Atlanta Braves Welcome Miami Marlins, Other Braves Notes
By Deke Lloyd
After the highs of the series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves got a much needed off day before welcoming the Miami Marlins into Suntrust Park. With a the NL East lead only sitting at 5 games over the Washington Nationals, the Braves cannot afford any blunders against the Marlins.
The Miami Marlins coming to town will be a good comedown series for the Atlanta Braves after the highs of the three-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Miami is the perfect opponent for the Braves to keep their momentum moving forward. So far, in 16 games, the Braves have gone 12-4 against the Marlins.
The Atlanta Braves will need to continue their sustained success over the Marlins if they want to maintain their lead in the NL East. The Washington Nationals continue to push hard up the standings by playing great baseball. Lately, the Nationals have been offensive juggernauts, scoring 62 runs in their last 5 games. 62 runs!! The Nationals are playing some of their best baseball of the year. The Atlanta Braves will need to keep pace if they want to hold on in the division.
With the Nationals on fire, and the Marlins coming to town, Atlanta will be looking to win the three-game series with the Marlins at the very least. A sweep would be ideal, considering the opposition, but even the Marlins can be feisty enough to take a game in Atlanta. The Braves mantra this season has been take two of three and the rest will be fine. With the Nationals bludgeoning the Pittsburgh Pirates this week, the Braves will have to keep their foot on the pedal in this series.
Other Braves Notes
Ender Inciarte joined Nick Markakis on the IL when he pulled up lame last week with a bad hamstring. Dansby Swanson still not recovering at the pace the team thought he would has also put a huge strain on this Atlanta Braves depth. It’s no secret the Braves bottom of the lineup has greatly suffered with the absence of those three starters. Johan Camargo, Adam Duvall, and Charlie Culberson have been there, but it’s hard to replace that kind of productivity in a lineup. Yesterday the Braves made a move to improve the lineup.
Billy Hamilton, former Reds and Royals outfielder, was off waivers by the Braves yesterday. Hamilton was hitting .211 with 18 stolen bases with the Royals this season. Hamilton won’t be replacing the offensive production of someone like Markakis, but he’s a different look for the Braves that teams haven’t seen this season. Hamilton’s speed, from the lineup or off the bench, is going to be a great addition to the Atlanta Braves as they work their way down the stretch to the playoffs.