San Francisco @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2015 ) San Francisco 8, Atlanta 3

The San Francisco Giants will try not to get ahead of themselves when they visit the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday for the rubber match of their three-game series as a key four-game set with the Cubs in Chicago begins Thursday. San Francisco erased the memory of blowing three leads in Monday's 9-8 loss in 12 innings by prevailing 8-3 on Tuesday to pull within two games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West and remain one-half game behind Chicago for the final wild-card spot.

The Giants on Tuesday continued their power surge on the road with two home runs - including a three-run tiebreaking shot by Hunter Pence in the eighth inning - as 62 of their 93 blasts this season have come away from home. Atlanta will be without first baseman Freddie Freeman (.284, 14 home runs, 45 RBIs), who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with an oblique injury suffered in Monday's game. It is the second stint on the DL in 2015 for the two-time All-Star, who missed 30 games in June and July with a wrist injury. San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner is 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA in his last five starts against the Braves as he opposes Williams Perez, who is coming off his first career loss in his return from the disabled list.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), SportSouth (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (11-6, 3.39 ERA) vs. Braves RH Williams Perez (4-1, 4.14)

Bumgarner matched a season high by allowing six runs in seven innings of a 6-3 loss in Texas on Friday and finished July with a 3-2 record and 4.89 ERA after giving up six runs in his first start of the month. The 26-year-old North Carolina native won all three starts in between, yielding four runs and striking out 17 in 17 2/3 frames during the stretch. Bumgarner is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA in nine starts against Atlanta, including a no-decision on May 31 in which he permitted three runs over 6 1/3 innings of a 7-5 loss, and has struggled with Jonny Gomes (7-for-10, two home runs) while handling Cameron Maybin (5-for-26, 11 strikeouts).

Perez trailed 4-0 before recording an out and gave up nine runs, nine hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of a 9-3 loss in Philadelphia on Friday. It was the 24-year-old Venezuelan's first start since June 26, when he took a line drive off the foot and suffered a contusion. Perez, who has yielded 54 hits and 27 walks while striking out 41 in 54 1/3 frames this season, won in San Francisco 8-0 on May 30 as he allowed four hits and four walks in eight innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Braves C A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .374 since July 1.

2. Giants 3B Matt Duffy is batting .383 in his last 11 contests after matching a career high with four hits Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to six games.

3. Atlanta SS Andrelton Simmons on Tuesday missed his second straight game because of a bruised thumb but is expected to return by the end of the week.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Braves 2