Atlanta Braves wipe-out Florida Marlins 4-0 – MLB Update
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Florida Marlins 4-0 on Tuesday, September 20 to mark a strong comeback after losing the first game 5-6 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Coming into the game, the Braves had just 2.5 games to play with in the Wild Card standings, but an imposing performance by Randall Delgado extended their lead to three games over St. Louis Cardinals with just seven more games to play in the regular season.
Delgado provided a composed performance to improve his chances for a permanent spot in the rotation as early as the playoffs, especially when the bull-pen is under immense scrutiny. The 21-year-old prospect won his first game in his fifth career-start after
losing his first on debut.
Atlanta’s starter pitched five scoreless innings to improve his ERA to 2.70, yielding 55 strikes from a total of 92 pitches. Cristhian Martinez replaced Delgado in the sixth inning to toss two perfect innings thereafter, giving the visitors an added advantage.
Earlier, the Braves scored three runs in the second inning to cement their footing in the game. Alex Gonzalez unleashed his arms to smash a home-run towards left-field before Jason Heyward scored on Michael Bourn’s double down left-centre to double the lead
for Atlanta. Martin Prado then drove in a single to centre-field, allowing Bourn a run and taking the Braves 3-0 up.
Anibal Sanchez failed to impress for the Marlins and lost his second-consecutive start. Sporting a win-loss record of 8-7 on September 10, Sanchez was reduced to 8-9 for the season after this game and had no one else to blame but himself. He allowed five
hits and three runs in five innings which proved to be a lot for the Marlins to chase down.
The Braves rested Craig Kimbrel for the game and gave Anthony Varvaro a chance instead to prove his worth as a closer. Making the most of his opportunity, Varvaro pitched two perfect innings deep in the game to safely see the Braves through.
Brian McCann, commenting on the nature of the game, articulated that this was an important game with respect to the Wild Card standings and the team needs to continue winning hereafter.
The three-game series between Florida and Atlanta is now level at 1-1.
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