Atlanta @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 22, 2010 ) Philadelphia 8, Atlanta 3

A struggling Atlanta Braves lineup could be a lot weaker if Jason Heyward is not at full strength soon.

The Braves are likely to leave Heyward out of the starting lineup when they open a three-game set today against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Heyward, the odds-on favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year and a budding superstar, hurt his groin Wednesday night and was pulled from the game. The 20-year-old did not start Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals but came on as a pinch hitter, delivering a game-tying, two-run single in the eighth inning.

Clearly not moving well, Heyward was lifted for a pinch runner and Atlanta went on to lose 3-2. He will likely be available only for pinch-hitting duties today as well.

Heyward leads the Braves with eight homers and 26 RBIs and ranks second on the team with a .294 batting average. His absence from the lineup will accentuate the struggles of Brian McCann, Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus, each of whom is batting .243 or below with two homers.

McCann was held out of Thursday’s game to try to snap him out of his current funk. He spent most of the day taking extra batting practice to try and find the stroke that has allowed him to post a .292 career average and become one of the best catchers in the game.

Atlanta will be going up against Jamie Moyer, a pitcher who made his major league debut more than three years before Heyward was born. The left-hander was supposed to begin the season in the bullpen but an injury to Joe Blanton forced him back into the rotation.

While four of his five outings have resulted in four or more runs in six innings, his April 22 date at Atlanta couldn’t have gone much better. Moyer allowed only a pair of unearned runs and four hits while striking out four and walking two to earn the win.

The outing against the Braves was also the only time this season Moyer did not allow a home run – a big key to his success. In his four other starts, Moyer has yielded seven blasts in 24 total innings.

Atlanta will counter with right-hander Derek Lowe, who is coming off a win against the Houston Astros last Sunday. Lowe allowed one run on six hits in five innings while issuing only a single walk, a sign that maybe the veteran sinkerballer has found the control that was absent in the first month of the season.

Lowe has surrendered four or more runs in four of his six starts and has yet to make it through seven innings in 2010.