Tommy Hanson

  Friday at 7:35 p.m. RHP Kyle Kendrick (10-10, 4.76 ERA) vs. Atlanta RHP Brandon Beachy (0-1, 2.89).   Saturday at 4:10 p.m. Phillies TBA vs. Atlanta RHP Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.41).   Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Phillies TBA vs. Atlanta RHP Tim Hudson (16-9, 2.76).

Tim Hudson agreed to a $28 million, 3-year contract with the Atlanta Braves yesterday, giving the team a wealth of starting pitching and setting up a likely trade to bolster the offense. The 34-year-old Hudson could have returned to the Braves under a $12 million option, but the sides focused on a longer deal after the righthander showed he had overcome major elbow surgery. His new deal calls for salaries of $9 million in each of the next three seasons, and the Braves get a $9 million club option for 2013 with a $1 million buyout.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Looking on the bright side, Carlos Carrasco now has a chance to prove to the Phillies that he can work through adversity. The righthander, competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, had a second straight rough outing in the Phillies' 7-2 loss to the Braves yesterday, allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits in two innings. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said that Carrasco strayed from his fastball after running into trouble. But Dubee likes to preach about the value of battling through adversity, and the Phillies will now look at how Carrasco, who gave up five runs in his previous outing, responds.

7:05, Citizens Bank Park. TV: Channel 17. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM); WUBA (1480-AM) Spanish. Pitching matchup: Braves RHP Julio Teheran (0-0, 0.00) vs. Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 2.08) Phillies vs. Teheran: Atlanta is calling up Teheran, their No. 1 prospect, to make his major league debut tonight . . . Teheran, 20, was the youngest player in the Triple A International League, where he was 3-0, 1.80 ERA for the Gwinnett Braves. He was ranked as the fifth-best prospect overall by Baseball America coming into the season.

With Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt in manager Charlie Manuel's dugout-protection program and Cole Hamels expected to go only a few innings in his final start of the regular season, the Braves' wild-card chances are greatly enhanced. The Braves' Brandon Beachy will make his third career start in the series opener. Atlanta has its best two pitchers - Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson - going in the final two games, but would likely scratch Hudson if it clinches a wild-card spot Saturday.

THE METS are trying to send an early message in the NL East: This isn't the same team that finished last a year ago. The Braves are certainly taking note. Ike Davis hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Dillon Gee pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, leading New York to another victory over host Atlanta, 6-1, Monday night. The Mets snapped the Braves' five-game winning streak and kept up their early dominance in the NL East rivalry, winning again after a three-game sweep of Atlanta in the Big Apple to start the season.

THE METS are trying to send an early message in the NL East: This isn't the same team that finished last a year ago. The Braves are certainly taking note. Ike Davis hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Dillon Gee pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, leading New York to another victory over host Atlanta, 6-1, Monday night. The Mets snapped the Braves' five-game winning streak and kept up their early dominance in the NL East rivalry, winning again after a three-game sweep of Atlanta in the Big Apple to start the season.

With the injuries to the Atlanta Braves staff, righthander Derek Lowe should become even more vital in the postseason. That has to give Braves fans cause for concern after his performance in Monday's 9-0 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It wasn't just Monday's showing but a seasonlong bout of inconsistency that makes Lowe a major question mark. Known for his ability to be an innings-eater, Lowe allowed seven runs (five earned) in five innings, walking four and striking out four in the opening of a three-game series.

The debate is over for now. Maybe it can be renewed when the San Francisco Giants come to town later this month or when the Phillies and Atlanta Braves meet again in September. Right now, however, no one can argue the notion that the Phillies have the best pitching staff in baseball. The Phillies did not just prove it during their three-game series with the Braves, which ended with a 14-1 rout by the home team Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. They proved it throughout the entire first half of the season.

So much can happen between now and October to significantly alter the makeup of both the Phillies and Atlanta that it's risky business to extrapolate much out of the series the two NL East rivals are playing this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. Nonetheless, if the Braves keep their pitching staff healthy and humming along at its current pace, Phillies fans would be well-advised to stock up on some antianxiety medication for the postseason. In the first two of the three-game series that leads into this week's break for the All-Star Game, the Phillies scored four runs in 21 innings against Atlanta pitching.

Fredi Gonzalez sat in the visitors dugout, hours before Tommy Hanson would pitch a gem, and tried to demonstrate why the 24-year-old righty was so effective. The Braves manager's index and middle fingers cupped an invisible baseball as he fidgeted with his wrist, attempting to mimic Hanson. "It's not a traditional delivery," Gonzalez said of his starter, who lasted seven innings, allowed four hits and one run, and struck out six in the 4-1, 11-inning Braves win on Saturday.

So much can happen between now and October to significantly alter the makeup of both the Phillies and Atlanta that it's risky business to extrapolate much out of the series the two NL East rivals are playing this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. Nonetheless, if the Braves keep their pitching staff healthy and humming along at its current pace, Phillies fans would be well-advised to stock up on some antianxiety medication for the postseason. In the first two of the three-game series that leads into this week's break for the All-Star Game, the Phillies scored four runs in 21 innings against Atlanta pitching.

The best part of Ryan Howard 's day didn't come when he was at the plate or in the field, where things didn't go so well for him in the Phillies' 4-1, 11-inning loss to Atlanta on Saturday. Instead, it came while he was sitting in the dugout watching Cliff Lee engage in a remarkable at-bat against Braves righthander Tommy Hanson in the fourth inning. Lee repeatedly fouled off Hanson pitches while running the count to 3-2 before pounding his first career homer into the seats in right-center.

At Citizens Bank Park Friday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Brandon Beachy (3-1, 3.23 ERA) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (11-3, 2.44).   Saturday at 4:10 p.m. RHP Tommy Hanson (10-4, 2.52) vs. LHP Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.92).   Sunday at 1:35 p.m. RHP Derek Lowe (5-6, 4.21) vs. LHP Cole Hamels (10-4, 2.40).

Braves 4, Rockies 1 ATLANTA - Freddie Freeman homered twice to drive in three runs, Tommy Hanson combined with two relievers on a four-hitter and Atlanta beat Colorado, Freeman's two-run shot in the first inning drove in Brian McCann, who singled with two outs off Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8). The rookie first baseman hit his 11th homer in the eighth off Matt Reynolds. Jimenez was facing the Braves for the first time since throwing a no-hitter at Turner Field on April 17, 2010. It was the first no-hitter in Rockies history.