San Francisco @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2010 ) San Francisco 3, Atlanta 2
Brooks Conrad started the first three games of the National League Division Series for the Atlanta Braves only because of the team’s misfortune that included season-ending injuries to star infielders Chipper Jones and Martin Prado.
Now Conrad’s own misfortune has the Braves on the brink of elimination entering Monday’s Game 4 against the San Francisco Giants in Atlanta.
Conrad had one of the worst defensive games in playoff history on Sunday by committing three errors at second base, with the final miscue allowing the Giants to push across the winning run and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series.
Buster Posey’s grounder with two on and two out in the ninth inning of a tie game went right through Conrad’s legs and Freddy Sanchez scored the decisive run in San Francisco’s 3-2 victory.
Atlanta manager Bobby Cox – who will be managing his final game should the Braves lose Monday – was non-committal on whether he would be writing Conrad’s name in the starting lineup. The journeyman infielder is 1-for-10 in the series with four errors.
Conrad’s rough day has the Giants in position to clinch the series behind left-hander Madison Bumgarner.
Bumgarner went 7-6 with a 3.00 earned-run average in 18 starts. His strong finish helped make it easy for Giants manager Bruce Bochy to omit high-paid veteran Barry Zito from the playoff roster and make Bumgarner the No. 4 starter.
In his last six outings of the season, Bumgarner allowed just five runs in 38 innings for a spectacular 1.18 ERA.
The 21-year-old Bumgarner is also well-rested, having last pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 30. Bumgarner has never faced Atlanta.
Derek Lowe will start on three days’ rest for Atlanta. Lowe took the loss in Thursday’s series opener despite allowing just one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The veteran right-hander had the bad luck of starting against San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum, who pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout and struck out 14.
As expected, the Braves took closer Billy Wagner (oblique) off the playoff roster prior to Sunday’s game and his absence was noticeably felt in the ninth inning when Atlanta used four pitchers.
Craig Kimbrel, who suffered the loss, started the inning. Mike Dunn replaced Kimbrel and blew the save when Aubrey Huff delivered a game-tying single with two outs in the ninth. Peter Moylan was on the mound when Conrad misplayed Posey’s grounder and Kyle Farnsworth finished the inning.
Posey has been the top hitter in the series for either team, going 5-for-12 (.417) over the first three games.
Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval was benched in Game 3 after going 1-for-6 over the first two games. Mike Fontenot started in Sandoval’s place and had a triple and scored on Conrad’s first error of the contest – a dropped pop-up in shallow right field.
Braves outfielder Jason Heyward is struggling more than any hitter on either team. The rookie is hitless in 12 at-bats with seven strikeouts.