The Pittsburgh Pirates (35-24) will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves (36-22) today at 12:10 p.m. at Turner Field. The game can be live streamed at MLB.com with a subscription. Pirates fans trying to listen to the matinee action can tune in to KDKA-FM 93.7, while Braves fans can hear the Atlanta radio broadcast on 680 AM or 93.7 FM.
The Pirates will send Wandy Rodriguez (6-3, 3.47 ERA) to the mound to stop the two-game losing skein in its tracks. In the highly competitive National League Central, even minor losing streaks can sink seasons. Despite being 11 games over .500, the Pirates find themselves third in the division behind the MLB-best St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.
Rodriguez is a good option to turn to in order to avoid a sweep. He was dominant in the month of May, winning four of his six May starts and giving up three runs or less each time. He racked up 28 strikeouts and only five walks in that span.
The news isn't all good. For his career, Rodriguez has been a slave to splits. His home road splits have been stark, as have his monthly performances. Statistically, June has been the worst month of his career; he's posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 41 June starts.
Rodriguez will have to watch out for Jason Heyward today, who has started to pick up his play lately. Despite being bad against left-handed pitching, Heyward has managed five hits in 11 at-bats against Rodriguez in his career. He has also picked up four hits in his last two games.
The Braves will send youngster Julio Teheran (3-2, 3.71 ERA) to oppose Rodriguez. After brutal stints in the majors in 2011 and 2012, Teheran has done well with a cemented rotation spot. He's striking out six batters per nine innings, and walking just two, but he has been knocked around quite a bit. He will look to get some help from his defense today.
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