Series preview: Braves at Marlins
When (TV): 7:10 p.m. Monday-Tuesday (SPSO), 12:40 p.m. Wednesday (SPSO)
Radio: 680, 93.7, 100.5
Probable starting pitchers:
Monday: Braves LH Mike Minor (8-4, 3.15 ERA) vs. RH Kevin Slowey (3-6, 4.24)
Tuesday: Braves RH Julio Teheran (6-4, 3.23) vs. RH Herderson Alvarez (0-0, 5.40)
Wednesday: Braves LH Paul Maholm (9-7, 3.81) vs. RH Jacob Turner (2-1, 2.30)
About the Braves:
Batting: Brian McCann is 22-for-43 (.512) with six doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs in his past 11 games, including 19-for-32 (.593) with eight extra-base hits in an eight-game hitting streak…. Chris Johnson is 27-for-74 (.365) with eight extra-base hits (three homers) in his past 21 games…. Andrelton Simmons is 10-for-26 (.385) with two triples, a homer and six RBIs in his past six games…. Dan Uggla is 13-for-47 (.277) with three doubles, a triple, three homers and 12 RBIs in his past 12 games…. B.J. Upton is 12-for-60 (.200) with three RBIs and 21 strikeouts in his past 21 games.
Pitching: Minor is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA and .316 opponents' average in his past four starts, after going 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA and .193 OA in his previous eight. He's 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his past road five starts. Against the Marlins, he's 2-3 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts, including a loss Wednesday when he gave up six hits, four runs and three walks in six rain-soaked innings…. Teheran got no decision after allowing six hits and three runs with seven strikeouts in five innings of a Thursday loss in his first start against the Marlins, and Maholm is 6-5 with a 3.87 ERA in 12 starts against them.
Miscellaneous: McCann has hit .303 with 25 extra-base hits (12 homers) and 46 RBIs in his past 53 games against the Marlins… Against Slowey, Justin Upton is 4-for-4 with a homer and a walk…. At Marlins Park, Simmons is 10-for-27 (.370), Upton is 9-for-28 (.321) with two homers, and Minor is 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA in three starts.
About the Marlins:
Batting: Logan Morrison had a .318 average with 10 extra-base hits (four homers) and 10 RBIs in 19 games since returning from the DL, including three homers in his past five games before Sunday…. Giancarlo Stanton was 3-for-25 (.120) with no extra-base hits or RBIs in seven games before Sunday, including 1-for-12 with three walks and six strikeouts in three games last week in Atlanta. Before that, he had five homers and 13 RBIs in his first 17 games since a DL stint.
Pitching: Slowey takes the turn of Ricky Nolasco, who was traded. Slowey is 2-4 with 6.92 ERA in his past 10 games, including six starts. His last start was June 12, when he gave up nine hits and five earned runs in five innings vs. Milwaukee. He's 1-2 with a 5.95 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Braves, including a relief appearance Tuesday when he gave up five hits and four runs in two innings…. Alvarez allowed five hits and three runs in five innings for no decision in Thursday's 4-3 win against the Braves, his only start against them. Turner is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in one start against them.
Miscellaneous: The Marlins were 18-13 since the beginning of June, but had lost the first two games of a series against St. Louis before Sunday's finale…. The Marlins won the last two games of a three-game series in Atlanta last week, after losing 18 of their previous 22 games against the Braves since the beginning of the 2012 seaseon…. Adeiny Hechavarria was 10-for-23 (.435) with nine singles and a double in six July games before Sunday.
By David O’Brien
