Series Preview: Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves

The Miami Marlins did exactly what they needed to do during the week as they took three-of-four games in a series against the Dodgers. Still 10 games below the .500 mark however, Miami must keep piling up wins going forward, and will now welcome an NL East division opponent in the Atlanta Braves to loanDepot Park for three games to close out the first half of the 2021 MLB season.

The Braves will be coming to Miami looking for wins themselves as they dropped two-of-three in Pittsburgh after their series win against the Marlins last weekend. Leading the NL East in total runs scored with 406 total, the Braves are one of the top run-producing teams in the NL, despite their below .500 record. It’s always must-see when these two teams meet on the diamond, and this 3-game series will be no different.

Miami Marlins (38-48, 5th in NL East) vs Atlanta Braves (42-44, 3rd in NL East)

• Friday, July 9 – 7:10 pm ET – Zach Thompson (2-2, 2.25 ERA) vs Charlie Morton (7-3, 3.91 ERA)
• Saturday, July 10 – 4:10 pm ET – Trevor Rogers (7-5, 2.22 ERA) vs Max Fried (5-5, 4.66 ERA)
• Sunday, July 11 – 1:10 pm ET – Pablo Lopez (4-5, 2.94 ERA) vs Ian Anderson (5-4, 3.27 ERA)

When looking at which players to watch for the Marlins, obviously CF Starling Marte sticks out, but you could make the argument for Adam Duvall who leads the team with 19 HR’s and 60 RBI’s on the season. Also keep an eye out for Anthony Bender after he dominated the Braves last weekend, and is now in the running for Miami’s closer role.

Meanwhile, the Braves’ players to watch in this series start and end with Ronald Acuna Jr and 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman. Keep an eye also on second baseman and 2021 NL All-Star Ozzie Albies who is having a phenomenal season hitting .263 with 15 HR’s, 59 RBI, and 13 SB.

The Marlins have had success so far this season against Atlanta, going 6-4 in 10 games. During those 10 games as well, the dominating storyline has been Duvall, who has torched his former team batting a combined .313 with five HR’s and 15 RBI’s.

This is an extremely important series to finish the first half of the season for both teams. The Marlins are playing very good baseball right now after taking three from the Dodgers in a very impressive showing, while Atlanta has won six of their last 10 games. I’ll say we get three very competitive and close games this weekend, with Atlanta taking two-of-three.

Series Prediction: Braves 2-1