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The Braves will look to end their long road trip on a high note this week as they take on the San Diego Padres at Petco Park for three games. Despite their fourth place standing in the NL West, the Padres have been a hot team lately and are coming off a sweep of the Diamondbacks.
San Diego is led by Chase Headley, who would be receiving MVP consideration if his team was a bit better. His triple-slash line is .278/.367/.469 and he has been one of the hottest hitters in the league this past month. Carlos Quentin continues to play well since returning from a knee injury and is batting .271 with 14 homers and 60 RBI in only 69 games.
As for Atlanta, the club sits atop the wild card standings in the NL and are looking to overtake the Nationals. The pitching matchups favor the Bravos this week, although their lineup has been so inconsistent lately that it's tough to expect more than two wins.
Pitching Probables:
Monday, 10:05 p.m. ET - Paul Maholm (2-2, 2.40 ERA) vs. Casey Kelly (MLB Debut)
Tuesday, 10:05 p.m. - Kris Medlen (5-1, 1.86 ERA) vs. Andrew Werner (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
Wednesday, 6:35 p.m. - Tommy Hanson (12-6, 4.40 ERA) vs. Eric Stults (4-2, 2.68 ERA)
For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.