Atlanta @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( May 5, 2013 ) NY Mets 4, Atlanta 9

Jeremy Hefner takes the mound for the Mets at Citi Field on Friday as New York opens a three-game series with the first-place Atlanta Braves, but his thoughts will be 1,455 miles away from New York City. Hefner lived in Moore, Okla., the site of Monday’s deadly tornado, for the first 10 years of his life. The right-hander tweeted Monday that he attended one of the schools hit by the tornado, and still has family and friends who live in the city. Hefner will try to help the Mets get going at home, where they have lost 11 of their last 13 games.

Atlanta brings a six-game winning streak into the series as it was perfect on its six-game homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. The Braves are 13-13 on the road, despite already enduring two three-city, 10-game road trips in the season’s first eight weeks. Atlanta leads the NL East by 4 ½ games over Washington thanks to a powerful lineup that ranks second in the majors in home runs and a strong pitching staff that is fifth in ERA.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Kris Medlen (1-5, 3.02 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jeremy Hefner (0-5, 9.00)

Medlen has not been as dominant as the pitcher who went 10-1 last season after joining the rotation, but he has pitched much better than his record indicates. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, and he held the Dodgers to zero earned runs and two hits in seven innings on Saturday. Medlen has walked 22 hitters in 56 2/3 innings after issuing 23 free passes in 138 frames in 2012.

Like Medlen, control has been an issue for Hefner, who has issued as many walks (18) in 45 innings this season as he did in 93 2/3 frames last year. The Mets’ offense has not provided much support, scoring 13 runs in his eight starts, and New York is 7-14 in Hefner’s 21 career outings. The 27-year-old gave up four earned runs on five hits in four innings Saturday against the Cubs.

WALK-OFFS

1. Atlanta CF B.J. Upton is hitting just .155 but is 4-for-13 with three runs scored in his past five games.

2. New York OF Marlon Byrd is hitting .307 in May with three homers, and needs five hits to reach 1,100 for his career.

3. New York’s offense has struggled, scoring three runs or fewer 12 times in the past 16 games and ranking 28th in the majors in batting average (.227).

PREDICTION: Braves 3, Mets 2