The Atlanta Braves kicked off a juicy four-game series with the San Francisco Giants Thursday night with a 6-3 win, drawing first blood in a series between two first-place teams in the national league. Tonight, the Braves send ace Tim Hudson (4-1, 3.83 ERA) to the hill against struggling Giants ace Matt Cain (1-2, 5.57 ERA). The game can be live streamed for free here or for a subscription here. Braves fans can listen to the game at 680 AM while Giants fans can tune into KNBR 680.
The visiting Braves have been headlined this year by Justin Upton, acquired from the Giants' main foil in the National League west so far, the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Upton's line in 2013 is fantastic, .273, 12 home runs, 21 RBI, three stolen bases, it has overshadowed a surprisingly good pitching staff.
Led by Hudson, Atlanta's team ERA stands at 3.29, second in the National League, despite ranking toward the bottom of the National League in strikeouts. They have done this by walking the second-fewest hitters in the league (86), taking after their ace Hudson. Hudson also has a history of dominance against the Giants; according to ESPN.com he is 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last 10 starts against them, including a Game 3 win in the 2010 National League Divisional Series.
The Giants, on the other hand, have long relied on their starting pitching to elevate an often-meek offense. This season, though, the Giants' staff ERA stands at 3.91, 11 points below the NL median, while the offense is hitting .360, third best in the NL.
Buster Posey has been their best overall player, as expected, while talk of Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval's bulging belly has ceased in the face of his team-best .316 batting average. Sandoval and Posey will likely need to be at their best during this series with the red-hot Braves.
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