Aaron Harang has done everything the Atlanta Braves have asked of him and yet the offense behind the pitcher continues to let him down. At risk of getting swept once again by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Braves pulled out a close win on Wednesday and now Atlanta is trying to win back-to-back games for the first time in two weeks as they aim to keep pace with the Washington Nationals in the National League East race.
The Braves have lost the last five starts for Harang. He has pitched back-to-back consecutive strong outings and yet the Braves are simply not scoring. He is 9-6 with a 3.31 ERA overall, but has a 2.55 ERA in his past eight starts, not getting the decision in the past five. Harang has overcome 33 hits and nine runs in 32 innings. Meanwhile Atlanta has scored a total of nine runs in Harang's past five starts.
The batting rotation could get a boost as Andrelton Simmons is back after an ankle injury. He brought in two RBIs on Wednesday after missing six games. The Braves need that as their struggles against the Dodgers continue. Harang pitched well in his brief time in Los Angeles, going 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts. Yasiel Puig is 3 for 3 against him while Matt Kemp is 3 for 4. He is currently batting .368 in his career against Harang.
The Dodgers will be starting Roberto Hernandez who was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies a week ago. He is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA and looked strong in his debut, giving up just two runs and three hits in six innings. Against the Braves, Hernandez is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts this season. Freddie Freeman certainly loves hitting against Hernandez as he is .410 in his last 10 games. Evan Gattis has two hits in six at-bats against Hernandez, both resulting in home runs.
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