Los Angeles @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2010 ) Atlanta 4, LA Dodgers 5
The Atlanta Braves spent the past three days watching the out-of-town scoreboard and hoping to see Los Angeles Dodgers victories.
Especially after the Dodgers' late collapse Thursday in Philadelphia cost the Braves a game off their slim National League East lead, Atlanta won't be so eager to see Los Angeles succeed during the teams' four-game series starting tonight at Turner Field.
The series begins with the Braves having won six of eight to maintain their division lead over the surging Phillies, though the advantage is down to two games, thanks in part to the Dodgers' squandering a 9-2 lead over the last two innings of a 10-9 loss Thursday.
The Braves hope to pay back Los Angeles tonight, when they send red-hot right-hander Tim Hudson (13-5, 2.24 ERA) to the mound.
The 35-year-old Hudson has been dominant in his past four starts, going 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. He gave one of his best performances of an already outstanding season Saturday against San Francisco, holding the Giants to three hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings.
Hudson faced the Dodgers on June 6 in Los Angeles, allowing four runs - three earned - over seven innings, but he didn't factor in the decision in a 5-4 Dodgers victory. He is 5-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 11 starts against the Dodgers, but he hasn't beaten them since 2006.
Philadelphia's late rally against the Dodgers wasn't the only bad news for the Braves on Thursday. They also learned third baseman Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Jones injured the knee making an acrobatic play on a ground ball Tuesday against Houston. The 38-year-old switch hitter is hitting .265 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs this season. He was 11-for-23 (.478) with two homers in his past six games.
Losing Jones' comes on top of injuries to Martin Prado, who has been out since July 30 with a fractured pinky, and Jason Heyward, who has missed the past two games with a sore right knee. Prado, who still leads the National League with 138 hits, could come off the DL as early as Sunday.
Bad news has been the norm lately for the Dodgers. They made a number of moves at the non-waiver trade deadline to bolster the roster for a run in the NL West, but they haven't been able to gain any traction. A six-game losing streak against division rivals San Diego and San Francisco dropped them nine games off the Padres' lead, and they haven't gained any ground since.
Their struggles on the road have been a problem, as they haven't won a road series since the All-Star break and are 2-11 away from home during that stretch.
They look to Hiroki Kuroda (8-10, 3.65 ERA) to try to turn things around tonight, and the 35-year-old right-hander has been fairly successful against the Braves.
Kuroda is 1-2 with a 2.14 ERA in three starts against Atlanta, including a one-hit shutout in 2008. He faced the Braves on June 3 in Los Angeles, but he didn't factor in the decision in Atlanta's 4-3 win. He allowed four runs - three earned - over six innings.
Kuroda has lost his last two decisions and five of his last six. In seven starts over that span, he has a 4.54 ERA.