Atlanta Braves Head to Miami for Final Road Series of 2015

Sep 23, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; The Atlanta Braves celebrate after defeating the New York Mets 6-3 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves finish the road portion of their schedule this weekend as they travel to Miami, Florida to take on the Marlins.

The Atlanta Braves are playing their best baseball of the second half right now, winning 5 out of their last 6 games and taking 2 out of 3 on the road from the NL East leading Mets. After a tumultuous campaign, they club is playing quite well currently.

-= Related: Cameron Maybin: Potential Trade Value Diminishing? =-

The starting pitching has been excellent for the Atlanta Braves over the past week, as Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler, Ryan Weber and Williams Perez have been at their best. The offense has shown signs of life as well, especially against the Mets. After struggling for much of the second half of the season by only hitting .242, Freddie Freeman‘s bat came to life against the Mets, as his 5 RBI’s in Wednesday’s game carried the Atlanta Braves to a rare series victory.

More from ATL All Day

• Atlanta Braves: Felix Has Already Shown Enough to Win a Rotation Spot
• Atlanta Braves Implode Late To Phillies, Cole Hamels Remains Sidelined
• Kyle Wright Shines As Folty Struggles In Atlanta Braves Loss To Red Sox
• Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
• Atlanta Braves: Grapefruit League Play Check Up

The normally shaky bullpen has also held its own as of late, protecting the Atlanta Braves leads in the 5 games they have won. Though the season may be lost, and it feels strange that the Braves are not in playoff contention in September, it’s great to see the team come together at the end of a disappointing year, perhaps setting the stage for a complete turnaround in 2016.

The Miami Marlins have been playing better baseball since the All-Star break, but still only have 66 wins on the year. With high expectations going into the season, the Fish floundered early on, digging themselves too big of a whole to rebound.

Ace Jose Fernandez is back, and with him renewed optimism for next season. The Marlins have a solid core to build around with Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, Adeiny Hechevarria, Christian Yelich and Fernandez. There is uncertainty around who will manage the club next season, as current manager and GM Dan Jennings will most likely return to the front-office full-time.

Regardless of the standings, this is an important series for both clubs. Hopefully the Braves can continue their good stretch and go out of 2015 on a high note with only 1 week left. Here are the pitching matchups for this weekend’s three-game set.

Next: The Rookie vs. the Ace