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Defending World Series champions the Atlanta Braves travel to the Magic City to face their National League East cohorts in the Miami Marlins.
The Braves are currently in fourth place in the NL East with a 17-20 record. The Marlins, on the other hand, are not far ahead with a 17-19 record that is good for second place in the division.
It will be a righty versus lefty matchup for this encounter as the Atlanta Braves have selected Charlie Morton to start. Trevor Rogers will start opposite him for the Miami Marlins.
Match Details
Fixture: Atlanta Braves vs Miami Marlins.
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Date & Time: Friday, May 20, 6:40 p.m. EDT.
Venue: loanDepot Park, Miami, Florida.
Atlanta Braves Preview
The reigning world champion Atlanta Braves haven't found their championship-caliber selves during these early stages of the new season.
A glaring downfall from the Braves is their pitching staff, which sits in the bottom ten of the team pitching statistics. They've already issued 142 earned runs through just 37 games this season.
Their battery crew has also offered nothing special and is just performing on average in terms of league standards. For a championship-winning squad, this should certainly not be the case. It would be tough to see them getting one past this Marlins team who has surpassed expectations in the early part of this season.
Key Player - Matt Olson
Matt Olson came to Atlanta with one thing in mind. It was to fill the void and even exceed the expectations cast upon him by the Braves' faithful who supported Freddie Freeman during his time with the club. So far, Olson has mightily stepped up to the task.
"IT'S GONE 💥 Matt Olson's 4th HR of the year!" - @ Fox Sports: MLB
Olson has had his fair share of struggles as of late, but that shouldn't overshadow the fact that he has been the Braves' best statistical hitter. He is also tied for a league-best 14 doubles this season.
Atlanta Braves Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Charlie Morton.
- Ronald Acuna Jr., RF
- Matt Olson, 1B
- Austin Riley, 3B
- Marcell Ozuna, DH
- Ozzie Albies, 2B
- Travis d'Arnaud, C
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Adam Duvall, CF
- Travis Demeritte, LF
Miami Marlins Preview
If you predicted before the season began that the Miami Marlins would sit in second place in the NL East, congratulations.
The division leaders the New York Mets have separated themselves from the rest of their counterparts. But the Marlins have contended with supposed powerhouses in the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves for the runner-up spot in the division.
Miami's surge can primarily be attributed to their superb pitching and batting. The Marlins' pitching staff is in the top ten of the league in terms of team pitching statistics and has a collective ERA of just 3.33. Their batting isn't lagging behind either as they are averaging .244 with an OPS of .745 as a team.
Key Player - Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The electric young middle infielder has led this Miami Marlins squad to a respectable start to the season. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is carrying a .292/.328/.566/.894 slash line with six homers, seven doubles, three triples, and 25 RBIs on 33 base hits. The young phenom has also stolen six bases already.
"Jazz Chisholm's strikeout rate is down to just 16% in May while hitting the ball harder than he did in April" - @ Frank Stampfl
Chisholm would certainly be pleased in this matchup against the sputtering Atlanta Braves pitching staff and will look to punish the Braves' shortcomings.
Miami Marlins Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Trevor Rogers.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
- Jesus Aguilar, 1B
- Jorge Soler, LF
- Garrett Cooper, DH
- Adolis Garcia, RF
- Jesus Sanchez, CF
- Brian Anderson, 3B
- Miguel Rojas, SS
- Jacob Stallings, C
Atlanta Braves vs Miami Marlins Prediction
The rule of thumb would suggest that the Braves will flounder in this game. After all, they have a 7-9 record away from home while the Marlins are 9-9 on their home field. This, however, is a divisional matchup and should be a nip and tuck affair. Marlins to win 3-2.
Where to follow Braves vs Marlins?
Watch: Bally Sports Southeast (Braves), Bally Sports Florida (Marlins).
Listen: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan (Braves), FOX Sports 940AM (WINZ), WAQI 710 (Marlins).
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