Pittsburgh @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( May 25, 2011 ) Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 2

THE STORY: The upcoming week will go a long way in determining whether the Pittsburgh Pirates will sink or swim in their quest for the National League Central crown. The test begins Monday, when Pittsburgh begins a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Pirates, who are seeking their first playoff appearance since 1992, halted a three-game losing streak with a win over St. Louis on Sunday and forged a three-way tie with the Cardinals and Milwaukee atop the Central. Following this series, Pittsburgh visits NL East-leading Philadelphia for three games. Atlanta has dropped four of six and fallen six games behind Philadelphia but is four in front of Arizona for the wild card.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Root Sports (Pittsburgh), SportSouth (Atlanta), ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH James McDonald (6-4, 4.15 ERA) vs. Braves RH Tim Hudson (9-6, 3.39 ERA).

McDonald tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a win over Cincinnati on Tuesday to improve to 3-0 in his last seven starts. The 26-year old is 3-3 on the road this year but has posted a 5.79 ERA over nine outings. McDonald, who is 1-0 in four career games against Atlanta, yielded two runs in six innings vs. the Braves on May 25 but settled for a no-decision.

Hudson is coming off a strong start at Colorado in which he allowed two runs over seven innings but did not factor in the decision. The 36-year old has gone 4-0 in his last six outings and won five of six decisions after losing three straight. Hudson is 5-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 10 career meetings with the Pirates but has yet to face them this season.

ABOUT THE BRAVES (59-43): 3B Chipper Jones will join the team in Atlanta on Monday and could be activated from the disabled list after a rehab stint with Class A Rome. Jones, who is hitting .259 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs this season, has been sidelined since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on July 9. 2B Dan Uggla went 0-for-3 in Sunday's loss at Cincinnati, ending his hitting streak at a career-high 14 games.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (52-47): OF Alex Presley sat out a second straight game after suffering a left thumb contusion on Friday. Closer Joel Hanrahan is two saves away from becoming just the sixth Pirate to notch 30 or more in a season and first since Jose Mesa recorded 43 in 2004. RHP Ross Ohlendorf made a rehab start with Double-A Altoona on Sunday, allowing two runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings. Ohlendorf, who is on the 60-day disabled list, has not pitched for the Pirates since April 8 due to a strained right shoulder.

FINAL PITCH: Despite their recent swoon, the Braves are 29-17 since the start of June, the best record in the NL over that span. They also share the best mark in the NL since May 1 with Philadelphia at 46-28.