Miami Marlins beat Atlanta Braves 2-1 as Josh Johnson throws six scoreless innings - MLB Update
Starter Josh Johnson strikes-out nine as the Miami Marlins keep the Atlanta Braves at bay 2-1 on July 23, 2012 at Marlins Park, Miami in the first game of the three match series.
Johnson tossed quality pitches while completing six innings on Monday. He was scoreless as he was hit only once in the game.
In a low scoring game, the Braves’ offence remained quiet. After Atlanta saw the Marlins adding two runs at the start, it confronted the task of blowing the lead.
However, except for the last inning, it did not give any indication throughout the game that it can challenge the Marlins.
The sole run that Atlanta managed on Monday came off through a single by the third-baseman Chipper Jones that led centre-fielder Michael Bourn aboard. It was the time when Atlanta had an ideal opportunity to launch a counter attack and record a stunning
victory.
However, the Marlins' relief pitcher Steve Cishek was impeccable at this time as he disallowed Braves from taking advantage of the momentum.
Meanwhile, Jones was unhappy with the decision by the first base umpire Laz Diaz who ruled the double play. He believed it proved costly for them as they were all set to see the base-runners aboard and record reasonable number of runs at that juncture of
the game.
"Unfortunately, there are two handful of games every year that are decided by the men in black," Jones said. "We didn't get the call on a pretty obvious call at first base. It really cost us a chance to get something going and put some pressure on them."
After watching his players struggling against Johnson, the Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez admitted that the starter was throwing extremely well.
"He had all his pitches today," Fredi Gonzalez said. "We're a majority left-handed hitting team and those guys were coming back shaking their heads."
For the Marlins, the victory can be a huge morale booster. They have been piling up losses since the beginning of the second half of the season. Therefore, it is an ideal occasion for the Marlins to re-script their expedition and build up long winning streaks
from now onward.
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