(SportsNetwork.com) – The Miami Marlins look to secure their first series
victory of the season on Wednesday afternoon when they take on the Atlanta
Braves in the rubber match of a three-game set.
The Marlins won for only the second time in eight games with a solid 8-2
victory over the Braves last night. They snapped a three-game slide in which
they had scored only seven runs.
Giancarlo Stanton went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs, while Dee Gordon added
a pair of hits, scored twice and had an RBI. Tom Koehler yielded two runs over
5 1/3 innings to get the win.
The Marlins beat the Braves for the first time in five meetings this season.
“You can’t keep running out there what we’ve been running out there prior to
tonight,” said Stanton. “You’ve got to realize it, but not go out there with
urgency or anything like that.”
Miami was without Christian Yelich due to a back injury and could sit the
young outfielder again today.
Freddie Freeman and A.J. Pierzynski hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth
inning for the Braves, who have lost two of three following a 5-0 start.
“We feel like we’re playing good baseball and tonight was just not our night,”
said Atlanta third baseman Chris Johnson. “We’ll come in tomorrow and try to
win the series by playing good baseball.”
Trevor Cahill, acquired from Arizona right before the season started, was
tagged for four runs on five hits in just 2 1/3 frames to take the loss.
Right-hander Dan Haren looks to pitch the Marlins to the series win after a
solid debut with the club on Friday. He held the Tampa Bay Rays to a run on
four hits over six innings, striking out two without a walk.
Haren was in line for the win, but the bullpen could not hold a big lead and
the 34-year-old was left without a decision.
Haren is 6-2 with a 4.50 earned run average and one save in 10 career meetings
with the Braves, all but one of those starts.
Left-hander Eric Stults counters for the Braves looking for his first win. He
made his Atlanta debut on Friday versus the New York Mets and allowed three
runs on seven hits over five innings of a no-decision. He rolled early on
before giving up back-to-back homers in the fourth inning.
The 35-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.29 ERA in seven games (6 starts) versus the
Marlins.
