Braves Cruise To 5-2 Win Over the Marlins
By Harris B Nye
Sep 9, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kris Medlen (54) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
On Monday night, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Miami Marlins 5-2 to end their 4-game losing streak and cut their magic number for clinching the division to eight. Far more importantly, though, the Braves won their 86th game hitting their Las Vegas over for season wins and bringing home the money for all the Braves fans smart enough to recognize how laughably low 85 wins was for the Braves over/under.
The Braves rode to victory on the strength of their 4th inning offensive outburst in which the Braves scored all 5 of their runs. Justin Upton leadoff the inning with a double but only made it to third when Freddie Freeman followed with a double of his own. It worked out fine though as Evan Gattis followed with the Braves third straight double to score both Upton and Freeman and put the Braves up 2-0. Brian McCann interrupted the run on doubles with a walk but a Chris Johnson bloop single kept things moving and made it 3-0. The Braves would score two more times with an Eliot Johnson single and a wild pitch that brought home Chris Johnson. The five runs were all that Kris Medlen and the Braves bullpen would need to secure the victory.
Medlen looked dominant for his first six innings facing the league’s worst offense that was missing Giancarlo Stanton, who had the night off with an ankle injury. Medlen ran into trouble in the seventh inning and left with one out after allowing a two-run double to Ed Lucas. Luis Avilan allowed a hit to the first batter he faced but followed it up with two strikeouts to end the inning. Avilan’s hit came courtesy of Chris Coghlan who had four hits on the night and would be a future hall of famer if he faced the Braves every game.
Luis Ayala pitched a scoreless eighth and the Braves used the hilariously overqualified Craig Kimbrel to retire the Marlins bottom three hitters in the ninth. In the eighth, Fredi Gonzalez made one of his stranger managerial decisions when he moved Elliot Johnson to left to replace Gattis and brought in Dan Uggla to play second base. Anytime a defensive replacement involves bringing in Dan Uggla, it’s a bizarre move that isn’t making the team’s defense better. In Fredi’s defense, the Braves are strolling to the playoffs, it’s the Marlins, and this doesn’t matter at all but it was still a very strange thing to see.
The Braves have cut their magic number to 8 over the Nationals and officially eliminated the Mets and Phillies from contention in the division. Eliminating the Mets and Phillies on the same night the Braves hit their over is always a cause for celebration. On Tuesday night, Julio Teheran makes his return after being given extra rest in an effort to keep his innings pitched total under control.