The Braves and Marlins will meet again with a three-game series starting Monday at Truist Park.
Fresh off another series win, the Atlanta Braves will continue their homestand Monday when they take on the Miami Marlins. Atlanta dropped the series finale Sunday, but still took two of three from the defending postseason champion Texas Rangers.
Sunday’s loss snapped the Braves’ six-game winning streak. Despite the streak, Atlanta hasn’t been able to put any distance between them and the second place Philadelphia Phillies, who have now won six straight and are just one game back in the NL East standings.
The Marlins come into the series with a 6-17 record, but just split a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Miami dropped two of three to Atlanta in the only previous matchup this season, though they came within a strike of winning the set before Marcell Ozuna’s timely three-run homer
Monday, April 22, 7:20 p.m. ET (Bally Sports South)
Ryan Weathers (2024: 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 24.7 K%, 10.1 BB%, 2.70 ERA, 4.13 FIP)
There haven’t been many pleasant surprises for the Marlins this season, but lefty Ryan Weathers qualifies. Weathers came over from the Padres last August in exchange for Garrett Cooper. The seventh overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Weathers floundered with the Padres while posting a 5.73 ERA and a 5.53 FIP in 143 career innings between 2021 and 2023. He then allowed 11 runs in 13 innings across three appearances after the deal.
It has been a different story this season, though, as Weathers has been the Marlins’ most consistent starter to date. His 2.70 ERA is significantly outperforming his 4.13 FIP/4.29 xFIP, but he has kept Miami competitive in each of his last three starts. He allowed two runs and struck out a season-high 10 over six innings in his last start against the Giants. Weathers has allowed a total of three earned runs combined over his last 16 innings.
Bryce Elder (Triple-A: 3 GS, 16.1 IP, 27.7 K%, 7.7 BB%, 3.31 ERA, 3.19 FIP)
The Braves waited until after Sunday’s game to announce that Bryce Elder will make his season debut and start Monday’s game against the Marlins. Elder was listed as Gwinnett’s starter Sunday, but that start was rained out. There is a good chance that he wouldn’t have made that start anyway and the plan was always for him to start Monday. Going with Elder Monday will provide extra rest for Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale. Lopez will get seven days between starts while Sale will get two days of additional rest thanks to Thursday’s off day.
Elder made 31 starts for the Braves a year ago, but lost the battle for the fifth rotation spot to Lopez during the spring. He’s made three starts for Gwinnett where he’s pitched reasonably well, posting a 3.31 ERA and a 3.19 FIP in 16 1⁄3 innings.
Tuesday, April 23, 7:20 p.m. ET (Bally Sports South)
Trevor Rogers (2024: 4 GS, 20.2 IP, 21.5 K%, 8.6 BB%, 3.92 ERA, 2.45 FIP)
Left-hander Trevor Rogers will get the start for Miami in the second game of the series Tuesday. Rogers will be facing the Braves for the second time this month. He allowed two runs and struck out five over five frames back on April 12 in Miami. He allowed one run over a season-high 5 2/3 innings in his last start against the Giants.
Max Fried (2024: 4 GS, 16.1 IP, 15.0 K%, 11.3 BB%, 7.71 ERA, 5.19 FIP)
Max Fried will make his fifth start of the season and his second against the Marlins in Tuesday’s game. Fried allowed 10 earned runs over just five innings in his first two starts, but seemed to return to form against the Marlins on April 12 where he held them to just one run over 6 1/3 innings. The struggles returned a bit in his last start against the Astros where he allowed seven hits, four walks and three runs, but he was still able to gut his way through five innings.
Wednesday, April 24, 7:20 p.m. ET (Bally Sports South)
TBD
The Marlins haven’t announced their starter for Wednesday’s game. It appears that they will either need to make a roster move or go with a bullpen game.
Reynaldo López (2024: 3 GS, 18.0 IP, 26.5 K%, 8.8 BB%, 0.50 ERA, 2.23 FIP)
The Reynaldo López experiment as a starter has been a revelation for the Braves through his first three outings. Lopez has dropped some velocity during the conversion to the rotation but is still striking out batters at a 26.5 percent clip and has put up a respectable walk rate. He’s yet to surrender a homer through his first 18 innings. Lopez tossed six scoreless innings and struck out seven in his last start against the Astros.