ATLANTA -- Matt Diaz started his second straight game against the Padres on Thursday and will likely be in the Braves' lineup at least five times in the next seven days.

That doesn't mean, however, that Atlanta manager Bobby Cox has abandoned his left-field platoon of rookie Gregor Blanco and the veteran Diaz.

The Braves are in a stretch where almost all they will see are left-handed starters, giving the right-handed-hitting Diaz plenty of playing time after a couple of weeks where he hardly started at all.

"I don't remember anything like it," Cox said of facing seven lefty starters over a nine-game span.

The Braves also went up against a number of left-handed starters early in the season, when Diaz was playing every day. But his starts had been limited recently, with Blanco taking over against righties and hitting .314.

That has left Diaz looking ahead at the probable pitchers and hoping for the best.

"When I see a lefty in there, I get excited," Diaz said. "You want to play as much as you can, and getting some games in a row definitely helps you."

Diaz went into Thursday's game with the Padres batting .295 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Almost all the damage had been done against lefties. Diaz was hitting .452 against left-handers compared to .170 against righties.

"I know I can hit right-handers better than that," said Diaz, a .338 hitter overall last year and .327 in 2006. "But right now, I just have to take advantage of my opportunities and help the team anyway I can."