Marlins at Braves
Like many teams this season, the Atlanta Braves are hitting home runs at a frantic pace and they enter Friday’s home series opener against the Miami Marlins one long ball away from setting a franchise record. The Braves slugged five homers in Thursday’s 12-6 victory over Philadelphia, giving them 140 on the season -matching the team record for most homers before the All-Star break with three games remaining.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson went 3-for-5 with five RBIs Thursday and homered twice as all four members of Atlanta’s starting infield - Swanson, Josh Donaldson, Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman - went deep as the Braves won the series and increased their National League East advantage to six games over Washington and 6 1/2 over the Phillies. The Marlins arrive after being swept in a three-game series at Washington but have played much better after a rough start to the season, going 22-22 since May 17. Shortstop Miguel Rojas has thrived in the leadoff spot, homering and driving home both Miami runs in Thursday’s 5-2 loss, and is hitting .393 with seven doubles since moving to the top of the order June 18. Following a 4-14 start on the road this season, the Marlins are 13-10 in their past 23 games away from home.
TV: 7:20 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), FS South (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Jordan Yamamoto (3-0, 2.35 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (5-6, 3.99)
Considered a throw-in to the January 2018 deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee, all Yamamoto has done in his first four big-league starts is hold opponents to a .133 batting average while allowing no runs twice and two runs once. The 23-year-old gave up four runs on just three hits (matching the most hits allowed in a start) Saturday against Philadelphia, six days after he held the Phillies to two runs on two hits with seven strikeouts over five innings for his third consecutive victory. Yamamoto posted consecutive starts of seven shutout innings after being promoted from Double-A Jacksonville.
Teheran has followed up an eight-start stretch of brilliance with two rough performances and a rain-delayed effort Saturday against the New York Mets, in which he gave up two runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old surrendered 13 runs on 17 hits with six walks over eight innings in his previous two outings, against the Mets on June 18 and the Chicago Cubs six days later. Teheran limited the Marlins to two hits across six shutout innings in each of his first two appearances against them this season (May 5 and June 8), and is 8-6 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 22 career outings versus Miami.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami 1B/OF Garrett Cooper has reached safely in his past eight games, going 9-for-33 with a double and six RBIs in that span.
2. Atlanta RF Nick Markakis doubled three times Thursday, giving him 495 for his career and moving him within five of becoming the 64th player in MLB history with 500.
3. The Braves have dominated the season series with the Marlins to this point, winning eight of nine meetings and outscoring Miami 44-19.