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Braves-Brewers Preview

May 10, 2010 - 2:58 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Atlanta (13-17) at Milwaukee (14-16), 8:10 p.m. EDT

The Milwaukee Brewers' recent road trip did not begin in promising fashion, but they return home having won five of six.

Time is running out for the Atlanta Braves to pull off a similar turnaround.

The banged-up Braves are starved for runs as they make their final stop on a nine-game trip, and Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward may be out of the lineup to start a three-game series against Milwaukee on Monday.

The Brewers (15-16) were shut out three times by San Diego in the first four games of their trip before earning series victories over Los Angeles and Arizona. They finished a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 6-1 win Sunday.

"What a turnaround on the road," manager Ken Macha said, "to come home 6-4 on the road trip."

A resurgent offense has powered Milwaukee, which scored 51 runs in six games after leaving San Diego. Outfielder Ryan Braun has sparked the Brewers during that stretch, going 11 for 27 (.407) with eight RBIs and 12 runs.

"I feel like we did a really good job of not getting discouraged," infielder Casey McGehee told the Brewers' official website. "We kept coming out and playing. ... All in all, it was a good road trip."

The Brewers hope the momentum carries over as they begin their third six-game homestand. The first two have been unimpressive, with Milwaukee going 3-3 to start the season at Miller Park before losing five of six there April 23-28.

The Braves (13-18) have lost 11 of 13 on the road, starting this trip 2-4 by losing series to Washington and Philadelphia.

That has been a big change from last year, when Atlanta went 46-35 away from home - tied for the third-best record in the majors. The Braves won two of three at Milwaukee from July 24-26.

A 4-3 defeat to the Phillies on Sunday dropped Atlanta six games behind the NL East leaders.

"You don't want to get in too much of a hole," infielder Eric Hinske told the Braves' official website. "You start getting back in the double digits, no matter what time of the year it is, it's hard to get out of that hole. There's a sense of urgency there, I would say for sure."

A pair of key injuries have not helped. Heyward, who leads Atlanta with eight homers and 26 RBIs, has missed four straight starts with a groin problem, and the Braves have nine runs in those games.

While Heyward is not expected to return until at least Tuesday, Jones' status is less clear after the veteran third baseman was scratched Sunday with a similar injury.

That may put more pressure on Tommy Hanson, who has gotten no run support in three of his six starts. He got plenty in his last outing, though, allowing four runs in six innings of a 7-6, 10-inning win at Washington on Wednesday.

Hanson (2-2, 2.83 ERA) allowed two runs in seven innings in his only appearance at Milwaukee, but the Braves lost 4-0 to Yovani Gallardo on July 25.

This time, Hanson will face Doug Davis, who is trying to build on his first win. The left-hander held the Dodgers to three runs in 5 1-3 innings of an 11-3 victory Wednesday.

Davis (1-3, 8.13) has five quality starts in his last six against Atlanta.