Arizona @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 28, 2013 ) Arizona 0, Atlanta 3
The opening salvo in a matchup of division leaders went to the Atlanta Braves, but the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks will try to even the series when the teams clash again Saturday afternoon. Four pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout Friday as National League East-leading Atlanta won 3-0 and evened the season series at two games apiece. Arizona has dropped four of five to see its lead in the NL West dwindle to 2 1/2 games over San Diego.
Even during a recent rough patch in which they lost six of nine, the Braves maintained a comfortable 5 1/2-game lead in their division over Washington. Atlanta's pitching has been strong of late, allowing four or fewer runs in eight straight contests and 11 of the last 12. Arizona has lost three of its first four outing on a 10-game road trip and has two more with Atlanta and four against the New York Mets before returning home for a 10-game stretch.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports South (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Ian Kennedy (3-4, 5.21 ERA) vs. Braves RH Tim Hudson (4-7, 4.10)
Kennedy is returning from a 10-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 11. He is making his first start since posting six innings of one-run ball at San Diego on June 16 - his second straight quality start. Kennedy is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four starts against Atlanta, including a win on May 15 in which he yielded three runs - two earned - over five innings.
Hudson has recorded five straight quality starts and has a 1.82 ERA over that span, but he is winless in nine outings since May 5. He held Milwaukee to two runs over six innings in his last start but found himself on the wrong end of a shutout. Hudson lost at Arizona on May 15, allowing five runs over five innings, but he is 7-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 10 starts against the Diamondbacks.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Diamondbacks were the last team in the majors to suffer their first shutout of the season. It also snapped a single-season franchise record of 78 straight games without being blanked.
2. The Braves have scored two or fewer runs in the last five games Hudson has started, including two shutouts.
3. Arizona and Atlanta each have 22 comeback wins, tied for the most in the National League.
PREDICTION: Braves 4, Diamondbacks 3