Series preview: vs. Miami Marlins
When (TV): 7:35 p.m. Friday (FSSO), 7:10 p.m. Saturday (FSSO), 5:05 p.m. Sunday (FSSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 106.7
Probable starting pitchers:
Friday: Braves RH Ervin Santana (13-7, 3.60 ERA) vs. RH Tom Koehler (9-9, 3.82)
Saturday: Braves RH Aaron Harang (10-8, 3.60) vs. RH Jarred Cosart (2-1, 2.08)
Sunday: Braves LH Alex Wood (9-10, 3.09 ERA) vs. RH Nathan Eovaldi (6-9, 4.30)
About the Braves:
Batting: Freddie Freeman is hitting only .059 (3-for-51) with 17 strikeouts against the Marlins this season. Justin Upton's groundout RBI in the Braves' 3-2 win over the Mets Wednesday night gave him 25 RBIs in 24 games since August 1, which is his highest career RBI total in a month, according to Elias. Entering Thursday, the Braves were 67-44 over the last two seasons when Jason Heyward was batting leadoff. He hit his seventh career leadoff home run Wednesday and fourth of the season. Heyward is hitting .358 (19-for-53) on the season against the Marlins.
Pitching: Santana has won his last six starts at Turner Field over the past two months while putting up a 2.66 ERA and allowing only one home run, walking 11 and striking out 41. One of those wins came against Eovaldi and the Marlins, 6-1, on July 23. Santana and Julio Teheran are tied for the Braves' lead in wins with 13. Santana was the hard luck loser, 1-0 to Mike Leake and the Reds in his last start at Great American Ballpark. Garrett Jones is 4-for-8 with a solo home run against him, while Santana has limited Casey McGehee to 1-for-11 with four strikeouts.
Miscellaneous: The Braves are 37-28 at Turner Field this season and were only 32-36 on the road entering their series finale in New York on Thursday. The Marlins, meanwhile, are 37-31 at home but only 28-36 on the road where they wrapped up a West Coast swing against the Angels Wednesday night.
About the Marlins:
Batting: Giancarlo Stanton became the 10th youngest player to 150 home runs Monday at only 24 years, 290 days. He's the third youngest among active players to do it behind only Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez, who were also 24. He is hitting .302 with 24 RBIs in 24 games in August and leads the league in both homers (33) and RBIs (97). Only two of his homers have come against Atlanta pitching, which has limited Stanton to a .220 average this season (11-for-50). Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is 9-for-26 (.346) in his past six games and coming off a three-hit game Wednesday which included his first home run of 2014.
Pitching: Koehler is winless in five career starts against the Braves (eight appearances overall) over the past three seasons. He has made three quality starts against the Braves this season, allowing only six earned runs in 20 innings (2.70 ERA) but took a loss to Teheran 3-2 May 30 at Marlins Park and a couple of no-decisions at Turner Field. The Marlins beat the Braves 3-1 July 21 after Koehler limited the Braves to one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Miscellaneous: The Marlins are 7-6 against the Braves this year and trying to post their first winning season series against them since 2009. The Braves went 13-6 against the Marlins last year and are 56-30 against them overall since 2009.
- Carroll Rogers
