Phillies look to continue dominance over Braves

ATLANTA -- There are two mysteries worth mentioning before the Philadelphia Phillies open a two-game series on Tuesday against the Braves in Atlanta.

The first is Philadelphia's mastery over the Braves. The Phillies (40-69) have the worst record in the National League, but they have won nine of 11 games against Atlanta (51-59), a club that leads them by 10 1/2 games in the Eastern Division.

The second is the lack of success Atlanta ace Julio Teheran has enjoyed at home this season. In 11 starts at SunTrust Park, Teheran is 1-7 with a 6.91 ERA. By comparison he is 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 11 starts on the road.

Teheran (7-9, 5.10 ERA) will try his luck again in the first game of the series. Philadelphia has not named its starting pitcher, and may not do so until Tuesday.

Philadelphia had won five straight games after sweeping a four-game set against the Braves last week at Citizens Bank Park. But the Phillies failed to build on that momentum during their current eight-game road trip that saw them lose three straight against the Los Angeles Angels and drop two of three versus Colorado.

"It was nice to salvage a win out the series," Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said. "But it's even nicer winning on a getaway day with an off day the next day so you've got more time to savor it."

Philadelphia will be without right fielder Aaron Altherr, who was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season with a strained right hamstring. The loss will be felt. Altherr is batting .351 with four home runs this season against the Braves.

Cesar Hernandez has picked up some of the slack for the Phillies. The leadoff batter and shortstop was 1-for-3 with two walks on Sunday and has reached base at least twice in nine straight games, matching the streak of nine accomplished by Andres Blanco in 2015. Shane Victorino reached multiple times in 10 straight in 2011.

The Phillies need a starter now that Jake Thompson has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The choice may be right-hander Ricardo Pinto, who was recalled from the IronPigs when Thompson was shipped out

This is the third time Pinto (1-0, 6.32 ERA) has spent time with the Phillies. He made his big-league debut on May 31 against Miami and picked up his first win on June 28 against Seattle. He surrendered just one run in 11 innings when he appeared in eight games from June 26 to July 19 and held opponents to a .135 batting average. He has never faced the Braves.

At Lehigh Valley, Pinto was 4-3 with a 4.39 ERA. He appeared in 15 games, eight of them starts. He hasn't started a game since May 17, but pitched 4 1/3 innings on June 9 and two or more innings in three appearances since, so he has been stretched out a bit.

Teheran will be making his second start against the Phillies this season. He was hammered by the Phils on July 28, when he gave up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. In 15 career starts against Philadelphia, Teheran is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA, including a six-inning scoreless start on Sept. 4, 2016.

Teheran had a respectable five-inning outing against the Dodgers in his last start at SunTrust Park. He gave up three runs in five innings before leaving the game with cramps in his right thigh. Teheran experienced no lingering problems from the cramps.

"I erred on the side of caution, because if something goes at this time of year, he probably doesn't have enough time to come back, and we need him out there," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.