Braves at Giants
One day after playing the type of game they envisioned when the season began, the San Francisco Giants host the Atlanta Braves on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series. The struggling Giants are hoping to build on Saturday's 6-3 victory, which featured a homer by Brandon Belt, seven-plus innings from Ty Blach and a routine save by closer Mark Melancon.
Belt’s 10th home run helped the Giants snap their four-game losing streak and could signal a step forward for the enigmatic first baseman, who is batting .242 but leads the team in runs scored (26), extra-base hits (20) and RBIs (22). San Francisco entered Saturday’s play as the lowest-scoring team in the majors at 3.32 runs per game but could have injured outfielders Jarrett Parker (clavicle) and Hunter Pence (hamstring) back in the lineup within the next two weeks. Atlanta third baseman Adonis Garcia (Achilles) is on a minor-league rehab assignment and could rejoin the Braves on Tuesday, but he may have to battle rookie Rio Ruiz for playing time. Ruiz has started eight of 10 games since being recalled from Triple-A and is batting .300 after his pinch-hit double in Saturday’s loss.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN South (Atlanta), NBCSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH R.A. Dickey (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. Giants RH Johnny Cueto (4-4, 4.64)
Dickey pitched on three days’ rest Wednesday against Pittsburgh, allowing three runs and 11 hits in six frames. The 42-year-old knuckleballer owns a disappointing 28-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio but has worked at least six innings in six of his last eight outings. Buster Posey is 2-for-12 against Dickey, who is 2-1 with a 2.88 in five career starts against the Giants but hasn't faced them since 2012.
Cueto has lost back-to-back starts while dealing with two blisters on his pitching hand, but he doesn’t think a stint on the disabled list would help. The 31-year-old Dominican allowed a season-high three home runs in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs and has given up a total of nine runs over 12 innings in his last two outings. Matt Kemp is 9-for-31 with three homers against Cueto, who is 1-3 with one complete game and a 3.86 ERA in seven career starts against Atlanta.
WALK-OFFS
1. Giants rookie INF Christian Arroyo, hitless in his last 21 at-bats, is expected to be kept out of the starting lineup for the second straight game on Sunday.
2. The Braves have won or tied each of their previous five series, going 3-0-2.
3. San Francisco is 15-7 when scoring at least four runs but 6-23 when scoring three or fewer.