Cincinnati @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2009 ) Cincinnati 4, Atlanta 2
They've found different ways to win, from lights-out pitching to late-inning heroics, and now the surging Cincinnati Reds hope their hot play follows them on the road.
The Reds have won four in a row and nine of 10 as they head into Atlanta for a two-game series beginning tonight at Turner Field.
The latest victory came in dramatic fashion, as Scott Rolen's two-run homer sparked a three-run rally in the ninth against Milwaukee closer Trevor Hoffman in a 5-4 victory over the Brewers.
But perhaps nothing the Reds do at this point should be surprising.
Cincinnati is 16-5 since April 25. The Reds began that day in last place in the National League Central but have since overtaken struggling St. Louis for first place in the division.
They turn to veteran right-hander Aaron Harang to keep it going. After an awful start to the season, Harang has three quality starts in his last four outings. He took the loss Friday against St. Louis, giving up four runs on eight hits over six innings in a 4-3 defeat.
The Reds haven't lost since, buoyed by strong performances from their starting pitchers. Cincinnati's starters have combined for 29 innings and seven runs over the past four games.
The Braves would like to see something similar from struggling starter Kenshin Kawakami, who is still looking for his first win. Kawakami failed to make it out of the fifth inning his last time out, allowing four runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Braves did rally to beat Arizona 6-5 in that one, though, their first win in Kawakami's seven starts this year.
Kawakami has not fared well against the Reds. He's 0-2 with an 11.74 ERA in three appearances against them. In his only start against Cincinnati, he was dinged for eight runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings on April 26, 2009.
The Braves bring several hot bats into the series, though, so perhaps they will give Kawakami more than the 2.45 runs of support they have averaged in his seven starts.
Second baseman Martin Prado is hitting .357 over his past nine games despite an 0-for-4 showing Tuesday. First baseman Troy Glaus is hitting .371 in May with four of his six homers coming this month, and outfielder Eric Hinske is hitting .571 in his past six games, though he got the night off Tuesday.
The Reds have their share of hot hitters, too. Most notably, outfielder Jonny Gomes is hitting .465 in 12 games since May 5. With two more hits Tuesday, Gomes raised his average to .303 after seeing it dip to .197 on May 3.