The Braves have won eight of their last 10 at home and have their ace - or at least their right-handed ace - on the mound. Reynaldo Lopez might be the NL All-Star starter. He's been studly, and the creative rotation the Braves designed to keep him fresh and limit the converted reliever's innings is working expertly. They are 10-4 when he starts, with eight wins by two or more runs, and he owns a ridiculous 1.11 ERA at home. The Giants have struggled to maintain solid run production and are sending out a youngster in Hayden Birdsong, who has promise but is just starting to get his feet wet at this level. San Francisco is 4-8 in its last 12 away from Oracle Park.

The pre-All-Star break funk -- I said funk -- has begun. Happens every year around this time where I don't understand some results. Guys are dragging. Last night, I hit the unwanted Gordie Howe hat trick of sorts: Lost on a prop, total and a side. Second day in a row a key player's status changed right before a first pitch. Those bets should be voided but I'm not a whiner to books. Can't believe how good Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez has been, and he's opposed by Giants rookie Hayden Birdsong. Great Boogie Nights name, but Birdsong was not very good in his MLB debut and that was home to a lesser lineup than Atlanta's. I think this should be -210.