Atlanta @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 5, 2010 ) Atlanta 9, LA Dodgers 3
An important 11-game road trip could start with a bang if the Atlanta Braves can knock off the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
The Braves have taken two of the first three games in this four-game set and a win in the finale would set them up nicely as they head to Arizona to play four against the Diamondbacks before a tough three-game series with American League Central-leading Minnesota to wrap up the trip.
Even a loss today would not be the worst thing. Atlanta gets to move on from a team tied for the lead in the National League West to one at the bottom of the standings in Arizona.
This trip has come at a crucial time for the Braves, who used a nine-game winning streak to surge to the top of the NL East Division standings. The run was capped by a three-game sweep of two-time NL champion Philadelphia and a win in the series opener in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Atlanta goes for the series win with Tim Hudson taking the ball and looking to remain perfect on the road. Hudson (6-1, 2.30 ERA) is 3-0 on the road this season and has won his last five decisions.
In 10 career starts against the Dodgers, Hudson is 5-2 with a 3.90 ERA.
Los Angeles counters with John Ely (3-2, 2.54), who has given up one run in his last two starts, pitching 14 1/3 innings but is 0-1 after both games ended 1-0. The Dodgers won Ely's last start on Tuesday 1-0 over Arizona.
Ely has been a revelation for the Dodgers this season. Having never pitched above Double-A before this season, Ely has given up two runs or less in six of his first seven starts in the majors.
The only start in which the 24-year-old Ely gave up more than two runs was his first, in New York against the Mets. Ely was tagged for five runs and six hits in six innings of a 7-3 loss, but since then the trade that brought him to Chavez Ravine from the White Sox looks better and better for the Dodgers.
Ely has been especially impressive with his control and keeping opponents in the ball park. In 46 innings he has yet to surrender a home run and he has given up only eight walks with 37 strikeouts.