Dodgers catcher Russell Martin is out for the season with a hip injury.
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Los Angeles Dodgers continue a very difficult road trip Saturday night in Atlanta against the Braves. This is the second game of a four-game set.
The Dodgers were forced to fly across the country for two tough series against Philadelphia and Atlanta, two of baseball's best home teams with a combined 77-35 mark.
The Dodgers lost two of three at Philly and are 2-11 on the road in the second half. Thursday's 10-9 loss was heartbreaking because closer Jonathan Broxton continued his second half meltdown (10.13 ERA, three blown saves).
The Dodgers road record of 23-32 translates into minus 10 units. They're now nine games off the pace in the NL West standings.
The Braves have a two-game cushion in the NL East over Philly pending Friday night's results. Atlanta's 39-15 home record and plus 16.3 units is the best in baseball.
Atlanta received a big blow recently when third baseman Chipper Jones was lost for the year because of an ACL injury. Replacement Brooks Conrad hit a game-winning home run Tuesday at Houston.
Conrad will fill in for at least a few days until Martin Prado (finger) returns. Prado and Omar Infante can both play second or third base. A trade is also a possibility, but less likely.
Atlanta's Derek Lowe (11-9, 4.40 ERA) is expected to get the Saturday start. He allowed two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings last Sunday against San Francisco during a 6-3 win. The Braves were just 1-7 in Lowe's eight previous starts.
Lowe left that game with cramping in his right hamstring, but should be ready to go.
Lowe really struggles making it through the sixth inning, although he's far better at home (8-3, 3.88 ERA) than on the road (3-6, 4.96 ERA).
The 37-year-old righty pitched four years with the Dodgers from 2005-2008, averaging 13 ½ wins. He hasn't faced the Dodgers this year, but was 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in two starts against them last year.
Ted Lilly (5-8, 3.60 ERA) is the opposing pitcher. He's made two home starts against San Diego and Washington since coming over from the Cubs. L.A. won both games, with Lilly having a 2.77 ERA.
The 34-year-old lefty made eight road starts with Chicago this year. He was just 1-4, but had a quality 2.90 ERA. The Cubs gave him some of the worst run support in baseball this year.
Lilly is 3-2 with a 5.02 lifetime ERA against Atlanta. He's 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA in five lifetime starts at Turner Field. He last faced Atlanta in June 2009 on the road, allowing one earned run over seven innings.
Atlanta and L.A. split a four-game series at Dodger Stadium in June. The Dodgers went 2-1 in Atlanta last year, but are 2-5 in their last seven overall there. The ‘under' is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Atlanta.
The Dodgers are beset with their own injury problems. Catcher Russell Martin (hip) is out for the year. Shortstop Rafael Furcal (back) and outfielder Manny Ramirez (calf) will both miss at least this series. However, L.A. is still averaging eight runs in its last four games.
First pitch on Saturday night is 4:10 p.m. (PT). The weather forecast calls for temperatures around 80 degrees with scattered thunderstorms.