In case you missed it earlier this week, Jason Stark posted a great article over on espn.com detailing the Braves postseason aspirations and their unheralded chances. You can find the article here.
Now that we have that out of the way let's move on to a preview of tonight's game. There is a commonly held belief in the South that duct tape can fix anything. Mike Hampton will attempt to test the limits of this theory as he makes his return to the mound in tonight's contest where he will make his first start since 2005. After missing two consecutive seasons due to two separate surgeries Hampton will attempt to run the Braves' consecutive wins count to 2. I know that sounds lame but hey, it's only game 4. The aforementioned streak sounded a lot better than saying the Braves were going to attempt to raise their winning percentage to .500.
It would be great for the Braves to post a win tonight and split the 4 game set with the Bucs as they have the oft hated New York Metropolitans coming to town on Friday.
Here is the pitching matchup from MLB.com
ATL: LHP Mike Hampton (0-0, -.-- ERA) Hampton hasn't faced the Pirates since beating them on Sept. 7, 2003. He is 10-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 22 career games -- 16 starts -- against them.
PIT: LHP Zach Duke (0-0, -.-- ERA) Coming off a disappointing season, Duke impressed by going 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in five Spring Training appearances. The 24-year-old southpaw allowed four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings during his only start against the Braves last year.
Tidbits- Hampton had some success during Spring Training with a curveball similar to the one he had early in his career. ... According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Braves manager Bobby Cox managed in his 50th different stadium during Sunday night's season opener at new Nationals Park. He is the first skipper to reach that mark since the 1800s. The Braves dropped the first two games of the season for the for the first time since the 2003 season, during which they ended up winning 101 games.
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