San Francisco at Atlanta

This was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Atlanta Braves, and it pretty much has gone accordingly. The Giants have soaring expectations after winning the big prize in three of the last five seasons. They could certainly be out of focus here after a win yesterday, and a critical four-game set with the Cubs beginning in Chicago tomorrow. The Giants are 1/2 game behind the Cubs for the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Madison Bumgarner was the best pitcher in baseball in the postseason last year where he perhaps had the best postseason performance ever. That ha inflated expectations, and right now he is not pitching well. Bumgarner was lit up for six runs in his last start, and closed out the month of July pitching to a 4.89 ERA. The Giants are just 2-5 in Bumgarner’s last seven starts on regular four days rest, while the Braves are making some noise at home vs. a team with a winning road record, now 35-16 in their last 51. Back the home team Braves.