MIAMI – Even an off-night for the offense didn’t stop these Braves. They snapped a 0-0 tie in the eighth to defeat the Marlins 2-0 Tuesday in Miami. They moved to 5-0 on their nine-game road trip and have won 12 of 14 games.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday:
1. In his first game since mid-May, Huascar Ynoa pitched 5-1/3 scoreless innings, striking out four and walking one. Ynoa allowed only two baserunners over the first five innings: A Brian Anderson single that amounted to nothing in the third, and Isan Diaz’s leadoff walk in the fourth. Diaz was caught stealing.
Ynoa ran into trouble in the sixth, when two of the first three Marlins had hits, ending his night. But it was nonetheless an encouraging return for Ynoa.
“I felt a little anxious – I wanted to throw well,” Ynoa said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “But the result was good. I was happy with it.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. With Ynoa out, manager Brian Snitker turned to the hot hand in Tyler Matzek, who surrendered a single to Diaz that loaded the bases. But Matzek induced a popup in foul ground from Lewis Brinson and struck out Jesus Sanchez to keep the game scoreless.
“That was huge,” Ynoa said. “Everyone knows what he’s capable of. He can pitch in any situation. The job he did out there was important for us.”
3. Ynoa, 23, missed months after breaking his hand while punching a dugout bench following a May 16 start in Milwaukee. It derailed a brilliant start to the campaign in which he had a 3.02 ERA and earned a spot in the Braves’ rotation.
With Ynoa back, the rotation grows even more formidable. A year ago at this time, the Braves’ starting staff was decimated and they were having issues assembling a rotation. Soon, they’ll have a rotation crunch when Ian Anderson, who’s been rehabbing in Triple-A Gwinnett, returns from shoulder inflammation.
Oh, how things change.
“A year ago, we went in big spurts and didn’t even have a rotation,” Snitker said. “That will be (nice to have an abundance of starters). Ian threw really well (in Gwinnett) tonight too. The reports were really good on him. It’s one of those things we talk about it all the time, you can’t have too much pitching. Getting some of these guys back from injury is going to do nothing but bode well for us.”
4. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, who entered the night with a 2.43 ERA in six starts against the Braves, was at his best, cooling a red-hot offense. But in his final inning, the eighth, the Braves finally manufactured a run and spoiled his gem.
Outfielder Abraham Almonte drew a pinch-hit walk. He stole second as second baseman Ozzie Albies struck out. He advanced to third on a wild pitch, setting up outfielder Jorge Soler’s two-out single that scored the run.
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” Soler said about his Braves tenure (via Garcia). “I’m really happy to be here. Just from the guys in the clubhouse, the energy everyone plays with every day, and to just the enthusiasm and energy in the dugout. I’ve really enjoyed my experience here.”
Third baseman Austin Riley added insurance with a solo shot off Anthony Bender in the ninth. It was Riley’s 26th homer. And so the Braves’ offense, which was averaging almost 6.5 runs per game over its last 13 contests, did enough to win a game with only six hits.
5. The Braves have won nine consecutive road games. It’s their longest road streak since winning 10 games in a row in 2009. The franchise’s modern-era record for a road winning streak is 12 games, a run that spanned the 1993-94 seasons. The longest single-season streak is 11, set in 1956.
Stat to know
36-11 (The Braves have outscored the Nationals and Marlins 36-11 in five games during the road trip.)
Quotable
“Every starter we have here is really good.” – Ynoa summing up the state of the Braves’ rotation
Up next
The series finale Wednesday night will be a battle of old vs. young. The 37-year-old Charlie Morton (11-4, 3.49) will face the 23-year-old Jesus Luzardo (4-5, 7.52), whom the Marlins acquired from Oakland in the Starling Marte trade.
