Braves need Spencer Strider to play role of stopper as they begin series against the Marlins

The Atlanta Braves will turn to Spencer Strider Monday as they look to snap a four-game losing streak when they take on the Miami Marlins.

The Braves dropped the first three games of their homestand to the Houston Astros in disappointing fashion. Atlanta had leads in all three games only to watch them slip away late. They will try to get back on track behind Strider, who is off to another great start this season. He turned in a dominant performance in his last outing allowing just one hit and three walks over six scoreless innings against the Padres. He has struck out nine hitters in all four of his starts. Monday will be Strider’s first career start against Miami. He made two appearances in relief where he allowed four hits, two walks and three runs in just one inning of work.

Ronald Acuña Jr. was 5-for-12 in the series against the Astros and picked up four more stolen bases, giving him 12 for the season. Ozzie Albies had three hits, including a homer, in the series against the Astros. After a slow start, Albies is starting to show signs of life at the plate hitting .300/.364/.667 with three home runs over his last eight games.

Cabrera will be making his fifth start of the season and is trending in the right direction for the Marlins after a tough start to the season. He struggled with his command to begin the season issuing 13 walks in his first 6 2/3 innings across two starts. He allowed just four runs combined in those two outings, but was walking the tightrope.

Cabrera seems to have gotten it together over his last two starts where he has allowed just four runs and walked three in 11 innings. He struck out a season-high eight in his last start against the Giants.

The Marlins come into the series ranked 29th in the majors in runs scored. Despite those struggles, they do have some players performing well at the plate. Luis Arraez came over from the Twins during the offseason and is off to a blistering start hitting .444/.506/.583 through his first 81 plate appearances.

Former Brave Jorge Soler dealt with plenty of injuries during his first season with the Marlins, but seems to have put that behind him so far and is hitting .268/.358/.592 with five home runs and a 153 wRC+.

One player that has struggled in the early going is Jazz Chisholm Jr. who has made the switch to center field after playing exclusively as an infielder to start his career. Chisholm has a .271 OBP and a 76 wRC+ through his first 21 games.

Monday’s opener has a start time of 7:20 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, April 24, 7:20 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Bally Sports South

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan