• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cubs-Braves Preview

Jun 22, 2009 - 12:49 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Chicago (33-31) at Atlanta (32-35), 7:10 p.m. EDT

After a strong offensive finish to their homestand, the Chicago Cubs start a 10-game road trip in a city where they've had little trouble scoring runs.

The Cubs will try to match their longest winning streak of the season when they take on the Atlanta Braves on Monday for the makeup of an earlier rained-out game.

After scoring 10 runs and hitting .183 during a 1-5 stretch, the Cubs (34-31) rebounded at the end of an eight-game homestand, scoring 26 runs while batting .272 to win four in a row, including a 6-2 victory over Cleveland on Sunday that capped a three-game sweep.

Geovany Soto homered and Derrek Lee extended his hitting streak to 18 games - tying a career high - with an RBI single in the fifth. The first baseman is hitting .365 during the streak, and has driven in nine runs in the last four games.

Chicago, which last won five in a row since May 10-16, has played well in Atlanta (32-36) recently, averaging 6.2 runs while going 8-4 in its last 12 games at Turner Field. The teams split two games June 2 and 3 before the finale of their series was postponed.

The Cubs also make stops at Detroit and Pittsburgh around a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field against the crosstown rival White Sox. Chicago has dropped 10 of its last 14 on the road - scoring one run or less in seven of those games - and is 13-18 overall outside Wrigley Field.

The Braves return home after a 3-6 road trip. Overall, they have lost eight of 11 after dropping two of three over the weekend at Boston, including a 6-5 defeat Sunday after Nick Green homered off Jeff Bennett in the bottom of the ninth.

Yunel Escobar and Martin Prado each had three hits, but the Braves grounded into two double plays and were 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases in the ninth, but Matt Diaz struck out to end the game.

"We did everything but win," said manager Bobby Cox, whose team had 14 hits. "We had more line shots than we did all year long, at people, with men on, too."

The Braves will hope to be more productive against Ryan Dempster (4-4, 3.92 ERA), who is winless in his last three starts. The right-hander gave up three runs over six innings of a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday, walking six.

Dempster has a 1.89 ERA in his last three outings, but the Cubs have provided only two runs of support for him.

Dempster is 2-10 with a 5.31 ERA against the Braves, but he did throw a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 7-2 victory last year in his only start against them.

Javier Vazquez (4-6, 3.92) has also struggled without much support from his team's offense.

Vazquez has lost his last three decisions and the Braves are winless in his last five starts, during which they've backed the right-hander with only eight runs. He had a complete-game loss Wednesday at Cincinnati, losing 4-3 on a four-hitter in which all four runs scored on two homers.

Vazquez is 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA against the Cubs.