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Padres-Braves Preview

Jul 21, 2010 - 6:10 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

San Diego (54-38) at Atlanta (55-38), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Matt Diaz is red hot and the Atlanta Braves are getting healthy.

Diaz could become the first Brave in four years to homer in four consecutive games Wednesday night when Atlanta hosts the San Diego Padres in the middle game of this series between division leaders.

Any lingering effects of a right thumb infection appear to be gone, as Diaz is hitting .432 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 10 games since returning to the lineup. The injury landed him on the disabled list for 42 games.

The left fielder has boosted his batting average 86 points to .257 during his surge, and he's connected for a homer in three consecutive games while collecting eight RBIs.

Diaz is in position to become the first Brave to homer in four straight games since Brian McCann did it from July 15-19, 2006. He extended his streak with a two-run shot in Tuesday's 4-1 win over San Diego.

"He's over that injury 100 percent," said manager Bobby Cox, who missed Tuesday's victory because of a one-game suspension. "He's been hot as heck."

Diaz's terrific play has coincided with Jason Heyward's return from a left thumb injury. The right fielder, who missed the All-Star game due to the injury, is 6 for 13 in four contests.

With the corner outfielders in place, Atlanta (55-38) is scheduled to get center fielder Nate McLouth back from a concussion suffered June 9 when he collided with Heyward.

The Braves haven't had McLouth, Diaz and Heyward start in the outfield together since a 7-6, 10-inning win at Washington on May 5.

McLouth, an All-Star with Pittsburgh in 2008, has a .176 batting average with three home runs.

Hoping that getting healthy will give it a chance to pull further away from the rest of the NL East, Atlanta also might get Chipper Jones back from a left hamstring injury, which has kept him out of the lineup for three games.

Tommy Hanson (8-6, 4.19 ERA) will try to continue his success against the NL West-leading Padres (54-38). The right-hander has won both meetings in San Diego behind a 2.25 ERA while striking out 12 in 12 innings.

Hanson is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in his last five home starts, but he lost his last game there Friday by allowing four runs in five innings of a 9-3 defeat to Milwaukee.

Jon Garland (9-6, 3.45) takes the mound for San Diego looking to get off to a better start. The right-hander has struggled in the first inning all season, posting a 5.21 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .337. Opponents hit .308 against him in his first run through a lineup, but just .219 the rest of the way.

Garland's early struggles were on display again Friday, when he gave up one run and two hits in the first and allowed one hit in the next five innings of a 12-1 win over Arizona.

"I guess it goes back to that old statement, 'If you're going to get a starting pitcher, you better get to him early,'" Garland told the team's official website. "I don't know what it is. I don't know if they just have a good plan or that they think I'm trying to attack the strike zone early to keep my pitch count down."

Garland is having a difficult time on the road, where he's 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA in his last four starts. He's allowed 13 of 16 total runs during the first three innings of those outings.

Garland has lost his only two starts against the Braves with a 14.04 ERA.