Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves preview: Day baseball and Aaron Harang
By Brad Rowland
Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons (19) beats a throw to Miami Marlins first baseman Garrett Jones (46) in the eighth inning at Turner Field. The Marlins defeated the Braves 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: The Braves have released the lineup for Wednesday, and it certainly has the feel of a day game with Ryan Doumit, Jordan Schafer and Gerald Laird in the lineup.
Today's lineup vs. MIA (12:10, SS/680AM/BRN): Heyward 9 Simmons 6 Freeman 3 Johnson 5 Doumit 7 Uggla 4 Schafer 8 Laird 2 Harang 1
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 23, 2014
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It feels hilarious repetitive to enter another day by saying that the previous night included an epic pitcher’s duel, but again, that is where we are on this Wednesday. Jose Fernandez was masterful in taking down Alex Wood (who was also brilliant) and the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, and the home team will look to salvage a series win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon.
The Braves will send Aaron Harang to the mound, and while we all know that he has been ridiculous in an Atlanta uniform, that fact is underscored by his NL-leading 0.70 ERA through 4 starts. Obviously, there is some sort of regression on the way (2.72 FIP, 4.38 xFIP, less than 2 strikeouts for every walk), but the 35-year-old continues to defy the odds, and the Miami lineup isn’t (in any way) terrifying to the pitcher on the mound.
Miami will counter with fire-balling right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, and the 24-year-old is an interesting case. He has been electric this season, striking out 8.17 batters per 9 innings while barely walking 1 in that same time frame, but prior to this year, Eovaldi has had difficulty missing bats despite a fastball that routinely sits in the high-90’s. In addition, Eovaldi has been a Braves-killer in recent days, as he threw 15 scoreless innings (with 14 strikeouts) over 2 starts against Atlanta last season. We could be in line for another low-scoring affair.
Here is a look at the particulars for Wednesday:
Date: April 23, 2014
Start Time: 12:10 p.m.
TV Channel: SportSouth, MLB Network
Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates
Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)
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