The Miami Marlins (3-6, 2-1 away) and the Atlanta Braves (4-6, 2-2 home) continue a four-game National League East series with game two on Tuesday night. Miami took the opener, 5-3, in extra innings Monday evening.
The first pitch is at 7:20 p.m. EST inside Truist Park in Cumberland, GA. Atlanta is favored on the moneyline (-180), and the total is 8.
What to Know – Miami Marlins
Miami suffered four-straight losses, including a series sweep from the St. Louis Cardinals, but took the opener against the Braves and now have won two in a row. The Marlins sit in fourth place in the conference standings.
Pablo Lopez (0-1, 1.54 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) takes the mound for the Marlins in search of his first victory of the season. The right-hander tossed 6.2 innings in his last start, surrendering two earned runs on three hits while striking out six.
As a team, the Marlins have struggled to get things going at the dish, sporting a .215 team batting average and .288 on-base percentage. Miami has only hit four home runs and average under three runs per game.
Outfielder Starling Marte has started off the 2021 season with a .324 (11-of-34) batting average, leading Miami in batting average, hits (11), runs scored (6), and total bases (15). Marte scored a pair of runs in Monday’s victory over the Braves.
While the Marlins offense has been sluggish, the bullpen has been effective with a 3.66 team ERA. Yimi Garcia has appeared in six games, scattering two hits, three walks, one earned run, and striking out five. Garcia is the only Marlins’ pitcher that has recorded a save this season.
What to Know – Atlanta Braves
Atlanta opened the season, losing its first four games, but bounced back with four straight victories to even their record. The Braves are on the edge of another losing streak, dropping their last two games of the competition. Atlanta sits third in the NL East early on in the season.
Lefty Max Fried (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 2.43 WHIP) makes his third start of the season and will try and rebound after a rough outing his last time out. Fried lasted only 2.0 innings, accounting for five earned runs on eight hits, walking one, and striking out three.
Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. continues to show us why he is one of the best young stars in baseball. The 23-year old is hitting an impressive .447 (17-of-28) with four home runs, ten runs scored, and eight RBI.
Last season’s NL MVP Freddie Freeman is hitting just .143 (5-for-35) but has four dingers in ten games. Freeman is like a majority of the Braves lineup, a group hitting .214 as a team.
The Braves bullpen is a mixed bag of results, with many arms showing good stuff early on. Will Smith (0-2, 5.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) was called upon to serve as the team’s closer and has locked down a pair of saves.
The Pick is In
Atlanta’s offense is too good to be this poor for much longer. Miami is a solid team with a chance to return to the postseason, but the Marlins do not have the top-to-bottom depth that Atlanta has. Lopez is a solid arm, but Atlanta’s offense opens up and puts the Marlins away, 7-2.
The Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5
