GAME PREVIEW
Houston Astros (10-14) at Atlanta Braves (11-12)
Pitching matchup: Wandy Rodriguez (2-2, 1.69 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 4.26 ERA)
Time: 1:35 p.m. EDT
Location: Turner Field, Atlanta
TV: Fox Sports South Radio: 640 WGST
Weather: Cloudy, 77 degrees
Twitter: Tomahawk Take
I’ve come to a conclusion — The Atlanta Braves (11-12) offense is much a like a faucet.
It goes from hot to cold (mainly cold), on to off (mostly off) and sometimes it can break (we’ll say 90 percent of the time).
After scoring seven runs in the series opener against the Astros (10-14) on Friday night, the Braves were limited to just one run yesterday.
It seems that every time the bats are destined to break out, they return the following day with little motivation. That thought is only reinforced when you realize Atlanta has scored three runs or less in 12 of their first 23 games of the 2009 season.
The offense hopes to bounce back this afternoon in the rubber match with Houston as Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 4.26) takes the mound for the third times this season. Reyes was lights out in his last outing this past Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed just one run and three hits while striking out seven in seven innings of work and looked like the pitcher the Braves front office has been raving about for the past few seasons.
The southpaw, however, heads into today’s game with a 14-game winless streak and picked up the loss in his only appearance against the Astros last season — a game where he lasted just 4 1/3 innings while giving up four runs on six hits.
Opposite Reyes will be Wandy Rodriguez (2-2, 1.69 ERA). The left-hander is coming off a start against the Cincinnati Reds where he allowed five hits and one run while striking out five in seven innings. His 1.69 ERA ranks fourth in the majors and in his last three starts he has held the opposition to a diminutive .176 batting average.
Rodriguez was 1-0 against Atlanta last season in two starts and struck out 14 Braves in just 12 1/3 innings. He held Atlanta to a .229 average.
The southpaw has a quality fastball that he likes to keep low in the zone — a trait that produces plenty of ground balls. He also mixes in a solid changeup and a strong combination of breaking balls. In the past Rodriguez’s endurance has been his biggest problem, but this season, in each of his five starts, he has pitched into at least the sixth inning.
Yunel Escobar (3-for-6, 2 RBIs) and Chipper Jones (4-for-7, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs) have had the best luck off Rodriguez.
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