The Braves have been hot on the Mets heels for several months now. Now in the homestretch, they'll make their push as they host NL East rival the Miami Marlins in the final game of a three game series Sunday afternoon. The Braves are just a few games behind the Mets and currently sit in the No. 1 wildcard spot. The Braves are 10-4 against Miami this season through the series opener Friday night. Can the Marlins play spoiler?
The wheels came off for the Marlins after the all-star break, but especially in the month of August. They were playing pretty well, hovering below .500, then just started to gradually slip further and further from contention. They are now in fourth place in the NL East, some 20 games below .500. Injuries haven't helped, as they have been decimated by injuries. The offense has sputtered badly, scoring just 3.58 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. The Marlins are 26th in team batting average, 23rd in home runs, and 27th in team slugging percentage.
Pablo Lopez gets the start for the Marlins on Sunday. Lopez is 8-8 on the season with an ERA of 3.64 in 26 starts. He has 142 strikeouts and 45 walks in 146 innings pitched. He pitched well in a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers in his last start, where he got a no decision. He only gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. But the offense let him down, again. Lopez has given up 2 runs on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts in 5.2 innings against the Braves this season. In his career against the Braves Lopez is 3-6 with an ERA of 5.46 and 64 strikeouts in 13 appearances. The Marlins have a team ERA of 3.88, which is 14th in baseball. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.05, which ranks 18th.