Atlanta @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 25, 2010 ) Atlanta 6, Pittsburgh 7
The Atlanta Braves won't be able to extend their streak of three consecutive walk-off wins tonight -- but perhaps that's only because they won't have the last at-bat.
The red-hot Braves begin a six-game road trip tonight at Pittsburgh having won eight of 10, and the last three wins have come in dramatic fashion. They scored single runs in the bottom of the ninth in wins against the New York Mets and Cincinnati, then topped themselves by scoring seven in the ninth to finish a two-game sweep of the Reds on Thursday.
Now they have to see if it carries over on the road, where things haven't been as rosy. Atlanta endured an 0-7 road trip at the end of April and is 8-14 away from Turner Field this year.
Pitching on the road has never been a problem for tonight's starter, Tim Hudson, and pitching at PNC Park has been especially pleasant.
Hudson is 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA in four starts at PNC Park, his fourth-best ERA in a park in which he has started more than three games. In eight overall starts against the Pirates, Hudson is 4-3 with a 2.82 ERA.
Hudson (4-1) continues his resurgence in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He has seven quality starts in eight outings and has not allowed more than three runs yet this year.
In his last start Sunday against Arizona, Hudson gave up one run on three hits over eight innings and tallied a season-high six strikeouts.
He will be faced with the challenge of slowing down Pittsburgh's hot-hitting duo of Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones, both of whom are 11-of-27 over the past seven games.
The Braves have their share of hot hitters, too.
First baseman Troy Glaus had three hits Thursday to continue his torrid three-week clip - he's 27-for-70 (.385) in May and has raised his average from .194 to .289 since the month began.
Second baseman Martin Prado has multiple hits in seven of the last 11 games and is 18-of-51 (.353) during that span.
And outfielder Nate McLouth has bounced back after a dreadful early-season slump to go 9-for-24 (.375) and drive in six runs in his last seven games.
The task of cooling them off falls tonight to 27-year-old right-hander Ross Ohlendorf, who is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts this season.
Ohlendorf will make his third since returning from a monthlong stint on the disabled list because of back spasms.
On Sunday at Wrigley Field, he allowed two runs on four hits over six innings, but didn't factor in the decision when the Cubs rallied for a 4-3 win.
Ohlendorf has faced the Braves only once, going six innings and allowing three runs on eight hits in a 4-3 loss last June.