Game Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves (Game 1)
Friday, August 13 – 7:35 (Peachtree TV)
Los Angeles Dodgers (59-56) vs. Atlanta Braves (66-48)
Hiroki Kuroda
(3.65 ERA, 3.58 xFIP, 2.36 BB/9, 7.29 K/9, 10.5 SwStr%)
(Career vs. ATL: 3 GS, 1-2, 2.14 ERA, 8 BB, 12 K)
vs.
Tim Hudson
(2.24 ERA, 4.11 xFIP, 3.04 BB/9, 4.77 ERA, 6.8 SwStr%)
(Career vs. LAD: 11 GS, 5-2, 3.89 ERA, 22 BB, 51 K)
Braves vs. Kuroda:
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate McLouth | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .111 | .111 | .222 | .333 |
| Gregor Blanco | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .167 | .286 | .167 | .452 |
| Chipper Jones | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .500 | .833 |
| Brian McCann | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .167 | .000 | .167 |
| Martin Prado | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .200 | .400 | .600 |
| Troy Glaus | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 1.667 | 2.333 |
| Jason Heyward | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .000 | .333 |
| Eric Hinske | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .667 | .500 | 1.167 |
| Omar Infante | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jair Jurrjens | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Kris Medlen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | .667 | 1.000 | 1.667 |
| Rick Ankiel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 53 | 48 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | .188 | .264 | .333 | .597 |
Dodgers vs. Hudson:
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garret Anderson | 75 | 71 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 11 | .282 | .320 | .451 | .771 |
| Manny Ramirez | 40 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 | .250 | .325 | .361 | .686 |
| Brad Ausmus | 22 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | .333 | .455 | .333 | .788 |
| Rafael Furcal | 22 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .368 | .455 | .526 | .981 |
| Ronnie Belliard | 20 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .150 | .150 | .200 | .350 |
| Andre Ethier | 15 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .214 | .267 | .500 | .767 |
| Jay Gibbons | 14 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .231 | .286 | .385 | .670 |
| Reed Johnson | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .100 | .000 | .100 |
| Russell Martin | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .100 | .182 | .100 | .282 |
| Matt Kemp | 9 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .444 | .444 | .778 | 1.222 |
| James Loney | 9 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .444 | .444 | .556 | 1.000 |
| Jamey Carroll | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Casey Blake | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Blake DeWitt | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .400 | .500 | .400 | .900 |
| Ryan Theriot | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Juan Castro | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| A.J. Ellis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Ted Lilly | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Scott Podsednik | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 287 | 265 | 63 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 18 | 45 | .238 | .291 | .351 | .642 |
What to Look For:
Both pitchers are having great seasons and I expect both to continue it tonight. Neither offense is exploding with runs this season so I expect some solid pitching duels this weekend, beginning with the first game. Kuroda has a good ERA against the Braves but has been lucky at times, while Hudson has pitched pretty well against the Dodgers but has a higher ERA. It could be a close matchup.
My Take on the Opposition:
Kuroda is having another good season, posting a 3.58 xFIP with a 7.29 K/9. He is walking more but it’s still pretty low at 2.36 BB/9. He’s missing more bats this season as well as getting more groundouts and allowing fewer home runs. Kuroda has pitched well against the Braves in 21 innings, allowing five earned runs. He gave up three of those in six innings against the Braves earlier this season.
Game Notes:
The AJC reports Chipper Jones will have knee surgery Saturday morning. Right now, his timetable is rehab until March, which will put him ready for Spring Training just in time if all goes well. Of course, he isn’t 23 years old anymore, so there’s no way of knowing how he will respond to rehab. For now, the Braves and fans will be sitting on pins and needles.
Also from the AJC: Bobby Cox feels Kris Medlen will have Tommy John surgery. This isn’t exactly news because most already knew he was probably bound to having it.
And finally, Brandon Hicks has been called up to take Chipper’s roster spot. Martin Prado is expected to test his pinky with batting practice today and could come off the disabled list early next week. Until then, expect to see plenty of Brooks Conrad.