MIAMI – Some day the Marlins might decide to pitch around Evan Gattis regardless of the situation, but until they do the Braves will always feel good about their chances when El Oso Blanco – "the White bear" — steps to the plate in a tie game against the Fish.
Gattis hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday to lift the Braves to a 4-2 win, completing a three-game series sweep at Marlins Park against a Miami team that had moved into a first-place tie in the National League East before the Braves came calling.
It was Gattis’ 11th homer of the season including three in 25 at-bats against the Marlins, and the first homer allowed this season by Marlins closer Steve Cishek. Gattis has six homers in 63 at-bats against Miami in 18 games during his two major league seasons.
With Braves closer Craig Kimbrel unavailable after pitching three consecutive games, and the Braves also hoping to avoid using others who’ve worked a lot including David Carpenter, they turned to prospect Shae Simmons to pitch the ninth inning in a save situation in his second day in the big leagues.
He gave up a pair of singles and a walk but got a double-play grounder en route to his first save — a day after striking out the only batter he faced for a key out in Saturday’s win in his debut.
Marcell Ozuna, who hit a two-run homer off Braves starter Aaron Harang in the second inning, led off the ninth with a single before Simmons induced a 6-4-3 double-play grounder from Adeiny Hechavarria. Jeff Matthis walked and Reed Johnson hit a pinch-hit single through the left side before pitching coach Roger McDowell came out to chat.
Simmons then got Christian Yelich on a fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop Andrelton Simmons to end the game.
Braves starter Aaron Harang was drastically better Sunday than the last time he pitched at Marlins Park, allowing just two runs, five hits and four walks in 6-2/3 innings, after being scorched for a career-high nine runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-3 loss on April 30.
But Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi was almost as dominant Sunday as he usually is against the Braves, limiting them to six hits and two runs in eight innings. He has a 1.86 ERA in nine career starts against Atlanta.
And so it was left to the bullpens, and the Braves’ relievers won that contest.
Ozuna’s two-run homer in the second inning gave Marlins an early lead, but the Braves answered with two runs in the third against Eovaldi. Tommy La Stella and Andrelton Simmons had consecutive singles to start the inning. After Harang’s sacrifice bunt, Jason Heyward singled to shallow center to cut the lead in half.
B.J. Upton followed with a ground ball that had all the makings of an inning-ending double play, until second baseman Derek Dietrich stepped on second for the first out and bounced a throw past first baseman Garrett Jones, giving Upton a fielder’s choice and an RBI as Simmons scored the tying run.
Rookie second baseman La Stella and Heyward had two hits apiece for the Braves. La Stella is 6-f0r-15 (.400) with a walk and no strikeouts in his first five major league games since being called up at the start of the road trip.
Heyward has hit safely in 18 of his past 20 games, hitting .329 with nine RBIs and nearly a .400 on-base percentage in that span.
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