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Giants-Braves Preview

Jul 22, 2009 - 5:01 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

San Francisco (50-42) at Atlanta (47-46), 7:10 p.m. EDT

San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has beaten the Atlanta Braves more than any other team he's faced.

Even with Lincecum starting Wednesday night's third of a four-game road series, the Giants might have trouble defeating the Braves if their hitters don't pull out of their funk.

In just three seasons, Lincecum (10-2, 2.27 ERA) has established himself as arguably the NL's top pitcher, and he's been at his most dominant when facing Atlanta, sporting a 5-0 mark and 2.08 ERA in five career matchups.

He scattered five hits over eight innings of a 4-0 home victory May 26 versus the Braves, improving to 8-0 with a 1.89 ERA in night games this season.

What could keep Lincecum from maintaining those perfect marks is a Giants' offense that has batted .209 in dropping five of six while being outscored 36-13.

San Francisco (50-43), which has fallen one-half game behind Colorado in the NL wild-card race, has dropped its first two games against Atlanta (48-46) by a 19-4 margin. The Braves, who recorded an 8-1 win Tuesday night, have scored 13 of those runs in three innings.

"We're not happy with these last two games," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We got blown out in both of them. Big innings are killing us."

The Giants' hitting woes also cost Lincecum an opportunity for a fifth win in as many starts Friday night in Pittsburgh - his first appearance after starting his first All-Star Game.

Despite yielding only one run over seven innings and striking out 10, the right-hander was not part of the decision in a 2-1 defeat in 14 innings.

"Look at where we were in the first half," Lincecum, who is 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in his last five starts, told the Giants' official Web site. "We were playing great ball. I think if we do the same things ... good things will happen."

The Braves, meanwhile, have charged out of the break by averaging 7.2 runs in their 5-1 start to an eight-game homestand and are hitting a major league-best .300 this month.

Since moving into the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Martin Prado is hitting .377 in July. The player who once occupied that spot, shortstop Yunel Escobar, has performed even better after moving to the No. 6 slot, bating .413 this month.

"Prado, getting him in that No. 2 hole and dropping Escobar down where he can get some RBIs ... has made a world of difference," said manager Bobby Cox, whose team hasn't been three games above .500 since May 24.

All-Star catcher Brian McCann extended a nine-game hitting streak in Tuesday's win and is 12 for 35 (.343) with two homers and 11 RBIs in that time.

Right-hander Jair Jurrjens (8-7, 2.77) will try to benefit again from that hitting resurgence as he tries to win a career-high third consecutive start.

On Friday night, Jurrjens pitched six innings of an 11-0 win over the visiting New York Mets and improved to 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in four outings this month.

"It's fun to have some runs to pitch with," he told the Braves' official Web site. "It gives you a chance to make one mistake and still win."

In two career starts against the Giants, however, he's 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA and has received a combined two runs of support.