Atlanta @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( May 30, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Atlanta 5
The Atlanta Braves need a pick me up. They are hoping the Pittsburgh Pirates provide just the right elixir.
After rallying from a six-run deficit on Sunday, the Braves lost the rubber game of a three-game series to the Florida Marlins and now travel to Pittsburgh to begin a three-game set against the dreadful Pirates with a Labor Day matinee at PNC Park.
The Braves erased a 6-0 deficit against the Marlins on Sunday with a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth, but Eric O’Flaherty yielded an RBI single to Scott Cousins in the bottom of the 10th in the 7-6 defeat.
Atlanta has lost three of its last four games after winning five straight and has seen its seven-game lead on July 22 over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East dwindle to just one. Philadelphia opens a four-game series against Florida on Monday.
Atlanta will throw out Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe against Pittsburgh, which has the worst record in baseball at 45-91. The Pirates have lost two of three at home to the Washington Nationals this weekend and have lost five of six to the Braves this season.
Pittsburgh strung together 11 hits against Washington on Sunday but scored only on a homer by rookie Pedro Alvarez. Three Pittsburgh errors led to six unearned runs and Charlie Morton failed to survive the fourth inning as the Pirates lost for the 27th time in their last 36 games in the 8-1 decision.
Hanson (9-10, 3.60 ERA) starts the opener of the series for the Braves. He picked up his first win since July 3 on Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the New York Mets. The 24-year-old allowed just a fourth-inning single and one walk over seven scoreless frames.
Despite not winning in his previous 10 starts, the right-hander pitched well, posting a 3.08 ERA during that span. This will be his first appearance against Pittsburgh in his brief two-year career.
Hanson and the rest of the Braves’ staff, including a bullpen that ranks second in the National League in ERA (3.09), will have to keep an eye on Pirates rookie Neil Walker, who enters batting .396 (21-for-53) with four homers and 14 RBI during a 12-game hitting streak.
Brian Burres (2-3, 6.31 ERA) takes the mound on Labor Day for the Pirates, followed by James McDonald and Zach Duke. The trio has 11 wins combined this season, or four fewer than Hudson alone.
Burres is a late replacement for Jeff Karstens, who was scratched Sunday with right shoulder discomfort and is likely done for the season. The 29-year-old Burres has split his 14 appearances evenly between the rotation and bullpen.
The left-hander has not started since May 29, and he has been pounded for six runs and nine hits in four innings over four games since returning from the minors in late August.