Chatter
This from ESPN’s Christina Kahrl, after the Braves’ Shelby Miller fell one batter shy of throwing a no-hitter on Sunday:
The results have been initially spectacular. Miller has thrown complete-game shutouts in two of his last three games, and before you even start worrying about his workload, you shouldn’t. The first shutout, against the Phillies, took just 99 pitches to complete, and Sunday’s against the Marlins took just 94 pitches to put away. He’s gone past 100 pitches just once this year. He’s generating more ground-ball outs for the first time in his young career now that he has that sinker in the mix, and his strikeout rate is back up over 20 percent.
Sweeping
It has been under three years since the Braves swept Miami in multiple three-game series in the same season. The last time: June 5-7 at Miami and September 25-27 at Turner Field in 2012.
The win also improved Atlanta to 10-11 on the road.
Mr. Cunningham
Rookie outfielder Todd Cunningham only had two more hits Sunday, dropping his average to .667 after his first three games in the majors.
Cunningham paired two 3-for-4 games after his Friday’s call-up from Triple-A Gwinnett. The last player to produce consecutive three-hit games in his first two games as a Brave was Ken Oberkfell on April 7-9, 1987.
Farewell, NL East
After playing 15 of their last 22 games against the National League East, the Braves take a 3 1/2 week break from their division to face Tampa, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Arizona, Pittsburgh and San Diego.
The get back to the NL East in mid-June.
They enter the week with a 18-19 divisional record and a 5-5 record outside the East.
Big Bopper
Jace Peterson’s grand slam on Saturday entered him to the Braves history books. Only four players in Atlanta history have ever hit a grand slam on their first major-league homer. The others: Marcus Giles (2001), Barry Bonnell (1977) and Vic Correll (1974).
The Fish after Fredi
When the Marlins canned Mike Redmond following Sunday’s loss, he became the fifth Marlins manager to be replaced since the team fired current Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez midway through the 2010 season. Since coming to Atlanta the following year, Gonzalez’s record stands at 376-309.
His Marlins successors? Not so much.
Edwin Rodriguez 78-85
Brandon Hyde 0-1
Jack McKeon 40-50
Ozzie Guillen 69-93
Mike Redmond 155-26
By the numbers
.299
The Braves average in RBI situations, after they went 5-for-12 on Sunday. Last season, the team hit .236 with runners in scoring position.
Next five
Monday: Off
Tuesday, vs. Rays, 7:10 p.m.
Wednesday, vs. Rays, 7:10 p.m.
Thursday, vs. Brewers, 7:10 p.m.
Friday, vs. Brewers, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, vs. Brewers, 4:10 p.m.
