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Braves-Dodgers Preview

Jun 4, 2010 - 6:30 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Atlanta (32-22) at Los Angeles (31-23), 10:10 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and the Atlanta Braves' Kenshin Kawakami were equally adept at keeping the opposition off the scoreboard in last season's duel at Dodger Stadium.

There's been little similarity with their results this season.

In another matchup in Los Angeles on Friday night, Kershaw will attempt to win for the fifth time in six starts. Kawakami, meanwhile, is searching for his first victory in nine months and will try to help the Braves to a 10th straight win.

When they faced during a four-game series Aug. 8, Kershaw was in the middle of an up-and-down second major league campaign, while the 34-year-old Kawakami was in his rookie season after playing 11 years in Japan.

Although they had different paths to the majors, the two matched each other with seven scoreless innings. The teams didn't score until the 10th with Atlanta prevailing 2-1.

By thwarting a Dodgers rally, the NL East-leading Braves (32-22) won again in Thursday night's opener of a season-high, 11-game road trip.

Atlanta first baseman Troy Glaus, a Los Angeles native, homered for the fourth time in five games and drove in two runs to help give his team an early lead. The Dodgers (31-23) answered with three runs in the eighth until Eric O'Flaherty ended that threat by striking out Andre Ethier.

After replacing an injured Takashi Saito in the ninth, Jonny Venters finished a 4-3 victory by fanning Russell Martin. The fourth straight win at Dodger Stadium gave Atlanta its longest run since a franchise-record 15 in a row April 16-May 2, 2000, and snapped Los Angeles' four-game win streak.

"There hasn't been a difference, as far as how we come to the field every day," rookie right fielder Jason Heyward said. "We look to go out every day and treat it as a new day, then go out and have fun. That's been the mindset, because we all understand as a team that there's going to be ups and downs in a season."

That streak could end if Kershaw (5-3, 2.95 ERA) can match the efforts over his past five starts - a 4-1 record and a 1.08 ERA. The left-hander rebounded from that lone loss Sunday by allowing two runs over five innings and striking out nine in a 4-3 win in Colorado.

"Any time Kershaw pitches, he's obviously a strikeout pitcher," Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "It's tough to put balls in play against him."

That same day, Kawakami (0-7, 4.66) fell short of earning his first win since Aug. 31 in the Braves' 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings before giving up a tying two-run homer in his final frame.

"He knows he pitched good," manager Bobby Cox said. "That's the most important thing, and the team won. That's all he cares about."

Kawakami, who dropped his first six starts this season, has a 2.41 ERA over his last three outings but has one more loss to show for his efforts.

Poor run support (2.73 per start) has helped Kawakami become one of two 0-7 pitchers in the majors. The other, Houston's Felipe Paulino, also starts Friday night.

Kawakami might not have the support of Chipper Jones, who is out with an inflamed right finger. The status of Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake is unknown because of back spasms.