• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Brewers-Braves Preview

Jun 7, 2009 - 3:59 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Milwaukee (32-23) at Atlanta (26-27), 1:35 p.m. EDT

If Tommy Hanson becomes the next great Atlanta Braves pitcher, he may want to be wary of club management during the twilight of his career.

In a game Tom Glavine had been expected to start, Hanson makes his much-anticipated major league debut as the Braves try to salvage the finale of a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Hanson, considered Atlanta's top pitching prospect of the decade, will get a chance in the majors after dominating at every level in the minor leagues.

"I just want to get out there and get going," the 22-year-old Hanson said. "I want to get that first batter out of the way and get the first inning out of the way and then go from there."

He's already being compared to some of the Braves' top pitchers of the 1990s, but even they had trouble early in their careers. Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Glavine all had losing records and ERAs over 5.00 in their first year in the majors.

Glavine, a winner of 305 games and two Cy Young Awards, was abruptly released by the Braves (26-28) on Wednesday to make room for Hanson. It was an unpopular move among teammates and fans, who thought they were going to see the 43-year-old Glavine pitch Sunday for this first time this season after coming back from shoulder and elbow surgery.

Glavine, who won 244 games with Atlanta, said it won't be easy to mend his relationship with the club. The Braves decided to move on, going with a pitcher who in spring training was compared favorably to Smoltz by manager Bobby Cox.

In 11 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett this year, Hanson had a 1.49 ERA while striking out 90 in 66 1-3 innings and allowing 40 hits. The 6-foot-6 right-hander posted a 0.90 ERA in seven starts at Class A Myrtle Beach in 2008 to earn a promotion to Double-A Mississippi, where he threw a no-hitter in his ninth start and went 8-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 18 outings.

The hype only grew after he became the first pitcher to be named MVP of the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League, going 5-0 with a 0.63 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 28 2-3 innings.

"His numbers certainly jump off the page," Brewers manager Ken Macha said.

Milwaukee (33-23) has had its pitchers post some stellar statistics of their own during this series. A 4-0 win in the opener Friday night and a 3-0 victory the following evening have given the Brewers a two-game lead over St. Louis for first place in the NL Central.

Atlanta, which had its streak of scoreless innings extended to 22, has lost three straight and may be without Chipper Jones in this series' finale. The third baseman left Saturday's game after experiencing dizziness in the fifth inning.

Diory Hernandez took over at third base.

Even if they have to play without Jones, the Braves seem to have a good chance at ending their problems at the plate as they face struggling Brewers starter Manny Parra (3-7, 6.75 ERA). The left-hander has lost three straight outings, allowing 22 runs and 26 hits in 14 innings.

Parra gave up a career-high 10 runs and 11 hits in four innings during Milwaukee's 10-3 loss to Florida on Tuesday night.

This will be his first appearance against Atlanta.