Dodgers at Braves
The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost a grand total of three times since the Fourth of July and all three of those defeats have come against the rebuilding Atlanta Braves, who host Thursday’s finale of a three-game series. Tyler Flowers’ eighth-inning pinch-hit homer powered Atlanta to a 5-3 victory Wednesday, snapping the Dodgers’ major-league record streak of 53 consecutive games won when leading at any point.
Atlanta snapped a six-game losing streak with Wednesday’s victory, and had won just once in 10 tries since taking the first two contests of a four-game set at Los Angeles on July 20-21. Rookie Johan Camargo finished with two hits Wednesday and is 3-for-6 in the series, snapping a 3-for-19 skid in his previous five games. Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger continued his march toward National League Rookie-of-the-Year honors by slugging his 30th homer Wednesday in his 87th game of the season, moving within five of Mike Piazza’s franchise record for homers by a first-year player. Right fielder Yasiel Puig collected his third consecutive multi-hit game and is batting .357 in his past 13 contests.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, SportsNet Los Angeles, FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Alex Wood (12-1, 2.38 ERA) vs. Braves LH Sean Newcomb (1-5, 4.50)
Wood rebounded from the Braves handing him his first loss of the season, beating San Francisco on Friday despite allowing four runs on eight hits in seven innings. That was a far cry from the nine runs (seven earned) and nine hits he surrendered July 21 against Atlanta, after allowing a total of 11 runs in his prior 12 starts. Wood made his major-league debut with the Braves in 2013, going 21-20 in 86 games with Atlanta before being traded to the Dodgers in 2015.
Newcomb has pitched well in his past two starts after struggling in the first part of July, getting no-decisions against the Dodgers and Philadelphia while allowing only four runs combined. He held Los Angeles to three runs on three hits with nine strikeouts over six innings on July 23, and followed that up with five innings of one-run, two-hit pitching Saturday against the Phillies. Newcomb, who is making his 10th major-league start, has surrendered three earned runs or fewer six times.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta INF Brandon Phillips started at third base Wednesday, his first appearance at the position in 1,845 career major-league games.
2. The Dodgers finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position Wednesday, and three relievers combined to allow three runs on six hits with three walks in four innings.
3. Braves RF Nick Markakis singled in the seventh inning to move within one hit of 2,000 for his career while Phillips is 32 hits away from reaching that mark.