Atlanta split a four-game set against the Phillies, lost three of four to the Mets before bouncing back most recently with two wins in three games against the division-leading Nationals. The Marlins and Braves have the same number of wins this season with 29 so this could be a competitive series, with Miami boasting more talent but Atlanta with the home field advantage.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18, 2017 at the SunTrust Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Pitching Matchups
The Marlins will begin the series by sending Dan Straily to the mound. He is 4-4 with a 3.89 ERA on the season, averaging more than a strikeout per inning. The Braves will counter with Sean Newcomb, who looked really good in his lone outing of the season on June 10, allowing no earned runs in 6.1 innings against the Mets.
On Saturday, Miami plans to send Jeff Locke to the hill. He is 0-2 on the season with a 4.02 ERA and doesn’t have the type of pure stuff to shut down offenses on a consistent basis. The Braves are slated to start Jaime Garcia, who is 2-5 with a 3.16 ERA. Garcia isn’t a big strikeout artist but has held down lineups nicely throughout the season.
In the finale, the Marlins’ starter will be Jose Urena. He is 5-2 this year with a 3.70 ERA and has won four consecutive decisions. The Braves’ starter will be Mike Foltynewicz. He is 4-5 with a 4.37 ERA. He had back-to-back scoreless outings but was then shellacked for eight runs in only 3.1 innings last time out.
Key Stat
19. That’s how many runs Miami scored in its most recent series against the Oakland A’s. The mark ties franchise record for runs in a two-game series by the franchise. They also scored 19 runs against the Red Sox in August of 2015.
The Marlins defeated the A’s 8-1 on Tuesday and won 11-6 on Wednesday in a come-from-behind win propelled by a second-inning home run by Marcell Ozuna. Tyler Moore also homered in the fifth inning and scored three runs in the win.
The Marlins split the first series against the Braves this season then lost two of three in the second, but their red hot offense might help them keep things closer this time around. Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton are among the bigger bats in the lineup.
Scheduling Situation
It’s going to get a lot harder for the Marlins after this series. While they do get to head home, Miami will host the division-leading Nationals or three games early next week and then follow that up with a four-game set against the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs.
At this point, it seems unlikely the Marlins can make any sort of run to get back into playoff contention. And their fate may really be sealed if Washington and Chicago dominate.
The Marlins have the talent advantage over the Braves and picking up a series win, even on the road, would be a big boost heading into those games. A lot of it will likely come down to these starting pitchers. There isn’t a bona fide ace among the bunch, and it will be interesting to see which ones do well and which ones allow a lot of runs in this series.
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