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

Pitching Probables:

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.

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.

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

Pitching Probables (photo credits to @D_Slemp):

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.

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

Pitching Probables:

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).

Game 117 Preview: Miami Marlins (43-71) at Atlanta Braves (71-45)

Pitching Probables (photo credits to @D_Slemp):

RHP Nathan Eovaldi (MIA) 2-2, 3.19 ERA
LHP Alex Wood (ATL) 2-2, 3.20 ERA

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

Marlins ('13 season stats):
Christian Yelich - LF (.300/.347/.414 1 HR 4 RBI)
Adeiny Hechavarria - SS (.239/.274/.310 2 HR 26 RBI)
Ed Lucas - 2B (.246/.314/.310 2 HR 14 RBI)
Logan Morrison - 1B (.277/.364/.445 4 HR 18 RBI)
Placido Polanco - 3B (.260/.316/.301 1 HR 20 RBI)
Justin Ruggiano - RF (.197/.276/.359 12 HR 32 RBI)
Jake Marisnick - CF (.179/.220/.250 1 HR 3 RBI)
Jeff Mathis - C (.194/.273/.285 2 HR 20 RBI)
Nathan Eovaldi - P (.063/.118/.063 0 HR 1 RBI)

Braves (career vs. Eovaldi):
Jason Heyward - RF (4-10, 3B, RBI, 3 K)
Justin Upton - LF (2-6, 2 K)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (2-10, 2B, 2 RBI, K)
Evan Gattis - C (N/A)
Chris Johnson - 3B (N/A)
Dan Uggla - 2B (3-7, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K)
BJ Upton - CF (N/A)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (0-2)
Alex Wood - P (N/A)

Preview:
The Braves won their 14th consecutive game on Friday night, earning the chance to match the Atlanta record of 15 straight wins from April 16-May 2, 2000 against the Marlins in the second game of the three-game set. The franchise record is 18 straight wins, set by the 1891 Boston Beaneaters.
The offense especially, has come alive during the Braves' winning streak, averaging nearly six runs a game. But the pitching has been even better.
Brandon Beachy's eight scoreless innings last night helped lower the Braves' ERA to 2.08 during the streak. Lefty Alex Wood will be tasked of continuing the trend tonight as he takes the mound. Wood had perhaps his best start in his Major League career last Sunday night versus the Phillies, allowing just one run on two hits and struck out three, outpitching Cliff Lee to record his second win of his brief career.
Opposing Wood is young right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who could use some of the offense that the Braves pitchers have received this month. Marlins have failed to give Eovaldi any run support in his last four starts. Prime example is in his last start against the Indians where he only surrendered a run in seven magnificent innings. Even if Eovaldi pitches well again tonight, it is unlikely that the Marlins offense will be able to score runs. Miami offense has plated just 12 runs during their six-game losing streak.

Schafer activated from DL, Laird begins rehab assignment:
Jordan Schafer was activated from the disabled list Friday night and Jose Constanza was optioned down to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
Schafer had been on the DL since July 4 with a stress fracture in his foot. He hit .063 (2-for32) with two doubles in eight rehab games. While up with the big league club, Constanza hit .160 (4-for-25) with one RBI, one run scored, and five strikeouts in 14 games.
Gerald Laird began his rehab assignment for Gwinnett last night and went hitless. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 3, retroactive to July 26, with kidney stones.

Side note:
Justin Upton blasted a solo home run in the first inning of last night's game to extend his hit streak to 13 games. He's batting .426 (23-for-54) with six homers and 14 RBIs during the streak.
Giancarlo Stanton is hitting just .177 (3-for-17) with three runs scored and an RBI during the Marlins current road trip. Stanton is not in tonight's lineup.
Brandon Beachy won his first MLB game since returning from Tommy John surgery. His last big league win came against the Marlins on May 17, 2012.
Christian Yelich extended his career-high hitting streak to nine games with a leadoff single in the first inning of last night's game. He is hitting .405 (15-for-37) with six runs scored during the streak.
Jacob Turner gave up three home runs, all in the first inning, in last night's loss, matching the three he allowed in his previous 12 starts.

Game 116 Preview: Miami Marlins (43-70) at Atlanta Braves (70-45)

Pitching Probables:

RHP Jacob Turner (MIA) 3-3, 2.68 ERA
RHP Brandon Beachy (ATL) 0-0, 9.00 ERA

Tonight's Starting Lineups (7:35 pm ET, FS South):

Marlins (career vs. Beachy):
Christian Yelich - LF (N/A)
Jake Marisnick - CF (N/A)
Giancarlo Stanton - RF (4-12, 3 2B, RBI, BB, K)
Logan Morrison - 1B (1-11, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K)
Ed Lucas - 3B (N/A)
Donovan Solano - 2B (N/A)
Adeiny Hechavarria - SS (N/A)
Jeff Mathis - C (N/A)
Jacob Turner - P (N/A)

Braves (career vs. Turner):
Jason Heyward - RF (0-6, K)
Justin Upton - LF (0-2, BB)
Freddie Freeman - 1B (2-6, 2B, 2 K)
Brian McCann - C (N/A)
Chris Johnson - 3B (1-3, 2B, RBI)
Dan Uggla - 2B (2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB)
BJ Upton - CF (0-3, 2 K)
Andrelton Simmons - SS (2-3, 2B, RBI, K)
Brandon Beachy - P (N/A)

Preview:
The last time Brandon Beachy saw the Marlins, on May 17 of last year, the right-hander was as good as he has ever been, striking out six Marlins en route to tossing his first complete game shutout of his career, a five-hitter at Turner Field that lowered his ERA to 1.33 eight starts into the season.
In a month's time, Beachy was prepping to have Tommy John surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow after he exited a start against the Orioles, cutting short the makings of a potential breakout season.
Beachy will face the Marlins on Friday night in his third start since his return from the long, tedious process of rehabbing from Tommy John, looking to build on his performance in a 5-4 win over the Phillies last Saturday in which Beachy received a no decision.
After surrendering seven runs on eight hits to the Rockies in his first start back, Beachy allowed three earned runs on five hits over 6 1/3 solid innings.
Jacob Turner is the next pitcher tasked with slowing down a red-hot Braves offense that has averaged almost six runs a game during their 13-game winning streak. Turner has turned in three consecutive quality starts, but has not won a game since the All-Star break. In his prior outing against the Indians, Turner struck out six over six innings in the 4-3 loss. Like most of the starters in the Marlins rotation, Turner has fell victim to lack of run support. The offense is providing barely over three runs of support in Turner's 12 starts this season.

No ill-effects of neck injury for Heyward, Schafer update:
After leaving Tuesday's game against the Nationals with a muscle strain in his neck, the Braves outfielder was right back in the leadoff spot in Wednesday's game after waking up pain-free without the headache he developed without warning after taking the swing in which he strained his neck. Heyward finished 2-for-5, including a two-out single that drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning.
Outfielder Jordan Schafer could be activated from the disabled list as early as today. He has been sidelined since July 3 with a stress fracture in his right foot and has appeared in six Minor League rehab games with Triple-A Gwinnett. Through Wednesday's rehab start, Schafer is 2-for-23.

Season-long offensive woes continue for Marlins:
Thursday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Pirates further underscored the Marlins' myriad struggles to score runs. After collecting just one extra-base hit out of 11 total hits in Tuesday's 4-3 loss, the Marlins went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position and only had one extra base hit out of seven total hits. Although they were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position Thursday, Miami only managed two extra-base hits out of nine total hits. They rank last in baseball in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, and OPS.

Side note:
Tonight's opener of the three-game series will be the first of 10 games the clubs will play against each other over the final two months of the season. Braves currently lead the season series, 6-3.
Braves are the only team in the NL East with a positive run differential, increasing the margin to plus-121 with Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Nationals.
Marlins OF Christian Yelich continued to swing the bat well as he extended his eight-game hitting streak with three hits in yesterday's game versus the Pirates, including hitting his first career MLB home run.

Thoughts on Brian McCann - in the words of Matt Childs (@Matiavelli)

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 30: Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a fourth inning three run home run against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field on July 30, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

One thing I love more than most anything in sports is when a player spends the entirety of his career in one uniform. Loyalty is easily my favorite quality in a professional athlete. Derek Jeter is, and always will be a Yankee. Craig Biggio was never seen without a star on his hat. Chipper was one of the defining faces of the Braves for two decades. While I would love for Brian McCann to stay in Atlanta for the remainder of his career, the question has to be asked, is he worth it? Without a doubt, McCann has been the best offensive catcher since he entered the league in 2005 and I feel I speak for all of Braves Country when I say I would love to sign him to an extension this offseason, but the decision to bring him back isn’t as cut and dry as most would like to believe. McCann is due for a major pay raise this winter. He will more than likely be willing to take a hometown discount, but even with that he will demand a major heap of cash and with the young, budding stars on the Braves roster, that money could be better spent elsewhere. The old saying, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” is very appropriate in this situation. While we could make McCann a Brave for life, it could mean restricting our ability to lock up players like Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen, all free agents in 2016 and 2017. Of course, the money that would be spent on McCann wouldn’t come close to paying for all of those contracts, but as we are all well aware, the payroll for the Braves has been tight in recent years and every dollar matters. Evan Gattis has proven that he has the ability to hang with Major League pitching and has looked good behind the plate, not to mention his arm is better than McCann’s. There is already an issue of finding playing time for Gattis and bringing McCann back would only draw out that problem. The major question mark that would come with Gattis is his inexperience at the professional level, but Gerald Laird easily solves that issue with his veteran presence. Contrary to popular belief among Braves Fam, Laird has been a productive player when given the playing time and the argument can be made that he is a huge part of the advancement of Julio Teheran this season. The Braves are set at catcher for the foreseeable future with Gattis and Laird, so we are more than likely watching the final games for Brian McCann in a Braves uniform. Enjoy them while you can. And from all of Braves Country, thank you for the memories, B-Mac.

--Matt Childs