Series Preview: New York Mets (11-15) at Atlanta Braves (17-11) 5/3-5/5

Pitching Probables:
Fri: Shaun Marcum (NYM) 0-2, 7.94 ERA vs. Mike Minor (ATL) 3-2, 3.13 ERA
Sat: Jonathan Niese (NYM) 2-2, 3.31 ERA vs. Julio Teheran (ATL) 1-0, 5.08 ERA
Sun: Matt Harvey (NYM) 4-0, 1.56 ERA vs. Tim Hudson (ATL) 3-1, 3.86 ERA

Comparison by Position:
C:
John Buck (NYM) .264/.296/.593 9 HR 27 RBI
Evan Gattis (ATL) .253/.308/.542 6 HR 16 RBI
Gerald Laird (ATL) .333/.419/.407 0 HR 5 RBI
1B:
Ike Davis (NYM) .169/.272/.315 4 HR 8 RBI
Freddie Freemam (ATL) .296/.377/.389 1 HR 12 RBI
2B:
Daniel Murphy (NYM) .295/.330/.448 2 HR 13 RBI
Dan Uggla (ATL) .167/.286/.344 5 HR 9 RBI
3B:
David Wright (NYM) .308/.423/.527 3 HR 20 RBI
Chris Johnson (ATL) .352/.374/.500 2 HR 9 RBI
Juan Francisco (ATL) .284/.314/.478 4 HR 11 RBI
SS:
Ruben Tejada (NYM) .247/.333/.323 0 HR 8 RBI
Andrelton Simmons (ATL) .223/.279/.309 2 HR 9 RBI
LF:
Lucas Duda (NYM) .250/.424/.513 5 HR 8 RBI
Justin Upton (ATL) .287/.387/.693 12 HR 19 RBI
CF:
Jordany Valdespin (NYM) .263/.300/.439 2 HR 10 RBI
Collin Cowgill (NYM) .157/.173/.294 2 HR 8 RBI
BJ Upton (ATL) .134/.213/.258 3 HR 5 RBI
RF:
Marlon Byrd (NYM) .243/.288/.378 1 HR 11 RBI
Jordan Schafer (ATL) .265/.390/.294 0 HR 2 RBI
Reed Johnson (ATL) .219/.265/.344 0 HR 0 RBI

Preview:
Mets picked the absolute wrong time to come into a three-game series with the Braves after being outscored 18-5 and swept by the Phillies last weekend and are coming off a series loss to the Marlins this week, but claimed the final game of the series in Miami. Braves look to continue their dominance over the Mets, having won 12 of 18 meetings in 2012.
In Friday's series opener, Mets manage Terry Collins will hand the ball to veteran RHP Shaun Marcum, who took the loss in Monday's 15-inning game against the Marlins on Monday night. In his previous start against the Phillies, Marcum allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out three over four innings as he took the loss, his first of two losses in a span of three days.
Opposing Marcum will be Mike Minor. Minor (3-2, 3.13 ERA) had been the most consistent starter in the Braves rotation to this point in the season. However, he did struggle in his last start against the Tigers last Sunday night, allowing six runs on six hits, walked two batters, and struck out six as he took the loss, 8-3 and were swept by the defending AL champs.

Justin Upton named NL Player of the Month in April:
LF Justin Upton was named the National League Player of the Month on Thursday thanks to his unbelievable offensive numbers he put up in April. Upton hit .298 with 12 HR and 19 RBI to go with 22 runs scored.

Evan Gattis named NL Rookie of the Month in April:
To go along with Upton's NL Player of the Month award, Braves rookie catcher, Evan Gattis, was named NL Rookie of the Month after his outstanding offensive display during the first month of the season. Gattis leads all rookies with 6 HR and 16 RBI so far this season.

Side note:
Shaun Marcum is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 3 starts against the Braves in his career.
In 6 career starts against the Mets, Mike Minor is 3-1 with a bloated ERA of 6.03.