New York @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 1, 2010 ) NY Mets 1, Atlanta 4
The Atlanta Braves have been scoring runs at a furious clip during their five-game winning streak.With Tim Hudson on the mound Thursday night, the Braves might not need an offensive explosion to run the streak to six.
Hudson looks for his 16th win of the season as Atlanta looks to complete a four-game sweep of the New York Mets at Turner Field. The 35-year-old right-hander has been outstanding at home this season, going 10-3 with a 1.83 ERA in 14 starts there.
Then again, he has been dominant no matter where he pitches.
Hudson (15-5, 2.24 ERA) has won his last six decisions dating back to a rough outing against Milwaukee on July 17. During that stretch, he has compiled a 1.43 ERA over eight starts with 46 strikeouts and 11 walks. Hudson was especially dominant Saturday against Florida, racking up a season-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball for his 15th win.
The Mets have already fallen victim to Hudson's hot streak once – he held them to one run on six hits over six innings in a 4-1 win Aug. 2 at Turner Field, one of four consecutive wins against New York. He also tossed seven scoreless innings for the win in a 4-0 victory July 10 at Citi Field.
Hudson is 12-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 18 career starts against the Mets, but he has had trouble with outfielder Carlos Beltran, who is 24-for-63 (.381) with four homers and 15 RBIs against him.
The Braves, who hold a three-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East, have provided their starters with significant run support recently, averaging 8.2 runs during their five-game winning streak.
Keeping up that pace will be difficult against Mets ace Johan Santana, though the 31-year-old left-hander is trying to turn things around after hitting a rough patch.
Santana (10-9, 3.02 ERA) has lost his last three starts, including two in which he threw eight-inning complete games. The home run has hurt him during that stretch – he has allowed five long balls over his last three starts after allowing five over his previous 19 outings.
Santana is 2-6 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 career starts against the Braves, including a 1-1 mark in three starts this year. He allowed two runs over seven innings for a no-decision in Atlanta's 3-2 victory May 18 at Turner Field, threw seven scoreless innings to beat the Braves 3-0 on July 11 in New York and allowed four runs over seven innings to lose to Hudson on Aug. 2 in Atlanta.
Outfielder Matt Diaz has had Santana's number over the years, going 16-for-30 (.533) with a homer against him.
Santana has fared well against two of Atlanta's hottest hitters, though. Leadoff man Omar Infante is 7-for-36 (.194) lifetime against him, and rookie Jason Heyward is 1-for-6 against Santana.
After going 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 win, Infante has hit .400 over his last 19 games – and he hasn't even been Atlanta's hottest hitter lately. That title belongs to Heyward, who went 4-for-4 on Wednesday – his second four-hit game of the series – and is hitting .533 with four homers and 12 RBIs over his last 11 games.