Rockies 4 - 0 Braves
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Apr 17, 2010 - 5:46 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Colorado (5-4) at Atlanta (5-4), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Martin Prado claims there was a flaw in his swing. He has clearly eliminated it.

The second baseman looks to extend his career-high hitting streak to 15 games Saturday night when the Atlanta Braves host the Colorado Rockies in the middle game of their series.

Prado is among the major league leaders with a .463 batting average through 10 games. He's totaled 19 hits in that span to tie Deion Sanders' club record set in 1992.

Prado's outstanding start stretches back to last season, as he's batting .458 over the last 14 games. He's claimed to be surprised by his success at the plate, and that he recently discovered a flaw in his swing while watching videos.

Chipper Jones, owner of a .217 average, isn't surprised by Prado's start after he hit .307 last year.

"Prado is a hitting machine," Jones said. "I've got mechanical issues. He doesn't have any mechanical issues."

The Braves (6-4) entered this season looking to challenge for their first NL East crown since 2005, when they won an 11th straight division title. Prado's could help Atlanta live up to that promise.

He got two hits Friday for his seventh multi-hit game of 2010 as the Braves won 9-5. Prado is 12 for 31 in his career against Colorado with five multi-hit contests.

Kenshin Kawakami (0-1, 3.00 ERA) is slated to make his first start against the Rockies. The right-hander didn't get much support during his season debut Sunday, retiring the first 11 batters before allowing three runs - two earned - and five hits while throwing 65 pitches in six innings of a 6-3 loss at San Francisco.

"He was as good as I've ever seen him. He can't pitch better than that," manager Bobby Cox said.

Kawakami is familiar with not getting much support. Through 12 home starts as a rookie last season, he went 2-5 with a 3.63 ERA while the offense produced three runs or fewer in 10 games.

The Rockies (5-5) will give the ball to Ubaldo Jimenez (2-0, 2.25), who is looking to continue the best start of his career.

The right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of a 4-2 win over San Diego on Sunday. However, he labored at times and exited after throwing 115 pitches.

"I was hoping to go seven or eight innings," Jimenez said. "But I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. I was falling behind in the count. But I was still able to get through some innings using my fastball."

Jimenez is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA in five starts against Atlanta.

Ryan Spilborghs is trying to show some consistency with the bat. The left fielder had three hits Friday after totaling four in the previous eight games. He's hitting .455 with five doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs in 15 games against the Braves.






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