Atlanta Braves Series Preview: Miami Marlins (8/30 – 9/1)

Aug 29, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kris Medlen (54) and left fielder Justin Upton (8) congratulate catcher Brian McCann (16) after a home run against the Cleveland Indians in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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Friday, August 30th – 7:30 PM ET – Jose Fernandez vs. Julio Teheran

This is an incredible pitching match-up. Both starting pitchers will finish in the top-5 in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, and while you know about Teheran, Fernandez is a beast. In 152.2 innings this year, Fernandez has a sparkling 2.30 ERA, and while his peripherals indicate that may be a bit lucky, his strikeout rate (9.73 K/9) and walk rate (3.01 BB/9) indicate that it’s not a fluke. He’s touched 99 on the radar gun this season and regularly sits in the 93-95 range with the fastball, while sporting a high-end change-up. The Braves lineup (which could be without Justin Upton on Friday night) will have their hands full with Fernandez. As far as Teheran, he scuffled a bit against St. Louis in his last start (allowing 4 runs in a loss), but the Marlins lineup certainly doesn’t resemble the Cardinals lineup. This is definitely the best match-up of the series on paper, and the fans in attendance at Turner Field are in for a treat.

Saturday, August 31st – 7:10 PM ET – Jacob Turner vs. Mike Minor

After an excellent start to his Miami career, Jacob Turner has leveled off a bit, but he’s still a decent pitcher. The former top prospect of the Tigers has a 3.12 ERA on the year, and while the Braves roughed him up for 5 runs on August 9th, he’s capable of a quality outing. Fortunately for Atlanta, he’s a right-hander without dazzling stuff, making him susceptible to the on-slaught of even a semi-healthy lineup. Mike Minor emerged from his disastrous outing against Washington with a 7-inning, 1-run performance against St. Louis, and in the process, he alleviated any lingering concern. He’s the #1 starter for the Braves, and if there was a spot where he could flat-out dazzle, this is it. I’ll be interested to see how he approaches Giancarlo Stanton (who is 0-for-8 against Minor in his career, with the obligatory small sample size alert), but that’s about the extent of the fearsome match-ups.

Sunday, September 1st – 5:00 PM ET – Nate Eovaldi vs. Alex Wood

The finale brings the Alex Wood experience back to Turner Field. It may seem like I overrate Alex Wood (at least I’m not as high on him as Ben Duronio of Talking Chop!), but he’s been absolutely tremendous as a starter in Atlanta. In his last 5 starts, he has allowed 1 run or fewer, and he sported a 0.90 ERA in the month of August. Obviously, he isn’t quite that good, but Wood is pitching better than anyone in the organization right now, and if he can sustain that, Fredi Gonzalez will have no choice but to trot the 22-year-old out for a playoff start. For the Marlins, pitching has never been there issue, and that’s certainly the case here. Eovaldi has been pretty solid since emerging in Miami, posting a 3.76 ERA despite a so-so walk rate. However, his velocity has been insane at times, sitting in the mid-to-high 90’s and touching 99. In addition, he has 22 strikeouts in his last 23 innings, flashing the high-end strikeout potential that his velocity would indicate.

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On the whole, this should be a spot for the Braves to easily take 2 of 3 games from the woeful Marlins. Miami is the 2nd-worst team in all of baseball (cough, Houston) and with the way Atlanta is playing at Turner Field (now 47-18 on the year), losing this series would be shocking no matter how banged up the roster is.

Stay tuned for game-by-game analysis in this space as it happens!