Preview: Beachy Faces Former Club As Dodgers Road Trip Hits Atlanta

Thanks to dominant outings from Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, the Los Angeles Dodgers came away with a series win against the Washington Nationals over the weekend. Now the Dodgers shift their attention to the Atlanta Braves as a three-game series begins Monday at Turner Field.

Brandon Beachy looks to follow in the footsteps of Greinke and Kershaw as he makes just his second start of the season. In his first Major League start in nearly two years, Beachy showed signs of rust in a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings.

Beachy has an opportunity to prove the start was merely a byproduct of needing to shake off some rust as he faces the team he signed with as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Despite going up against his former club, Beachy said he’s going to treat it like any other start.

In his career at Turner Field, Beachy is 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.14 WHIP; opponents are batting .227/.287/.340 against him in Atlanta. He’s being opposed by right-hander Matt Wisler. The rookie pitcher is making just his sixth career start after being called up on June 19.

Wisler is 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In his last outing, he went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits while also walking three. six hits, three walks, and two earned runs in a no-decision. Control has been somewhat of an issue for the young pitcher as he’s walked a combined nine batters over his last three starts, including handing out five free passes on July 1.

On the season, the Ohio native has a 3.99 FIP, 120 ERA+ and 2.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wisler has enjoyed early success over two career starts at Turner Field, going 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched.

While Yasmani Grandal’s availability was in question after taking a foul ball off his face mask in the sixth inning on Sunday, A.J. Ellis getting placed on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right knee came as a surprise. As a result the Dodgers recalled Austin Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The three-game series pits teams on opposite ends of the spectrum as the Dodgers have the highest percentage of runs scored via home runs, whereas the Braves have the lowest reliance on the long ball.

Dodgers Lineup:

CF: Joc Pederson

2B: Howie Kendrick

1B: Adrian Gonzalez

3B: Justin Turner

LF: Andre Ethier

RF: Yasiel Puig

SS: Jimmy Rollins

C: Austin Barnes

P: Brandon Beachy

Braves Lineup:

2B: Jace Peterson

CF: Cameron Maybin

RF: Nick Markakis

C: A.J. Pierzynski

3B: Juan Uribe

1B: Joey Terdoslavich

LF: Eury Perez

SS: Andrelton Simmons

P: Matt Wisler

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