MIAMI — The Braves scored only seven runs in 28 innings against the Marlins, but it was enough to break out the brooms for a sweep. Barely.
Jair Jurrjens pitched seven strong innings, and the Braves’ offense awakened in the sixth inning of a 3-2 win Thursday night for a three-game sweep against Florida at Sun Life Stadium. The Marlins are 0-8 in June.
"We didn't score many runs, but our pitching was tremendous this series, the starters and relievers," shortstop Alex Gonzalez said after the Braves' first three-game sweep at Florida since 1995. "Let's keep it going."
Jurrjens (8-2) allowed two runs and six hits and no walks in seven innings, and also had the game-winning RBI on a seventh-inning single to shallow center.
"I put it in the right spot, and it was a big hit for us," Jurrjens said of his first run-scoring hit of the season. "This was a big win for us. We really needed this series after losing a couple of tough games in New York."
Jonny Venters pitched the ninth to record his second save of the season in his first appearance as closer. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said the decision was made after Craig Kimbrel threw 28 pitches in the ninth inning Tuesday, when Kimbrel blew a two-run lead for his fifth blown save in 23 chances.
The Braves improved to 4-2 on a 10-game trip that will conclude with a four-game series in Houston that starts Friday. They pulled to within two games of first-place Philadelphia after the Phillies blew a lead against the Chicago Cubs and and lost 4-3 in 11 innings.
The third-place Marlins fell to three games behind the Braves.
Gonzalez said using Venters didn't didn't signal a change in the team's closer situation, but he also sounded as if he'll be more inclined to use Venters in some save situations.
That had been the manager's stated plan coming out of spring training, but he instead had used Kimbrel as full-time closer until Thursday, when he turned to the left-handed sinkerballer with the majors-leading 0.47 ERA.
Kimbrel pitched in the first two games of the series, as did Venters.
"After 28 pitches [for Kimbrel] last night, we came in this morning and said if we can give him a break, let's do it," Gonzalez said of his morning meeting with pitching coach Roger McDowell. "It was a good plan. It worked. It can't work without the guys executing....
"Roger and I sat those two guys down in Anaheim [2-1/2 weeks ago] and said, if there's a situation where one guy gets overworked, we might flip-flop you. They were both onboard with it. This is the first time we've done it."
Venters pitched a perfect ninth and struck out Emilio Bonifacio to end the game.
"I try not to make it any different, but it's definitely a little more excitement when you go in to finish the game," said Venters, who has allowed just one earned run in his past 33 appearances. "I took a deep breath [before the third out] and said, let's get this out and get out of here."
Jurrjens was firing a three-hit shutout and working with a three-run lead until Mike Stanton hit a towering two-out homer in the seventh inning. John Buck followed with a double off the left-field wall.
Emilio Bonifacio singled to cut the lead to 3-2, but Jurrjens recovered to get Wes Helms on a flyout to end the inning.
Jurrjens gave up six hits and two runs with two strikeouts for his eighth win in only 11 starts. He opened the season on the disabled list with a groin strain.
Alex Gonzalez, who had gone 23 games without an RBI before the series began, drove in a run in each of the three wins. The Miami resident and former Marlins shortstop hit a two-out double in the sixth inning to put the Braves ahead 1-0. He drove in Matt Young, whose dribbler up the first-base line was the first hit of the night against Marlins starter Chris Volstad.
Gonzalez, who came up through the Marlins organization in the late 1990s, had never driven in a run in 19 games against Florida before the series. His wife and children attended the games this week.
The Braves pushed the lead to 3-0 with two runs in the seventh on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch by Volstad (2-6). Freddie Freeman scored on the errant pitch that nearly hit 5-foot-6 Young in the head.
Jurrjens improved to 5-1 in nine starts against the Marlins, including 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his past six.
The Marlins cut the lead to 3-2 against Jurrjens, then had two runners on with one out in the eighth against left-hander Eric O’Flaherty, after a double by Omar Infante and an intentional walk. O’Flaherty coaxed a popup by Gaby Sanchez and a weak groundout in front of the plate by Greg Dobbs to end the inning.
