Friday, April 4, 2014

Game 4 Preview: Atlanta Braves (2-1) at Washington Nationals (3-0)

First Pitch: 1:05 pm ET (FS South)

Pitching Probables:


















David Hale (ATL) 1-0, 0.82 ERA in '13
Jordan Zimmermann (WSH) 19-9, 3.25 ERA in '13

Braves starting lineup (career vs. Zimmermann)
Jason Heyward - RF (3-11, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K)
BJ Upton - CF (2-7, 2B, 2 K)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (2-11, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K)
Chris Johnson - 3B (2-7, 2B)
Justin Upton - LF (5-12, BB, 3 K)
Dan Uggla - 2B (2-17, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K)
Evan Gattis - C (0-3)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (1-5)
David Hale - P (N/A)

Nationals starting lineup ('13 season stats)
Denard Span - CF (.279/.327/.380 4 HR 47 RBI)
Anthony Rendon - 2B (.265/.329/.396 7 HR 35 RBI)
Jayson Werth - RF (.318/.398/.532 25 HR 82 RBI)
Adam LaRoche - 1B (.237/.332/.403 20 HR 62 RBI)
Ryan Zimmerman - 3B (.275/.344/.465 26 HR 79 RBI)
Bryce Harper - LF (.274/.368/.486 20 HR 58 RBI)
Ian Desmond - SS (.280/.331/.453 20 HR 80 RBI)
Jose Lobaton - C (.249/.320/.394 7 HR 32 RBI)
Jordan Zimmermann - P (.123/.134/.138 0 HR 2 RBI)

Preview:
The 2014 season may be less than a week old, but Braves rookie RHP David Hale's third career big league start comes in an important game this afternoon against the division rival Nationals at Nationals Park. Braves beat the Nats in all five matchups last April, which gave the Braves the lead in the NL East for good. Despite running away with the division last season, Braves once again come in as the underdog in this year's race.

Braves are relying on the likes of Hale and journeyman Aaron Harang to keep the rotation afloat until Mike Minor, Ervin Santana, and Gavin Floyd join the rotation later this month.

Nationals RHP Tanner Roark was originally slated to start today's game, but was bumped up after Jordan Zimmermann was skipped due to flu-like symptoms. On short notice, Roark allowed just two runs in six innings against the Mets on Thursday.

Harper hitting lower in the order:
Nationals LF Bryce Harper hit sixth in the order on Wednesday after spending most of last season in one of the top four spots in the lineup. Moving Harper lower in the order takes the pressure off of the star outfielder and possibly create more RBI situations for him with Werth and Zimmerman hitting in front of him. Harper did hit second in the Nats order in yesterday's game and went 1-for-5 with a run scored in the 8-2 win over the Mets.

Kimbrel ties Garber:
Braves closer Craig Kimbrel recorded his 141st career save in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Brewers to tie Gene Garber for second place in franchise history. Kimbrel is just 13 saves away from tying John Smoltz's record of 154 saves.

Notes:
Braves claimed RHP Pedro Beato off waivers from the Reds following Wednesday's game. In a corresponding move, the Braves optioned reliever Ryan Buchter to Triple-A Gwinnett. In 81 career appearances, Beato owns a 4.55 ERA with the Red Sox and Mets.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Braves' 1-0 win against the Brewers on Wednesday was their first 1-0 win in Milwaukee since they were the Milwaukee Braves in 1964.

Nats C Jose Lobaton will take over the catching duties from Wilson Ramos, who was placed on the 15-day DL after breaking a bone in his left hand.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Game 3 Preview: Atlanta Braves (1-1) at Milwaukee Brewers (1-1)

First Pitch: 1:10 pm ET (SportSouth/MLB Network)

Pitching Probables:
RHP Aaron Harang (ATL) 5-12, 5.40 ERA in '13
RHP Matt Garza (MIL) 10-6, 3.88 ERA in '13

Braves starting lineup (career vs. Garza):
Jason Heyward - RF (1-6, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K)
BJ Upton - CF (N/A)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (4-8, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K)
Chris Johnson - 3B (4-6, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K)
Justin Upton - LF (2-10, 2B, RBI, 4 K)
Dan Uggla - 2B (4-15, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K)
Gerald Laird - C (3-14, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (0-1, BB)
Aaron Harang - P (N/A)

Brewers starting lineup (career vs. Harang):
Carlos Gomez - CF (2-4, HR, RBI, K)
Logan Schafer - LF (0-2)
Ryan Braun - RF (7-29, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K)
Aramis Ramirez - 3B (21-63, 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K)
Jonathan Lucroy - C (0-7, BB, 2 K)
Scooter Gennett - 2B (1-3, K)
Jeff Bianchi - SS (N/A)
Lyle Overbay - 1B (11-24, 5 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K)
Matt Garza - P (N/A)

Preview:
Brewers signed Matt Garza over the winter to the richest deal in franchise history, inking the inconsistent right-hander to a 4-year $50 million contract. Garza went 10-6 in an injury-plagued season between the Cubs and Rangers in 2013. Braves will counter with veteran Aaron Harang, who signed with the club on March 24, one day after the Indians released him. Harang joined Atlanta after they parted ways with Freddy Garcia. Harang has bounced around in the past calendar year, from being traded from the Dodgers to the Rockies to being designated for assignment by Colorado and eventually traded to the Mariners. Both Garza and Harang look to rebound from rough outings in their final spring training starts.

Harang made one spring training start for the Braves and gave up 6 earned runs on 8 hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Tigers last Thursday. Garza allowed four runs, two of which were earned, on six hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Royals last Friday.

Heyward gets Braves on the board for first time in '14:
Braves RF Jason Heyward plated the club's first 2 runs of the season with a 2-run shot in the top of the 5th, which gave the Braves a 2-1 lead. Heyward's homer snapped a 13 inning scoreless streak to begin the season and also halted a skid of 22 consecutive scoreless innings against the Brewers.

Notes:
Braves closer Craig Kimbrel recorded his 140th save as a Brave in Tuesday night's 5-2 win over the Brewers. Kimbrel is one save away from tying Gene Garber for the second-most saves in Braves franchise history and is 14 saves away from tying John Smoltz's franchise record of 154.

Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez killed the Braves for 2 more hits in 4 plate appearances last night, raising his lifetime average against the Braves to .378 (111-for-294).

Braves 1B Freddie Freeman homered twice in Tuesday's win for his 5th career multi-homer game.

Matt Garza has struggled against the Braves in his career, posting a 6.43 ERA. Aaron Harang owns a 1.50 ERA against the Brewers in his career.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Game 1 Preview: Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers

Pitching probables:



RHP Julio Teheran (14-8, 3.20 ERA in '13)
RHP Yovani Gallardo (12-10, 4.18 ERA in '13)

Braves starting lineup (career vs. Gallardo):
Jason Heyward - RF (1-9, HR, RBI, 3 BB, 3 K)
BJ Upton - CF (N/A)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (2-5, 2 BB)
Chris Johnson - 3B (2-11, BB, 4 K)
Justin Upton - LF (6-20, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 4 K)
Dan Uggla - 2B (4-18, BB, 3 K)
Evan Gattis - C (N/A)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (N/A)
Julio Teheran - P (N/A)

Brewers starting lineup (career vs. Teheran):
Carlos Gomez - CF (0-2, 2 K)
Jean Segura - SS (3-3, HR, RBI)
Ryan Braun - RF (N/A)
Aramis Ramirez - 3B (0-2, RBI)
Jonathan Lucroy - C (N/A)
Khris Davis - LF (N/A)
Lyle Overbay - 1B (N/A)
Scooter Gennett - 2B (1-3)
Yovani Gallardo - P (N/A)

Preview:
It's Opening Day. Baseball's New Year begins this afternoon as the Brewers host the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves. Not much went right for the Brewers in 2013, from injuries and suspension to superstar Ryan Braun, to a fourth-place finish in th competitive NL Central. For the Braves, 2013 also proved to end on a sour note, again losing in the NLDS.

Brewers hand the ball to Yovani Gallardo, his fifth Opening Day, while the Braves will give their ace RHP Julio Teheran his first of many Opening Day starts.

Today also marks the return of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, whose season ended early due to a 65-game PED suspension. Braun looks to help the Brewers bounce back from a disappointing 74-88 record last season, the team's worst since 2004. Expect the Brew Crew to be a darkhorse in the loaded NL Central in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Braves are coming off their best regular season finish since 2004. After finishing the season 96-66, and winning the NL East for the first time since 2005, Atlanta saw their season come to an abrupt end at the hands of the Dodgers in the NLDS.

Braves were on the verge of forcing a decisive game 5 in Atlanta until David Carpenter hung a slider over the plate to Juan Uribe, who deposited the pitch into the Dodgers bullpen, all while Craig Kimbrel and Eddie Perez looked on in the Braves 'pen.

Atlanta returns almost the same lineup, minus Brian McCann, who departed for the Yankees in the off season, in its quest to win their first World Series since 1995. But the biggest concerns for the Braves will be their health, as they lost both Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to season-ending Tommy John surgeries during spring training. Mike Minor and newly signed free agent Ervin Santana will not be ready to join the Braves rotation until mid to late April.

Braves lineup:
Fredi Gonzalez hinted over the last couple of days that Chris Johnson could be the club's cleanup hitter. It is almost set in stone that Jason Heyward, BJ Upton, and Freddie Freeman will bat 1, 2, 3 in the lineup, respectively. If Johnson is hitting 4th in the lineup, expect Justin Upton in the 5th spot. Evan Gattis and Dan Uggla may be interchangeable at 6th and 7th, while Simmons rounds out the order hitting 8th.

Notes:
Brewers SS Jean Segura's status for Opening Day is still uncertain as he continues to battle with a sore right shoulder injury. Segura or Brewers manager Ron Roenicke considers the injury as a serious matter, the club wants to take precaution to avoid further injury.

Braves are just 1-8 in their last 9 games at Miller Park, dating back to the 2011 season.

Braves have won 6 of their last 8 season openers, while the Brewers have lost 4 of their last 5 openers.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Game 125 Preview: Atlanta Braves (76-48) at New York Mets (57-66)

Pitching Probables:
Embedded image permalink
RHP Brandon Beachy (ATL) 2-0, 4.50 ERA
RHP Zack Wheeler (NYM) 5-2, 3.43 ERA

Tonight's Starting Lineups (7:10 pm ET, SportSouth):

Braves (career vs. Wheeler):
Jason Heyward - RF (0-3, K)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (1-4, 2 BB)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (2-3, HR, RBI, 3 BB)
Evan Gattis - LF (0-3, K)
Brian McCann - C (0-2, BB, K)
Chris Johnson - 3B (1-5, BB, K)
Jordan Schafer - CF (N/A)
Paul Janish - 2B (N/A)
Brandon Beachy - P (N/A)

Mets (career vs. Beachy):
Eric Young Jr. - LF (.250/.327/.326 1 HR 15 RBI)
Daniel Murphy - 2B (.275/.307/.397 10 HR 57 RBI)
Marlon Byrd - RF (.288/.336/.523 20 HR 68 RBI)
Ike Davis - 1B (.202/.324/.318 7 HR 27 RBI)
Wilmer Flores - 3B (.282/.310/.436 1 HR 11 RBI)
Juan Lagares - CF (.258/.287/.396 4 HR 25 RBI)
Travis d'Arnaud - C (.000/.417/.000 0 HR 0 RBI)
Omar Quintanilla - SS (.229/.313/.298 2 HR 18 RBI)
Zack Wheeler - P (.182/.182/.227 0 HR 1 RBI)

Preview:
The Atlanta Braves have soared to a 16-game lead in the NL East, due in part by beating up on teams within their own division.
With Sunday's win over the Nationals, their 19th in their last 22 games, the Braves improved to 28-12 against the Nats, Marlins, and Phillies. The only exception has been the Mets, who have split evenly with the Braves through 14 meetings this season. Atlanta will get the chance to change that as they open up a quick two-game series with the Mets at Citi Field.
After Saturday's 15-inning loss to the Nats, the Braves had to alter their rotation after Kris Medlen threw 47 pitches over three innings in relief. Brandon Beachy has been moved up to pitch in Medlen's spot tonight.
Beachy is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in four starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. Since struggling in his first start back against the Rockies, the right-hander has authored three consecutive quality starts.
Mets will counter with Zack Wheeler, who is 5-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 11 starts. The Georgia native has already faced the Braves twice this season, including his Major League debut on June 18. In those two starts against his hometown team, Wheeler has allowed three earned runs on eight hits over 12 innings with seven walks and 12 strikeouts.
Wheeler racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Padres while walking just one batter and surrendered one run over six innings.

Travis d'Arnaud to stay in big leagues:
After yesterday's 6-1 win over the Twins, the Mets announced that catcher Travis d'Arnaud will remain with the Major League club. He was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday after John Buck left the team to go on paternity leave. With John Buck returning to the club today, Mets optioned Anthony Recker back to Vegas.
In three games as a big leaguer, d'Arnaud is hitless in seven at-bats with five walks.

Jason Heyward stays hot at leadoff spot, Gosselin gets first two big league hits:
Outfielder Jason Heyward blasted two home runs on Saturday, including a game-tying, two-run shot in the ninth inning, continuing the tear he has been on since moving to the leadoff spot on July 27. Before going hitless in one pinch hit at-bat on Sunday, Heyward was hitting .375 with a 1.076 OPS in 20 games.
Second basemen Phil Gosselin collected his first two Major League hits in his first start on Sunday. Gosselin was called up on Friday after Tyler Pastornicky tore his ACL after colliding in right field with Jason Heyward.

Side note:
Braves 16-game lead is the largest lead thy have held since 2002, when they won the division by 19 games.
Braves are 4-3 at Citi Field this season.
Brandon Beachy makes his first start tonight at Citi Field and has only pitched against the Mets once, back in 2011.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Game 121 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (53-66) at Atlanta Braves (73-47)

Pitching Probables:
LHP John Lannan (PHI) 3-5, 4.81 ERA
RHP Brandon Beachy (ATL) 1-0, 5.00 ERA

Tonight's Starting Lineups (7:10 pm ET, SportSouth):

Phillies (career vs. Beachy):
Jimmy Rollins - SS (4-17, 2B)
Michael Young - 1B (0-2, BB)
Chase Utley - 2B (2-14, RBI, 2 K)
Domonic Brown - LF (2-3, K)
Darin Ruf - RF (1-3)
Cody Asche - 3B (0-2, BB, K)
John Mayberry Jr. - CF (2-6, HR, 2 RBI, K)
Carlos Ruiz - C (6-13, 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB)
John Lannan - P (0-1, K)

Braves (career vs. Lannan):
Jason Heyward - RF (1-11, 3 BB, K)
Justin Upton - LF (3-13, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (7-19, 2B, 3 RBI, BB. 6 K)
Evan Gattis - C (0-2)
Chris Johnson - 3B (3-6, 2B, RBI, BB, K)
Tyler Pastornicky - 2B (N/A)
BJ Upton - CF (0-2)
Paul Janish - SS (1-6, 2B)
Brandon Beachy - P (0-1)

Preview:
Tonight's Braves starter Brandon Beachy knows he's still a work in progress as he takes the mound against the Phillies in his fourth start back from Tommy John surgery, fully aware he is not completely comfortable with all of his pitches.
Beachy also knows that there are better days ahead as he showed in his last start against the Marlins. He allowed just three hits in eight shutout innings to earn his first win since his return. He commanded his fastball and changeup well and still needs to improve the location of his curveball.
Taking the mound for the Phillies will be left-hander John Lannan, who unlike Beachy, struggled with his command in his first start at Nationals Park since joining the Phillies. Lannan allowed eight runs on nine hits in five innings, and walked a season-high five batters.

Phillies notes:
Cole Hamels is 3-2 with a 1.98 ERA in eight starts since the end of June. With that ERA, he ranks 10th among qualified pitchers in that span.
Phillies will play 25 of their next 35 games at home after their current road trip concludes.
Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are second among active middle infielders in games played together at 1,037 games, behind the combination of Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano (1,039 games).

Braves notes:
Braves lead the Majors in comeback wins this season with 38.
In 17 games since Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez moved Jason Heyward to the leadoff spot, he's hitting .381 with 18 runs and 11 RBIs and has nine multi-hit games in that span, including two more hits in last night's 3-1 win over the Phillies.
Braves have had great success against the Phillies as of late, winning 19 of the last 29 meetings between the two clubs.
Braves are 18-4 in their last 22 games.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Game 120 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (53-65) at Atlanta Braves (72-47)

Pitching Probables (photo credits to @D_Slemp):
Embedded image permalink
RHP Ethan Martin (PHI) 1-1, 6.75 ERA
RHP Kris Medlen (ATL) 9-10, 3.85 ERA

Tonight's Starting Lineups (7:10 pm ET, SportSouth):

Phillies (career vs. Medlen)
Jimmy Rollins - SS (4-16, 3 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K)
Michael Young - 1B (0-7, 2 BB, 3 K)
Chase Utley - 2B (4-11, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K)
Domonic Brown - LF (3-6, 3B, HR, 2 RBI)
Darin Ruf - RF (2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K)
Cody Asche - 3B (0-3, RBI, K)
Casper Wells - CF (N/A)
Erik Kratz - C (2-4, 2B)
Ethan Martin - P (N/A)

Braves (career vs. Martin):
Jason Heyward - RF (2-3, 2B, RBI)
Justin Upton - LF (1-3, RBI, 2 K)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (1-3)
Brian McCann - C (2-3, HR, 2 RBI, K)
Chris Johnson - 3B (1-3, HR, RBI, K)
Tyler Pastornicky - 2B (N/A)
Jordan Schafer - CF (N/A)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (0-1, BB)
Kris Medlen - P (N/A)

Preview:
A cavernous gap separates the Braves from the rest of the National League East. That however, did not deter the Phillies on Monday, who claimed the series opener at Turner Field behind Cole Hamels' gem and look to take the series tonight in game two of the three-game set.
Braves boast baseball's best record at 72-47, thanks in part to the recent 14-game winning streak. The Phillies sit a distant 18 1/2 games out of first place.
Tonight, the Phillies will hand the ball to young right-hander, Ethan Martin, who earned his first big league win in his last start, when he held the Cubs to one run on four hits over five solid innings pitched. Braves will counter with Kris Medlen, who has won each of his last three starts.
Last Wednesday, Medlen held the Nationals to three runs on three hits over seven innings to lead the Braves to a 6-3 victory. Medlen cited his curveball as the contributing factor to his recent success.

Uggla to the DL, Pastornicky called up:
Braves announced today that the club has placed second basemen Dan Uggla on the 15-day disabled list due to lasik surgery. The club wanted Uggla to undergo the surgery back in Spring Training. He has been in major slump of late, has two hits in his last 41 at-bats with no home runs and two RBIs. INF Tyler Pastornicky was called up in the corresponding move and will play second while Uggla is on the disabled list.

Roy Halladay close to returning:
Veteran right-hander Roy Halladay is set to make his first rehab start on Thursday with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies. General manager Ruben Amaro stated that Halladay could rejoin the rotation sometime this month, depending on how Halladay feels. Doc went 2-4 with a 8.65 ERA in seven starts before undergoing surgery on his pitching shoulder.

Side note:
Braves LF Justin Upton went 1-for-4 last night after exiting Sunday's game in the fifth inning with cramping in his left hamstring. Catcher Brian McCann also went 1-for-4 after missing two previous games due to a sore knee.
With last night's 5-1 win over the Braves, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel won his 1,000th game as a manager.
Braves are a Major League-best 40-17 at home this season.
Braves OF Jason Heyward has been red-hot since being inserted into the leadoff spot, hitting .361.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Game 119 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (52-65) at Atlanta Braves (72-46)

Pitching Probables:
Embedded image permalink
LHP Cole Hamels (PHI) 4-13, 3.81 ERA
RHP Julio Teheran (ATL) 9-5, 2.96 ERA

Tonight's Starting Lineups (7:10 pm ET, SportSouth):

Phillies (career vs. Teheran):
Jimmy Rollins - SS (2-3, HR, RBI, BB)
Michael Young - 1B (N/A)
Chase Utley - 2B (1-1)
Domonic Brown - LF (N/A)
Darin Ruf - RF (N/A)
Cody Asche - 3B (N/A)
John Mayberry Jr. - CF (N/A)
Carlos Ruiz - C (0-1)
Cole Hamels - P (N/A)

Braves (career vs. Hamels):
Jason Heyward - RF (5-23, 3 2B, 3 BB, 8 K)
Justin Upton - LF (6-18, HR, RBI, 5 K)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (8-26, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K)
Brian McCann - C (16-57, 6 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K)
Chris Johnson - 3B (3-8, 3 K)
Dan Uggla - 2B (9-57, 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 18 K)
BJ Upton - CF (1-11, BB)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (1-3, 2B)
Julio Teheran - P (N/A)

Preview:
Julio Teheran takes the mound on Monday at Turner Field with the chance to provide even further separation between the Braves and Phillies in the NL East. Teheran has no doubt been a key piece in the Braves' 14.5-game lead in the division. The 22-year-old has grown up quickly during his first full season in the Major Leagues, and the Braves couldn't be any happier.
Cracking the starting rotation out of Spring Training was not an easy task for Teheran, but the right-hander made it seem as such, going 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA in six Grapefruit League starts to earn a spot in the rotation.
However, the season began on a rough trail for Teheran, compiling a 5.08 ERA in five April starts while opponents batted .333 against him over 28 1/3 innings. Since the beginning of May, Teheran has been absolutely dominant. He posts a 2.40 ERA and 13 quality starts in 17 outings since May 9, which lowered his ERA to 2.96. He ranks third among qualified rookie MLB pitchers in ERA.
In his last start though, Teheran grabbed headlines for reasons other than his superb pitching when he hit Nationals OF Bryce Harper with a fastball in the Braves' 2-1 win on August 6. Harper was under the impression that Teheran beaned him intentionally, but the confrontation yielded no damage and Teheran escaped the inning unscathed.
Taking the mound for the struggling Phillies is left-hander Cole Hamels. After getting shutout by Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals yesterday, the Phillies have lost 11 straight road games and has not won away from Citizens Bank Park since July 19.
The Phillies' woes are in due part to their injuries. Ryan Howard (left knee inflammation) and Ben Revere (broken right foot) have been on the 15-day disabled list since July 6 and July 14, respectively. They are also without Roy Halladay, who has missed just about the entire season with right shoulder inflammation.

Charlie Manuel nearing 1,000th career win:
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel enters tonight's contest against the Braves with 999 career victories, 779 of which have come in Philadelphia. Manuel won 220 games as manager of the Indians from 2000-02. He would be the 59th manager in MLB history to eclipse the 1,000 win plateau.

Side note:
Braves OF Justin Upton left yesterday's game in the fifth inning due to cramping in his left hamstring. Upton is back in the lineup tonight and will hit second.
Braves 1B Freddie Freeman upped his RBI total to 79 with the go-ahead, three-run home run in yesterday's game, eclipsing the 76 he drove in as a rookie in 2011. His career high is 94, set last season.
Phillies middle infielders Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley have started 1,036 games together, which is the second-most among active combinations behind Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano (1,041 games).