Series preview: vs. Marlins
When (TV): 7:10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday (SPSO).
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Tuesday: Braves RH Kris Medlen (5-7, 3.02 ERA) vs. RH Tom Koehler (1-5, 4.78)
Wednesday: Braves LH Mike Minor (8-3, 2.98) vs. RH Ricky Nolasco (4-8, 3.93)
Thursday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (6-4, 3.12) vs. RH Jacob Turner (2-0, 1.76)
About the Braves:
Batting: Freddie Freeman has homered in two consecutive games to give him nine this season. Since May 15, Freeman has hit .325 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs. Jason Heyward batted .312 with eight doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs in the month of June, after hitting .146 with four doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in April and May. Brian McCann had back-to-back two-hit games against Arizona, including two doubles and his ninth home run of the year on Sunday.
Pitching: Medlen went 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five June starts after going 1-6 with a 3.48 ERA in his first 11 starts of the season. His only win in those first 11 starts came against the Marlins in Miami April 9, when he allowed only one unearned run on three hits in seven innings of a 3-2 win. Medlen is 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 16 career appearances (six starts) against the Marlins. In his past four starts against them he is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA (four earned runs in 27 innings.)
Miscellaneous: The Braves are 3-0 against the Marlins this season, after an April 8-10 sweep at Marlins Park. The two teams play six times in the next nine games and another 10 times after the All-Star break. The Braves have won seven in a row against the Marlins overall after going 14-4 against them in 2012.
About the Marlins:
Batting: Entering Monday night, Giancarlo Stanton was hitting .313 (21-for-67) with five home runs and 13 RBIs in 18 games since his return from five weeks on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. The .129-hitting Jeff Mathis hit a walk-off grand slam to beat the Padres 6-2 on Sunday. Justin Ruggiano hit .347 (15-for-47) with three home runs and six RBIs in 16 games in June.
Pitching: Koehler is 1-5 with a 5.13 ERA in nine starts with the Marlins this season and 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in six relief appearances. The Marlins lost each of his first five starts after he moved into the rotation in mid-May, replacing the struggling Wade LeBlanc, but they have won three of his past four. Koehler's only win came after he limited the Giants to one run in seven innings to outduel Chad Gaudin 2-1 on June 20.
Miscellaneous: After going 14-41 over the first two months, the Marlins went 15-10 in June including series victories over the Giants and Cardinals. They had won seven of nine games entering their series finale against San Diego Monday night.
- Carroll Rogers
