NewsLowe takes the mound vs. former team
Atlanta (52-51) vs. Los Angeles (64-39), 4:00 p.m. ET
By Adam Rosenberg / MLB.com
08/01/09 1:01 AM ET
ATLANTA -- When Derek Lowe takes the mound against the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon, he will be facing a former team for the second time this season. He pitched well but took the loss against the Red Sox on June 20. In that outing, Lowe had to deal with the emotions of pitching in Fenway Park as a visitor after helping Boston win a World Series title in 2004. Facing the Dodgers presents a different challenge for Lowe. Before joining the Braves this season, Lowe pitched the past four seasons in Los Angeles. When Lowe pitched in Boston this season, most of his former teammates were no longer playing there. When he toes the rubber against the Dodgers on Saturday, he'll see many more familiar faces. Lowe will also start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Thursday. The game will be nationally televised by FOX as one of the network's games of the week. Kenny Albert and Mark Grace will call the action for the 4 p.m. ET game. "It's going to different facing the Dodgers on Saturday," Lowe said. "When I faced the Red Sox in June, there were some emotional ties to Boston, but I didn't play with a lot of their current players." In four seasons with the Dodgers, Lowe went 54-48 with a 3.59 ERA. While not necessarily living up to the "ace" role the Braves signed him to fill, Lowe has put together a string of strong outings after a rough June. In his past four starts, Lowe is 3-0 with a 2.62 ERA. Lowe may need to be on his game on Saturday, as the Braves' offense will be without several key contributors. Shortstop Yunel Escobar, in the middle of an extremely productive July, will be unavailable after being struck on the right wrist by a Rick VandenHurk fastball on Thursday night. Second baseman Martin Prado was hit in the left ankle by a line drive during batting practice before Thursday's game, scratching him from the lineup and leaving his status for Saturday in doubt. "Martin is taking some ground balls," said Braves manager Bobby Cox. "He's moving a lot better than he thought he would be. We'll see." Atlanta should receive a boost from a familiar face in time for Saturday's game, as first baseman Adam LaRoche is expected to make his second debut for the Braves. LaRoche broke into the big leagues with Atlanta in 2004 and played for three seasons with the Braves before being traded to the Pirates for reliever Mike Gonzalez. LaRoche was traded by the Pirates to the Red Sox this season, and Atlanta reacquired him on Friday in a deal that sent Casey Kotchman to Boston. LaRoche is expected to bring increased power numbers to the first-base position and the middle of the order. Lowe has enough to worry about without thinking how his team's lineup will fare. The Dodgers feature one of the National League's most potent lineups, and Lowe doesn't think he has any added advantage having pitched for Los Angeles for the past four years. "Obviously I played with a lot of the current Dodgers," Lowe said. "But it's tough to say that I know how to pitch them. I've probably watched more tape of them over the past 10 days than I normally do when preparing to face an opponent." Pitching matchupATL: RHP Derek Lowe (10-7, 4.20 ERA)
Lowe picked up his 10th win of the season on Sunday against the Brewers, allowing just two runs in six innings. He scattered nine hits while walking none, and his only mistake was a two-run homer by Corey Hart in the sixth inning. LAD: LHP Randy Wolf (5-5, 3.43 ERA)
Wolf did well battling Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter for six innings, allowing only two runs. One reached base on a hit batter, the other scored on an infield single. Then the bullpen allowed twice as many runs in the seventh inning as Wolf did in the previous six. So his sixth consecutive quality start became his fifth loss. He is 4-11 with a 5.36 ERA lifetime against the Braves and 4-6 at Turner Field. Tidbits
First baseman Barbaro Canizares was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Kotchman's spot on the roster until LaRoche arrives from Boston. Canizares started at first and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Friday. ... Right fielder Ryan Church was unavailable to hit due to an injured left elbow that prevents him from swinging. The injury does not prevent him from running or playing defense. ... Tim Hudson was scratched from his rehab start at Triple-A Gwinnett due to a strained groin that he sustained during warmups. ... Tommy Hanson's loss on Friday was his first at Turner Field. ... The Braves finished July with a 16-11 record. It was their best month of the season.
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• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 Up next
• Sunday: Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 9-7, 2.69) vs. Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 10-6, 3.96), 8:00 p.m. ET
• Monday: Braves (Kenshin Kawakami, 5-8, 4.37) at Padres (Mat Latos, 2-1, 2.70), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Braves (Javier Vazquez, 8-7, 3.01) at Padres (Tim Stauffer, 1-2, 2.57), 10:05 p.m. ET
Adam Rosenberg is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
