to overcome.  Williams Perez has not won a game for the Braves since returning from the DL.  Hopefully he can buck the trend with a solid performance Saturday.

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    The series finale on Sunday afternoon showcases Matt Wisler (5-3, 4.65 ERA) and Jason Hammel (6-5, 3.37 ERA).  Wisler is experiencing some rookie growing pains as a young starting pitcher.  He’s pitching to too much hittable contact as well as throwing too many balls.  When Matt Wisler finds the finer details of a Major League strike zone, he will become that top of the rotation caliber starter the Atlanta Braves hope the acquired for Craig Kimbrel on the eve of the regular season.

    With the way things are going for both clubs entering this four-game set, I hope the Braves don’t get swept in the Windy City by the Cubbies.  Maybe the Ghost of Harry Caray will let his grandson’s team win one game when Chip takes his annual pilgrimage to Broadcasting Mecca: The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.  Plus, Freddie Freeman‘s back so we got this, right?  Go Braves!

    Next: Eury Perez: Does He Fit In With Braves Future Plans?

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