The Atlanta Braves face off against the Miami Marlins this afternoon, and with the current pitching matchups, it could turn into a high-scoring affair.
Earlier in the season, Atlanta’s strength was its starting rotation. But that advantage has vanished with all five of the team’s Opening Day starters landing on the injured list. Offensively, the Braves struggled in the first half, often wasting strong outings from their starters due to a lack of run support.
Now, the script has flipped. The Braves’ rotation ranks among the league’s worst statistically, but the offense has caught fire. Since the All-Star break, only two teams have scored more runs than Atlanta, and they’ve remained a top-five scoring team throughout August. Michael Harris II’s resurgence has helped lead the charge, joined by strong months from Jurickson Profar (185 wRC+), as well as Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Nacho Alvarez Jr., and Drake Baldwin — all of whom have posted above-average offensive numbers.
While catcher Sean Murphy continues to struggle at the plate, his defensive prowess still gives him an edge over Baldwin, boasting seven Defensive Runs Saved, excellent framing, and elite blocking and throwing metrics. Baldwin isn’t without value either, though he lags behind Murphy defensively and has been weaker at throwing out runners.
Despite that, Baldwin will be behind the plate and batting cleanup today. Marcell Ozuna is getting a rest day, and Ronald Acuña Jr. will serve as designated hitter for the first time this season. Jake Fraley makes his first appearance for the Braves in right field, while Vidal Bruján gets the nod at shortstop. Notably, Ozzie Albies bats fifth — ahead of Harris — in a rare move against a right-handed pitcher. This could go down as one of the most unpredictable lineups Atlanta has fielded all season.
The Marlins are also making some changes to their batting order. Lopez moves up to the second spot, Myers starts in right field, Hicks is catching, Hernandez will DH, and Wagaman takes over at first base.
There isn’t much prior history between Marlins hitters and Braves starter Joey Wentz. However, Dane Myers is 2-for-5 against him with a .400 average, while Derek Hill has gone 2-for-2. Most others have little or no experience facing Wentz.