Atlanta Braves vs Colorado Rockies Baseball Game Live Streaming 7/21/2011: Dan Uggla is finally starting to show the Atlanta Braves what they expected after signing him to a long-term deal in January.
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If he can play through a sore calf, Uggla will look to set a new career high by hitting safely in his 13th straight game while trying to help the Braves earn a split of their four-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
For much of 2011, Uggla hasn't lived up to the $62 million, five-year deal he inked with Atlanta just weeks after being acquired in a trade with Florida. Over his five seasons with the Marlins, Uggla batted .263 while averaging 31 homers and 93 RBIs.
After going 0 for 3 in a win over Colorado on July 4, Uggla was batting .173 with 12 homers and 29 RBIs. Since then, Uggla has hit .333 with five homers and nine RBIs during his longest hit streak in nearly a year, raising his average to .193.
Uggla's eighth-inning single plated the tying run Wednesday, but he then left the game with soreness in his left calf and Colorado won 3-2 on Carlos Gonzalez's walkoff single in the ninth after an error by Martin Prado.
"I hope this game is not going to cost us at the end of the year," Prado, who's playing third base in place of the injured Chipper Jones, said after Atlanta (57-41) dropped 4 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia.
Todd Helton hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Colorado (47-51), which has won two straight after losing the first five meetings of 2011 with Atlanta.
Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.37 ERA) will try to end his recent struggles for the Rockies on Thursday.
Since beating San Diego on June 15 to cap a three-start winning streak, the right-hander is 0-3 with 5.10 ERA in five outings. One of those losses came July 5, when Chacin issued a season-high-tying six walks in five innings as the Rockies fell 5-3 at Atlanta.
He's walked only two over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts, but he allowed five runs Saturday against Milwaukee.
Chacin, who's trying to match a career high for wins set as a rookie last season, has never faced Atlanta at home.
Tommy Hanson (10-5, 2.73) will try to bounce back from perhaps his worst start of the season for the Braves.
The right-hander surrendered season highs of five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings of Saturday's 5-2 loss to Washington, his first defeat since May 27.
Hanson had been 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts between losses. The most recent win came July 4, when he gave up one run in seven innings of a 4-1 victory over the Rockies.
Hanson didn't get a decision in his only career start at Coors Field after yielding four runs in five innings of the Braves' 7-6 defeat on July 9, 2009.
Like Chacin, Hanson also looks to match a career best in wins, set as a rookie two years ago.
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If he can play through a sore calf, Uggla will look to set a new career high by hitting safely in his 13th straight game while trying to help the Braves earn a split of their four-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
3:10 PM ET, July 21, 2011
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
After going 0 for 3 in a win over Colorado on July 4, Uggla was batting .173 with 12 homers and 29 RBIs. Since then, Uggla has hit .333 with five homers and nine RBIs during his longest hit streak in nearly a year, raising his average to .193.
"If you stay humble, continue to work hard and just stay positive and do just everything you can for your team and go out there and play the game the way it's supposed to be played, as long as they keep throwing you out there, I believe it can turn around," he told the Braves' official website.Regular Season Series
Atlanta leads 5-2 (as of Thu 7/21)
Mon 7/4 @ATL 4, COL 1 Recap
Tue 7/5 @ATL 5, COL 3 Recap
Wed 7/6 @ATL 9, COL 1 Recap
Thu 7/7 @ATL 6, COL 3 Recap
Mon 7/18 ATL 7, @COL 4 Recap
Tue 7/19 @COL 12, ATL 3 Recap
Wed 7/20 @COL 3, ATL 2 Recap
Jul 21, 2011 ATL (Hanson) @ COL (Chacin) 3:10 PM ET
Uggla's eighth-inning single plated the tying run Wednesday, but he then left the game with soreness in his left calf and Colorado won 3-2 on Carlos Gonzalez's walkoff single in the ninth after an error by Martin Prado.
"I hope this game is not going to cost us at the end of the year," Prado, who's playing third base in place of the injured Chipper Jones, said after Atlanta (57-41) dropped 4 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia.
Todd Helton hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Colorado (47-51), which has won two straight after losing the first five meetings of 2011 with Atlanta.
Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.37 ERA) will try to end his recent struggles for the Rockies on Thursday.
Since beating San Diego on June 15 to cap a three-start winning streak, the right-hander is 0-3 with 5.10 ERA in five outings. One of those losses came July 5, when Chacin issued a season-high-tying six walks in five innings as the Rockies fell 5-3 at Atlanta.
He's walked only two over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts, but he allowed five runs Saturday against Milwaukee.
Chacin, who's trying to match a career high for wins set as a rookie last season, has never faced Atlanta at home.
Tommy Hanson (10-5, 2.73) will try to bounce back from perhaps his worst start of the season for the Braves.
The right-hander surrendered season highs of five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings of Saturday's 5-2 loss to Washington, his first defeat since May 27.
Hanson had been 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts between losses. The most recent win came July 4, when he gave up one run in seven innings of a 4-1 victory over the Rockies.
Hanson didn't get a decision in his only career start at Coors Field after yielding four runs in five innings of the Braves' 7-6 defeat on July 9, 2009.
Like Chacin, Hanson also looks to match a career best in wins, set as a rookie two years ago.
