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On the tail of a damp weekend split with the Nationals, the Braves will now get the luxury of playing in a domed, weather-controlled stadium in Miami. They will face a Marlins team who just took two out of three from the Tampa Bay Rays, but missed out on a three-game sweep after falling victim to a 5-run ninth inning capped by a walk-off grand slam.
The Braves enter today’s matchup just one game out of first place behind the Phillies in the NL East. The Marlins are 13 ½ games out, and sit just ahead of the Mets in the bottom of the division.
For the third time this season, Sean Newcomb will square off against Jose Ureña. These two also faced each other on May 13 and May 19, and the Braves won both games. Ideally, this trend will continue.
Newcomb, who has been roughed up in his last several starts, will square off against a Marlins lineup that, despite winning its series against Tampa Bay, still managed to strike out 38 times in 27 innings. A consistent Sean Newcomb is good news for the Braves, and a strikeout happy lineup could be exactly what he needs to get back on track. After averaging 9.11 K/9 over his first 14 starts, Newk has only been setting batters down at a 5.76 K/9 clip over the last five games.
That 5.76 number also appears in his stat line over that same stretch of starts - in the walk column - so with any luck, the All-Star break allowed him to relax and reset. His success will be instrumental to the Braves’ divisional dogfight for the rest of the season, so any positive steps from him are welcome.
Ureña, meanwhile, has allowed 4+ earned runs in 5 of his last 10 starts, despite a 3.58 FIP over that span.
After sitting for most of the weekend with tightness in his right hamstring, Ozzie Albies could possibly return to the lineup today. If not, Charlie Culberson will likely continue in his stead. Culberson went 5-9 with a HR this weekend after stepping in for Albies on Friday night.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, July 23, 7:10 p.m. ET
Location: Marlins Park, Miami, FL
TV: Fox Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM, WYAY 106.7, Braves Radio Network