The once hated Los Angeles Dodgers took game three and the series from the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night with a third straight stellar pitching performance. Righthander Derek Lowe went 7.2 innings against the hapless Brave’s lineup, allowing only two hits. One was a solo homerun to rightfielder Jeff Francoeur in top of the eighth. It was the only run the Braves scored in the game. Atlanta starter Tim Hudson watched another quality start go to waste. Hudson went seven innings, surrendering two runs on four hits; one was a solo shot from Dodger rightfielder Matt Kemp.
If the Braves had a hard time scoring at Dodger stadium, they might not score at all this weekend at Petco Park in San Diego. Petco is the definition of a pitcher’s park. On the other hand, the Padres (at 36-56) are the definition of a bad team; they’re the only team in the N.L. West that hasn’t been able to exploit the parity (or as Charlie Steiner calls it, “parody”) in their weak division. The Padres have only one regular who’s hitting over .300 (Brian Giles, at .301). They have one starting pitcher with a record over .500 (Jake Peavy, at 6-5). Closer Trevor Hoffman is a horrid 1-5 with a 5.14 era. The sky has already fallen in San Diego; Greg Maddux (a hard luck 3-7 with a solid 3.90 era) is probably ready to trade himself.
At the ripe age of 42, Maddux just keeps on keeping on. He’s pitched 113 innings already this season. The Mad Dog has logged a mind boggling 4,927 innings in his astounding twenty-two year career. Braves fans will get the chance to see Maddux perform on Saturday.
In tonight’s series opener Atlanta will have to face Peavy, hardly what the doctor ordered after facing the Dodger’s top three starters. The former Cy Young award winner will be opposed by Atlanta lefty JoJo Reyes.
With Philadelphia’s Thursday win over St. Louis, the Braves fall to 6 1/2 games back, firmly entrenched in fourth place. While hardly impossible, it’s going to take an epic run for Atlanta to get back in this race. They have the pitching to do it. Do they have enough power? Are they willing to make a move for an outfielder with power? Are they still looking at relievers? Can they win on the road? These are just a few of the questions surrounding this team. But there’s still a glimmer of hope for Braves fans, because none of the three teams above them have proven themselves impervious to extended losing streaks.
