Dodgers, Braves Meet In Los Angeles
Zach Greinke will look to lead the Dodgers to a fourth straight win on Wednesday.
Postseason contenders from the east and west collide Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Atlanta Braves in the middle game of a three-game set.
First pitch at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Despite Tommy John surgery forcing both Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlan out for the season, Atlanta (58-49, 27-25 road) remains firmly in the postseason picture in the NL East.
The Braves currently sit a half game back of the division-leading Washington Nationals, and top of the wild card standings. Fredi Gonzalez’ side will be looking for more than a wild card berth as the season heads into its final two months.
The Braves missed out on a golden opportunity to take back first place, losing to the Dodgers 8-4 in the series opener on Tuesday.
The Dodgers benefited from a four-hit game from Yasiel Puig, who finished a home run shy of completing the cycle. Meanwhile, Matt Kemp went yard twice, notching four RBIs in the process.
Los Angeles (60-47, 26-24 home) bolstered its lead over the San Francisco Giants at the top of the NL West to three games with the victory, becoming the first National League to win 60 games in the process.
The Dodgers will now look to win a season-best fifth straight game. They’ll be confident they can do exactly that, and more, over the remaining two games of this series.
On Wednesday night, Zack Greinke (12-6, 2.74 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers.
While Greinke has been the team’s second best pitcher, behind Clayton Kershaw, things haven’t been smooth sailing of late. Greinke is just 4-6 with a 3.31 ERA in his last 10 starts.
However, the 30-year-old right-hander limited the Giants to just four hits and no runs last time out. The Dodgers are hoping to get a similar display on Wednesday night. Greinke meanwhile will be confident taking the mound at Dodger Stadium, where he is 6-1 in eight starts this season.
- Greinke is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three games (3 starts) vs. the Atlanta Braves
- Greinke is 15-3 with a 2.30 ERA in 23 games (23 starts) at Dodger Stadium
Atlanta will counter left-hander Alex Wood (7-8, 3.44 ERA) to the mound.
Wood was roughed up in his last start, yielding five runs (4 earned) on 12 hits through five innings of play against the San Diego Padres. Since returning to the starting rotation on June 25, the left-hander is 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA across six starts.
- Wood is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two games (0 starts) vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Wood is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two games (0 starts) at Dodger Stadium
Atlanta played Tuesday’s game without outfielder Jason Heyward, who missed the game with a sore back. Heyward is listed as day-to-day for Wednesday’s encounter.
The Dodgers go into the game firing on all cylinders and with a healthy, talent-loaded lineup.
After missing Tuesday’s game, Atlanta’s Jason Heyward is listed as day-to-day.
Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers odds for 07/29/2014
Los Angeles (-155) opened as the favorite over Atlanta (+145) on the moneyline. At the time of writing, bettors could get the Dodgers at -165.
Following Tuesday night’s victory, the Dodgers have won three in a row against the Braves, and have taken six of the last nine head-to-head meetings.
The Dodgers have taken five of the last seven games the two clubs have played at Dodger Stadium.
Some other trends to consider:
- Atlanta is 42-31 in night games
- Los Angeles is 44-32 in night games
- Atlanta is 11-13 vs. NL West opponents
- Los Angeles is 10-10 vs. NL East opponents
- Atlanta is 47-41 vs. right-handed pitching
- Los Angeles is 15-10 vs. left-handed pitching
- Atlanta is 13-11 since July 1
- Los Angeles is 12-10 since July 1
- Atlanta is 6-6 since the All-Star break
- Los Angeles is 6-4 since the All-Star break
The total opened at 6 1/2.
The total has gone over in six straight head-to-head meetings between the two clubs.
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The Dodgers and Braves close out their three-game set on Thursday (10:10 p.m. ET).
After that, Atlanta heads down I-5 for three games with the San Diego Padres (Fri-Sun) while the Dodgers welcome the Chicago Cubs to Chavez Ravine for a three-game weekend series (Fri-Sun).
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