Sliding Braves Welcome Giants
Justin Upton and the Atlanta Braves had plenty to be upset about on their recent road trip. Will a return home turn things around?
After a torrid road trip, the Atlanta Braves return home to the friendly confines of Turner Field on Friday night for the first of three games against the San Francisco Giants.
The Braves have spent the last week out on the West Coast, splitting a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before being swept by the San Diego Padres. Manager Fredi Gonzalez will hope that home field advantage stems the tide as the Braves face another NL West opponent this weekend.
Fortunately for the Braves, the rest of the NL East has been struggling to win of late, which leaves the Washington Nationals – second in the division standings – some 5 1/2 games back, while the Philadelphia Phillies (7 1/2), New York Mets (12 1/2), and Miami Marlins (19 1/2) wallow way behind.
San Francisco picked up a 10-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday to avoid being swept themselves. The side is 3-3 on its current road trip, which took in a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks before passing through the Steel City.
Currently 2 1/2 games back of division-leading Arizona, San Francisco will be looking to come away from Georgia with some degree of success, particular as the Diamondbacks face the Padres, a team it has gone .500 against this season. There’s room to move on up for the Giants, but it won’t be easy.
Atlanta (39-27, 21-7 home) currently sports the best home record in Major League Baseball. The Braves have won five straight at home and 13 of the last 15. Coming into Turner Field and winning is a tough task for any team.
It may be that much tougher for San Francisco (34-31, 13-20 road). The defending champions have struggled on the road this season, going 5-11 over the last 16 games.
San Francisco’s Angel Pagan and Pablo Sandoval are currently on the 15-day DL.
To make things worse, the side has placed Pablo Sandoval (foot) and Angel Pagan (hamstring) on the 15-day DL, while Marco Scutaro has missed the last two games with an injured pinkie, which both he and the team hope will not require surgery.
Those three bats have combined for 191 hits and 76 RBIs. Those are some hefty numbers to be losing, but the Giants proved in Thursday’s 10-run barrage that they still have some hitters in the lineup.
The Giants are also without starting pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong (2-4, 7.19 ERA), who was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 8 with a fractured right hand.
The Braves and Giants met in a four-game series earlier this season (9-12 May). The Braves won the opening game 6-3 before dropping the next three. The Giants outscored the Braves 23-4 over those three games. However, that series was played in the Bay Area.
Looking to turn his season around, Kris Medlen will take to the mound for Atlanta.
Friday’s series opener will see Kris Medlen (3-6, 2.87 ERA) take to the mound for the home side. After going 10-1 from July 31 to September 30 last season, Medlen hasn’t been quite as dominant this season. He gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits (including a pair of homeruns) in a May 12 showdown with the Giants earlier this season, a performance that saw him walk five batters and strikeout just one.
However, he has picked up the win in his last two outings. He recorded six strikeouts, five hits, and no runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Dodgers on June 8.
Madison Bumgarner (5-4, 3.58 ERA) will start for the Giants. Bumgarner picked up the win in his last start (June 8), giving up three runs on five hits in Arizona. Fortunately, the Giants’ offense gave him all the support he needed, and while he lasted just five innings, the team won 10-5.
The win was his first since beating the Braves on May 11. In that game he yielded just one run on four hits, striking out 11 on the way to a 10-1 victory.
San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves odds for 6/14/13 are available now.
Atlanta (-162) opened as the favorite over San Francisco (+152) on the moneyline but most sportsbooks have seen that number shrink somewhat.
The over/under opened at seven. Both Atlanta (35-29-2) and San Francisco (36-27-2) have favored the over this season.
