Philadelphia @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( May 31, 2010 ) Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 9
The Atlanta Braves have plenty of reasons to be sad that May is over - and just as many reasons why they had such a successful month.
The Braves wrapped up May with a 20-8 record by beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-3, on Monday, which was Atlanta's sixth consecutive win and its 11th in 13 games. That surge allowed the Braves to go from last place in the NL East and 6 1/2 games behind the Phillies at the end of play May 17 to holding a half-game lead heading into Tuesday night's rematch at Turner Field.
Veteran right-hander Tim Hudson was a big part of Atlanta's memorable May, going 4-0 and posting a 1.59 ERA in six starts last month. The Braves have won the last four times Hudson took the mound, and they hope his success carries over into June.
Hudson (5-1, 2.24 ERA) had his last start cut short by a rain delay after the fourth inning, which kept him from posting his ninth quality start and eighth in a row. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start year.
But Hudson hasn't had much luck against Philadelphia, especially in recent years. He is 4-7 with a 3.75 ERA in 16 starts against the Phillies, and he has lost his last five decisions against them. That includes a tough-luck loss on April 21, when he allowed two runs on six hits over six innings in a 2-0 loss.
Slugging first baseman Ryan Howard has hit Hudson particularly well - he's 13-for-36 with five homers and 10 RBIs against him - and Shane Victorino (2-for-28, two homers, six RBIs) and Jayson Werth (6-for-15) have also had success against Hudson.
Like Monday's starter Tommy Hanson - who beat the Phillies for the first time in his career - Hudson might be catching Philadelphia at the right time to turn around that trend. The Phillies have lost nine of 13, and their usually potent offense has been rather punchless during that stretch. They've scored three or fewer runs in their last nine games, and they've been shut out in five of them.
Third baseman Placido Polanco is one of Philadelphia's few hot hitters - he's hitting .357 since May 7 - but he has missed the last four games with an injured left elbow. The Phillies hope he can return on Tuesday.
While the Phillies' big hitters have all seemed to turn cold at the same time, the Braves have experienced the opposite.
First baseman Troy Glaus wrapped up his phenomenal month with two hits Monday, including a three-run homer. Glaus finished May with a .330 average, six homers and an NL-best 28 RBIs.
Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward hit .337 in May with four homers and 19 RBIs, and second baseman Martin Prado finished the month with the NL lead in hits. Prado has four multi-hit games during the Braves' six-game winning streak, giving him multiple hits in 14 games this month and 23 for the season.
Third baseman Chipper Jones is starting to break out of his early-season struggles, too, as he's 8-for-16 with a homer and seven RBIs in his last five games.
The challenge of cooling those hot bats falls to 26-year-old left-hander Cole Hamels (5-3, 3.82 ERA), who has had a pretty nice month of May himself. He finished the month at 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, posting four quality starts in his last five outings.
The one exception was against the Braves on May 9, but he still picked up the win by allowing three runs on eight hits over five innings in a 5-3 victory. In 15 career starts against Atlanta, Hamels is 8-4 with a 4.02 ERA.
Jones and catcher Brian McCann have had the most success against Hamels. Jones is 9-for-22 with two homers and six RBIs against him, and McCann is 11-for-32 with a homer and 10 RBIs. It might also be a good time for shortstop Yunel Escobar (1-for-16 vs. Hamels) to get a day off in favor of Omar Infante (8-for-22 vs. Hamels).