Series preview: at Cardinals
When (TV): 8:15 p.m. Friday (WPCH); 7:15 p.m. Saturday (WPCH); 2:15 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves LH Mike Minor (2-2, 5.97 ERA) vs. LH Jaime Garcia (2-2, 3.76)
Saturday: Braves RH Brandon Beachy (3-1, 1.62) vs. RH Adam Wainwright (2-3, 5.61)
Sunday: Braves RH Tommy Hanson (3-3, 3.63) vs. RH Lance Lynn (6-0, 1.40)
About the Braves:
Batting: Michael Bourn’s 12-game hitting streak was snapped with an 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Cubs. He has hit safely in 23 of his past 26 games, while batting .360 (40-for-111). Brian McCann is 3-for-17 (.176) on this road trip, and hitless in his past eight at-bats. Martin Prado, meanwhile, is 5-for-14 (.357) since returning from the flu bug over the weekend.
Pitching: After going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in a three-start stretch, Minor is 0-1 with an 11.91 ERA in his past two starts. He allowed eight earned runs in five innings in his last start at Coors Field where the Braves rallied from 6-0 down after two innings to win 13-9. Minor allowed only four earned runs in 21 1/3 innings with one walk and 15 strikeouts when he was going good, 15 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings, with seven walks and 13 strikeouts when he was going bad. This is Minor’s first time facing the Cardinals.
Miscellaneous: The Braves lost five of six games against the Cardinals last season, including all three at Busch Stadium. The Braves are 3-11 against the Cardinals since the start of 2010.
About the Cardinals:
Batting: The Cardinals are leading the majors in runs scored with 174. Jon Jay is third in the NL with a .379 batting average and former Brave Rafael Furcal is fifth, hitting .361. Carlos Beltran is tied for second in the NL with 10 home runs, after hitting two homers, including a grand slam, Tuesday night against Arizona, to go along with six RBIs.
Pitching: Garcia has four quality starts in his first five of the season and allowed only five earned runs in his past 21 2/3 innings over three starts (2.08 ERA). He’s 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three career starts against the Braves, allowing three earned runs in six innings each in a pair of starts last year against Atlanta. The Braves will face rookie sensation Lance Lynn, the Ole Miss product, who has won his first six starts in his first full season with the Cardinals.
Miscellaneous: Lance Berkman is expected to come off the disabled list Friday night (left calf strain). The Cardinals won four in a row to move into a three-way tie for the majors’ lead in wins (20) with Texas and Tampa Bay.
-Carroll Rogers
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