Game 6 Braves v Mets
Davies entrusted with salvaging finale
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
When Kyle Davies last faced the Mets, he provided the finest outing of his young career. The Braves will be looking for him to provide another such performance when he takes the hill for Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the front-running Mets.
While dropping the first two games of this three-game series, the Braves have fallen seven games behind the Mets in the National League East standings. They enter Sunday having lost five straight games and six of their past seven.
“We’ve just got to keep playing, do those little things and we’ll come out of the little slump we’re in,” Andruw Jones said. “We just got to keep battling.”
Davies’ three-hitter against the Mets on April 18 was the first complete game of his career. Before surrendering a seventh-inning two-run homer in Milwaukee on Monday night, it appeared he would complete his second consecutive masterful start.
The 22-year-old right-hander has allowed five earned runs in his past 19 2/3 innings. During his first two starts of the year, he surrendered nine runs, eight of which were scored in the first inning.
The Mets opted to skip Victor Zambrano in the series finale and instead throw the more effective Steve Trachsel, who has allowed just three earned runs in his past two starts, covering 12 innings. He was 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts against the Braves last year.
Pitching matchup
ATL: RHP Kyle Davies (1-2, 4.56 ERA)
The youngster has allowed just one earned run in 16 1/3 career innings against the Mets.
NYM: RHP Steve Trachsel (2-1, 3.13 ERA)
The veteran is 3-7 with a 5.47 ERA in 13 career starts at Turner Field.
Player to watch
Andruw Jones has batted .381 (24-for-63) with five homers in his career against Trachsel.
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