There are certain teams the Braves will need to take advantage of in the second half, two of which reside in the National League East.
They made sure one of them, the Marlins, didn’t have an ounce of hope Monday night.
After plating five runs in the first three innings, the Braves cranked out 16 hits, blowing out the Fish, 12-1. They improved to 29-15 in the NL East, and 39-20 at Marlins Park.
Charlie Culberson, again filling in for Ozzie Albies, who’s out with hamstring tightness, doubled twice in route to his first four-hit game. He raised his average to .290 in his 38 starts.
Freddie Freeman opened the scoring, concluding a six-pitch at-bat by putting Jose Urena’s slider over the wall for a 2-0 lead in the first.
Two runs were all Sean Newcomb needed. The big left-hander wasn’t at his best, as evidenced by four walks and erratic command throughout the night, but he held the Marlins to a run over six innings. His hanging slider inside for a home run to Justin Bour produced Miami’s only run.
Dansby Swanson hit a towering solo shot to left field in the third, and Johan Camargo’s two-RBI single gave the Braves their fourth and fifth runs. Urena was finished after four innings, tagged for five runs.
For Camargo, it continued his success since taking over the third base job May 20, and continues fortifying some’s belief that the Braves shouldn’t prioritize third base at the upcoming trade deadline.
He’s hitting .311 with runners on base and .321 with runners in scoring position. His 27 RBIs since June 1 lead the team.
The difference in Camargo’s patience is staggering: Entering the night, he walked once per every 8.06 plate appearances, as opposed to 21.33 a year ago. He’d already walked 34 times in 74 games after doing so just 12 times in 82 games last year.
Ronald Acuna had a pair of hits and RBIs from the lead-off spot. He’s 9-for-14 with three RBIs and four runs scored hitting at the top of the lineup this season.
The Braves and Marlins wrap up their two-game series Tuesday at noon with Julio Teheran facing Wei-Yin Chen.
