The Atlanta Braves will make the final stop on an 11-game road trip Friday when they begin a four-game series against the Miami Marlins. Atlanta dropped four of five games in New York against the Mets, but bounced back with a two-game sweep in Boston. The Braves will be looking to build some momentum before another pivotal series at home against the Mets next week. Atlanta is 5-4 against the Marlins this season.
Jake Odorizzi will make his second start for the Braves in Monday’s series opener. He allowed six hits and three runs, although only two were earned, 4 2/3 innings against the Mets. He left that game in the fifth inning due to cramping in his hamstring. Odorizzi wasn’t sharp as walked three, but kept Atlanta in the game early. This will be his 14th start this season and with Ian Anderson heading to the minors, becomes a pretty important piece of Atlanta’s rotation going forward.
While Friday’s game will be the 10th meeting between the Braves and Marlins, it will be the first time Atlanta has seen Miami right-hander Pablo Lopez this season. There was speculation that Lopez might be moved at the deadline, but Miami elected to hang onto him. Sandy Alcantara has grabbed most of the headlines, Lopez has put together a good season overall with a 3.57 ERA and a 3.64 FIP in 22 starts. Lopez has struggled a bit of late and is coming off of a start where he allowed nine hits and four runs in five innings against the Cubs. In his last two starts combined, he has allowed 21 hits and 10 runs in just 7 2/3 innings. Lopez has struggled in his career against Atlanta posting a 5.70 ERA in 12 career starts against the Braves.
After a month-long slump at the plate, Ronald Acuña Jr. has started more like the player we were expecting. Acuña has 12 hits on the road trip including a pair of doubles and a home run. Travis d’Arnaud was banged up during the series in New York when he was involved in a collision at home plate with Pete Alonso. d’Arnaud hasn’t played since, but is not on the injured list and the Braves were hopeful that he will return to the lineup at some point this weekend in Miami. William Contreras has seen all of the playing time behind the plate with Chadwick Tromp having been added to the active roster as insurance. Contreras is 7-for-23 on the road trip with a triple and two home runs.
Friday’s game has a scheduled start time of 6:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 12, 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, Florida
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
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