WHERE: Lake Olmstead Stadium

THE SERIES: Four games - Today through Thursday, 7:15 p.m.

RECORDS: Crawdads (21-29), Jackets (28-22)

PROBABLE STARTERS

TABHickory/Augusta

Today:/LHP Sean Burnett (3-3, 1.97)/LHP Rich Rundles (4-3, 1.75)

Tuesday:/RHP Julio Guerrero (1-3, 4.44)/LHP Mauricio Lara (0-3, 3.15)

Wednesday:/LHP Mike Johnston (2-3, 3.97)/RHP Seung Song (3-0, 1.09)

Thursday:/LHP Derek Hurley (2-5, 4.09)/RHP Matt Thompson (5-4, 2.83)

SCOUTING THE GREENJACKETS

After dropping the first five games of its eight-game road trip, Augusta won three straight over Charleston (W.Va.) to return home on a high note. ... OF Julio Guerrero's is batting .350 (7-for-20) in his past 10 games, raising his season average to .189. ... 3B/OF Justin Sherrod is batting .342 in his past 10 games. ... Jackets pitching staff leads the SAL with a 2.58 ERA. ... RHP Seung Song leads the league with a 1.09 ERA and has allowed two earned runs or less in his 10 starts this season. ... LHP Rich Rundles is sixth in the league with a 1.75 ERA. ... Relievers Rodney Dickinson and Dan Giese have not allowed an earned run in their past three appearances. ... OF Antron Seiber leads the club with 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

SCOUTING THE CRAWDADS

Hickory has won two straight after dropping six of its past eight games. ... Club is managed by Pete Mackanin, who spent the past four seasons as third-base coach with the Montreal Expos. ... LHP Sean Burnett, who starts vs. the Jackets today, was the Pirates' first-round pick last year, and is rated the eighth-best prospect in the organization by Baseball America. ... 1B Jeremy Cotton, a second-round pick in 1998, is batting .240, and is tied for fifth in the SAL with nine home runs. ... C Ryan Doumit, a second-round pick in 1999, is batting .271 with one home run and nine RBI. ... 2B Josh Bonifay, the son of Pirates GM Cam Bonifay, leads the Crawdads with a .323 average in 65 at-bats. ... OF Manny Ravelo is fifth in the SAL with a .317 average and is tied for third with 23 steals. ... Reliever Jason Alcala is second in the SAL with 22 appearance. ... LHP Derek Hurley has surrendered 10 home runs this season, most in the SAL.

NEWS AND NOTES

Lara's back

After more than a month on the disabled list, left-hander Mauricio Lara finally is set to return to the GreenJackets rotation.

Lara has been out since late April with a strained lower back, and is scheduled to make his first start since April 21, a 4-2 loss at Wilmington. He has been in extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., the past three weeks for rehab.

''The last I heard, he was supposed to pitch one more game in extended (on Saturday) and should start for us on Tuesday,'' Jackets manager Mike Boulanger said on Saturday from Charleston, W.Va. ''That's not official yet, but either way, it will be good to have him back.''

Jackets buzz

Third baseman Tony Blanco, who has been out of the lineup since Tuesday with a pulled hamstring, is expected to return to the lineup either today or Tuesday. ... The Red Sox likely will reassign infielder Mike Gambino to extended spring training to clear a roster spot for Lara. ... Second baseman Raul Nieves returned to the lineup Thursday at Charleston after a stint on the DL. Nieves suffered a bruised elbow after he was hit by a pitch May 14 at home vs. Savannah. ... The Jackets' bus broke down twice on the way to Lexington, Ky., May 19 for their first-ever meeting vs. the expansion Legends. The chartered bus overheated on I-75 in north Georgia, then again was knocked out of commission by a blown tire near Knoxville, Tenn. The Jackets arrived in Lexington about an hour before gametime.

ON DECK

vs. Kannapolis (June 1-4); at Capital City (June 6-9); at Asheville (June 10-13); vs. Charleston, S.C. (June 14-17); SAL All-Star Game at Hickory, N.C. (June 19).

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Tuesday - Grand Slam Team Trivia; Thursday - Thirsty Thursday (16 ounce beers for $1); Saturday - Birdzerk appearance.

TICKETS

$8 box, $7 reserved, $6 general admission, $5 senior citizens/active military w/I.D. and children 4-12, $3 children 3-and-under.

-Compiled by Rob Mueller