Braves Falling Fast
Even a matchup against one of the lowest-scoring teams in the majors couldn’t end the recent struggles of the Atlanta Braves pitching staff at home.
The Braves look to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season Saturday when they continue a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Atlanta -130 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 60% of bets for this game have been placed on Atlanta -130 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Atlanta (55-67) lost its fifth straight Friday, falling 5-1 to the Giants (51-70). The Braves had won 11 of their previous 16 home games against San Francisco, and they were facing a team that came in averaging 3.8 runs – second-lowest in the majors.
Atlanta has struggled at home, however, and had just been swept by the Chicago Cubs, who scored 29 runs over their three-game series at Turner Field. Atlanta is 5-15 at home since July 1, a stretch during which the pitching staff has a 6.37 ERA and the starters are 3-14 with a 7.25 ERA.
Jair Jurrjens pitched well on Friday, allowing two runs over seven innings, but Will Ohman gave up two runs without recording an out in the eighth and Julian Tavarez surrendered a run in the ninth. Atlanta’s bullpen has pitched 21 2-3 innings in the last five games, posting a 6.65 ERA.
"They’re all overworked in the bullpen," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "It’s as simple as that."
San Francisco recorded 15 hits on Friday – one shy of matching a season high – with Randy Winn recording his 100th career home run. The Giants snapped a four-game losing streak and a five-game slide on the road, during which they averaged 2.4 runs and batted .211.
Atlanta hopes to avoid equaling its longest losing streak of the season, a six-game skid from June 6-12, when it sends Mike Hampton (1-1, 8.10 ERA) to the mound Saturday.
Hampton recorded his first win since Aug. 14, 2005, when he beat the Giants on Aug. 5 as he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings of an 11-4 victory. The left-hander failed to follow that with another strong performance, allowing six runs over four innings in a 6-1 loss to Arizona on Sunday.
This will be Hampton’s fifth start since coming off the disabled list on July 26. He had been sidelined for a variety of elbow and back issues the last three seasons.
He is 14-7 with a 3.61 ERA in 22 starts and three relief appearances against the Giants, although his start against them earlier this month was his first in more than five years.
San Francisco counters with the struggling Jonathan Sanchez (8-9, 4.53), who will try to avoid losing his fifth straight start.
Sanchez hasn’t won since June 29 against Oakland. In his seven starts since, he’s gone 0-5 with a 6.82 ERA. However, the left-hander is coming off his best effort in six weeks, having allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings of a 3-1 loss to Houston on Monday.
The left-hander is 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA in one start and two relief appearances against Atlanta. He lost to Hampton and the Braves on Aug. 5, giving up three runs and seven hits over five innings.
The Giants haven’t won twice in a single road series against the Braves since 1997.
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