Braves at Brewers
The Atlanta Braves hope to continue their offensive surge when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game series. The Braves have posted 25 total runs during a three-game winning streak and trailed by four twice in the opener before rallying to win 10-8 on Freddie Freeman’s two-run homer in the ninth inning.
Freeman is batting .368 with a team-best eight blasts while Matt Kemp has recorded six RBIs in his last four games and Jace Peterson has posted a pair of hits in three consecutive contests for the Braves, who have gone seven straight games without an error. Jaime Garcia goes for his first win with Atlanta as he opposes Jimmy Nelson of the Brewers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end on Friday. Milwaukee belted three more homers in the first game of the series to maintain their major-league lead with 43, and one of them was launched by Ryan Braun - who is 5-for-10 in his last two games. Eric Thames leads the league with 11 blasts and Hernan Perez has been red-hot for the Brewers, going 9-for-15 over his last four games.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN South (Atlanta), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Jaime Garcia (0-1, 4.24 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Jimmy Nelson (1-1, 4.56)
Garcia gave up two runs on five hits and one walk last time out at Philadelphia in his second straight quality start without factoring in the decision. The 30-year-old Mexican has been better in each outing - striking out a season-high six last Saturday - since opening the season by yielding four runs in six innings. Braun is just 10-for-58 but has a homer and seven RBIs versus Garcia, who is 11-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 21 career appearances (20 starts) against Milwaukee.
Nelson has permitted 11 runs - 10 earned - and 14 hits over 10 2/3 innings in his last two appearances after beginning the season with two quality outings. The 27-year-old Alabama product allowed one run in each of his first two starts of 2017, including a 5-1 victory at Cincinnati on April 13 in which he completed a season-best seven frames. Brandon Phillips is 8-for-21 with two homers against Nelson, who limited Atlanta to one run and four hits over six innings of a no-decision last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee has held the lead in each of its last 17 contests, going 10-7 in that stretch, and 22 of 24 games overall in 2017.
2. Phillips (groin), who owns an 11-game hitting streak, was available to pinch-hit in the opener and could return to the lineup Saturday.
3. The Brewers have outscored opponents 27-8 in the first inning this season but were kept off the board on Friday.