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Giants-Braves Preview

Jul 23, 2009 - 5:31 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

San Francisco (50-43) at Atlanta (48-46), 1:10 p.m. EDT

The San Francisco Giants went into Turner Field this week with the best ERA in baseball, but the only dominant pitching they've seen so far has come from the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves have had their way with the Giants' hurlers while providing their own clinic on the mound, and Thursday afternoon they'll look for the franchise's first four-game sweep of San Francisco in nearly 50 years.

Baseball's top pitching staff has made the Giants (50-44) a viable threat to make the playoffs despite a less-than-imposing lineup, but the team's 3.46 ERA entering this series has taken a hit at Turner Field.

Atlanta (49-46) totaled 19 runs in winning the series' first two games in blowout fashion, then took down San Francisco's ace Wednesday. The Braves jumped on reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum early, with Yunel Escobar's three-run third-inning homer helping to back an excellent start from Jair Jurrjens in a 4-2 win.

The Braves are 6-1 since the All-Star break with a 2.14 ERA, moving within three games of Colorado for the wild card lead and 5 1/2 of Philadelphia for the NL East lead.

"It's a nice start for us and we gained ground tonight and that's what we have to do," manager Bobby Cox said. "Gain a game here and there, see what happens."

Atlanta can post its second five-game winning streak in four weeks with a victory Thursday, and it can also record its first four-game sweep of the Giants since the franchise moved from Milwaukee. The Braves last swept San Francisco in a four-game set at Milwaukee's County Stadium from June 21-23, 1960.

The Giants, meanwhile, are losing ground in the standings. They've dropped six of seven to fall 1 1/2 games behind Colorado in the wild card race and 10 1/2 back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

San Francisco has scored 11 runs in its first six games of the second half, hitting .192 without a home run.

"We're not playing with the same intensity," catcher Bengie Molina told the Giants' official Web site. "We're not playing the same baseball that we were. We all kind of worry, we all want to do too much out there and get back into the same shape we were in the first half."

The Braves, on the other hand, have homered in eight straight games while scoring 6.8 runs per contest. Yunel Escobar has paced Atlanta, hitting .480 (12 for 25) with three homers and 12 RBIs.

San Francisco hopes Barry Zito (5-10, 4.89 ERA) can be the one to finally shut down the Braves, and the left-hander pitched well in his last start despite a negative result. Zito gave up two runs and six hits without a walk over 6 1-3 innings Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

"Getting the feel of my changeup sort of helped," Zito said. "It changes the whole game for me when I have my changeup working."

Zito is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in three starts versus the Braves, and he won his most recent start against them by allowing five hits in seven innings in a 5-0 win at Turner Field on Aug. 18.

Kenshin Kawakami (5-7, 4.15) will hope for a better result than he had in his first start after the break. The Japanese rookie gave up two runs and five hits over 6 2-3 innings Saturday in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets.

Kawakami is 2-4 at home despite a 3.42 ERA.

He allowed four runs - three earned - over 5 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss at San Francisco on May 27.