Atlanta @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2012 ) Atlanta 2, NY Yankees 6

The New York Yankees have won 10 straight games and are ripping through the National League East like it’s Triple-A. The Atlanta Braves are currently in front of the New York runaway train and were run over in the series opener on Monday. For all of the Yankees’ success over the years, Monday’s win marked their first 10-game winning streak since 2005. Pitching has been the key, with the starting rotation dominating this month.

The Braves are in the midst of a stretch of 30 straight games against teams .500 or better - and they are starting to show the wear and tear with losses in seven of their last eight games. They have managed a total of two runs in the last four games and are averaging 2.0 in the last eight. New York received a complete game from CC Sabathia in Monday’s 6-2 victory and have gotten at least six innings from starters in 18 straight games. The lineup is heating up as well, led by Robinson Cano, who hit his 13th homer on Monday and is up over .300 for the first time this month.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SPSO (Atlanta), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Tim Hudson (4-3, 3.90 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 3.43 ERA)

Hudson struck out eight in six innings against New York last week and was in line for the win until yielding a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson in the sixth. The right-hander pitched a shutout in his previous start and allowed only six hits against the Yankees. Hudson has not fared well against New York in his career, owning a 1-4 record with a 3.84 ERA in 11 starts.

Kuroda has been at the forefront of New York’s rotation surge, posting a 3-0 record and a 1.29 ERA over his last four starts. He got the win over Hudson last week, scattering two runs and nine hits in six innings. Kuroda is 2-4 despite a 2.23 ERA in six career starts against Atlanta.

WALK-OFFS:

1. An MRI on Monday revealed that Braves RH Brandon Beachy has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will visit Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

2. Alex Rodriguez scored his 1,860th run on Monday, passing Mel Ott for 11th all-time. Next up is Tris Speaker with 1,882.

3. Atlanta hopes to have 1B Freddie Freeman (finger) back in the lineup on Tuesday. He got a cortisone shot over the weekend in the sore digit.