NewsLowe living up to ace billing
Atlanta (8-8) at Cincinnati (9-7), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
04/25/09 2:20 AM ET
With the injury bug continuing to infect their lineup, the Braves have been fortunate that their starting rotation has consistently provided chances to win. But Derek Lowe and the rest of the starters would certainly like to start getting rewarded for their efforts. Since proving victorious during his dominant outing in Philadelphia on Opening Night, Lowe has encountered bad weather and limited offensive support. He'll be looking to notch his second win of the season when the Braves face the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Saturday afternoon. Atlanta will be aiming for its first three-game winning streak of the season. Such an accomplishment didn't appear imminent before Wednesday, when the club won for just the second time in nine games. "That was a big win [on Friday night]," Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. "With [Lowe] going tomorrow night, we all feel confident. If we get a win on Saturday and move our record for this trip to 4-4, we've got a chance to make it a pretty good trip." If Atlanta is going to prolong its mini-winning streak, it'll likely have to do so without the services of Brian McCann, who was scratched from Friday night's lineup because of prolonged blurred vision in his left eye. McCann will likely be placed on the disabled list on Saturday.It appears McCann may have to repeat the Lasik surgery that he underwent after the 2007 season. McCann's ailment headlines the long injury list compiled by the Braves, who placed Garret Anderson on the disabled list on Friday with a strained left quadriceps muscle. The eight position players from their Opening Day lineup have been in the same lineup just three times this season.
Over the course of their past 10 games, the Braves have scored 28 runs and 11 of those were tallied in one game. They've scored two runs or fewer in four of their past seven games. Lowe had to deal with the recent offensive woes, while limiting the Nationals to three runs in six innings on Monday night. With Atlanta scoring just two runs, the 36-year-old sinkerball was dealt just his second loss in his past 14 starts. While Lowe hasn't been as dominant as he was when he limited the Phillies to two baserunners in eight innings on Opening Night, he has provided the Braves a chance to win during each of his starts. His second outing was abbreviated to three innings because of a long rain delay. Lowe's shakiest outing occurred on April 15, when he allowed the Marlins four earned runs in five innings and matched a career high with five walks. That night, the offense provided him a no-decision by tying the game with three runs in the fifth inning. Pitching matchupATL: RHP Derek Lowe (1-1, 3.27 ERA)
While allowing three earned runs and seven hits in six innings against the Nationals on Monday, Lowe suffered his first loss in nine starts. The 36-year-old right-hander is 7-2 with a 1.78 ERA in his past 14 starts, dating back to Aug. 11. He is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA in four career starts against the Reds. In his lone start at Great American Ball Park last year, he tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits. CIN: RHP Bronson Arroyo (3-0, 4.19 ERA)
With a 4-3 victory on Monday at Houston, Arroyo became the first Reds starter to get off to a 3-0 start since Mike Remlinger in 1997. Arroyo worked seven innings and allowed three earned runs on nine hits, walking none and striking out six. With his sinker working well, the right-hander induced 10 ground-ball outs and two double plays. Using only 81 pitches, Arroyo indicated to manager Dusty Baker that he was spent. Tidbits
The Braves have scored 20 of their 21 runs during this road trip with two outs. ... Wednesday night's win over the Nationals was the first 1-0 road victory for the Braves since June 4, 2005, at Pittsburgh. The win came courtesy of a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kelly Johnson. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Braves had won just one other 1-0 game courtesy of a bases-loaded walk since moving to Atlanta in 1966. That instance occurred on April 13, 1969, when Clete Boyer drew an eighth-inning walk off Cincinnati's Tony Cloninger. ... If McCann is placed on the DL, Clint Sammons will be available to serve as the backup catcher on Saturday. Tickets
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• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 Up next
• Sunday: Braves (Kenshin Kawakami, 1-2, 4.76) at Reds (Micah Owings, 0-2, 5.59), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 2-1, 1.42) vs. Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 3-0, 4.12), 7:00 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Braves (Jo-Jo Reyes, 0-1, 7.94) vs. Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 3-0, 2.42), 7:00 p.m. ET
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
