Marlins at Braves
The Atlanta Braves arrive at the third weekend in May as perhaps the biggest surprise in baseball, opening a home series Friday against the Miami Marlins owning the best record in the National League and leading the NL East through roughly one-quarter of the season. Atlanta’s series finale against Chicago on Thursday was rained out, sending the Braves into the weekend at 26-16 – their best record since being 10 games over .500 in July 2014.
Sparked by youngsters Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. at the top of the batting order, Atlanta has won 14 of its past 20 games, the franchise’s best 20-game stretch since 2013 – the last time the Braves made the playoffs. The Marlins, who lost three of four at home to Atlanta last weekend, beat the Dodgers in consecutive home games before losing 7-0 in Thursday’s series finale. Miami had averaged 10.2 hits in winning three of its previous five games, but finished with just four hits to fall 11 games under .500 at 16-27. The Marlins – who open a stretch of playing 16 of their next 19 games on the road – continue to struggle on the mound, posting a 6.94 ERA in their past 11 games while allowing 10.5 hits per game in that span.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), FS South (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Dan Straily (1-0, 5.54 ERA) vs. Braves TBD
Straily makes his fourth start of the season and his second consecutive outing against Atlanta, seven days after picking up his first victory of the season by holding the Braves to two earned runs on three hits in five innings in the only Miami win of the four-game series. The 29-year-old, who missed the first four weeks of the season with right forearm inflammation, has struggled with his control in walking 11 in 13 innings. Straily, who struck out five Braves last week, is 3-2 in seven career starts against Atlanta with a 5.24 ERA.
Atlanta did not immediately announce its starter for the series opener following Friday’s rainout, but could skip Max Fried’s spot start in favor of left-hander Sean Newcomb (4-1, 2.51) on regular rest. Newcomb is in the midst of the best stretch of his young career in his second season, entering Friday having not allowed a run in 19 innings across his first three May starts. Fried (0-2, 6.00) has made four relief appearances in the majors this season, after going 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA in nine games (four starts) as a rookie last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami RHP Junichi Tazawa, who allowed three runs Thursday to raise his ERA to 9.00, was designated for assignment after the game.
2. Well before the rainout, Atlanta scratched 20-year-old RHP Mike Soroka from Thursday’s start and placed him on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain.
3. Braves SS Dansby Swanson, on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation, went 2-for-4 in his first rehab game Thursday with Class-A Rome, and could be activated this weekend.