A pair of Opening Day starters who had mostly struggled this season stepped up on Saturday night in a closely pitched contest at Marlins Park. Atlanta’s Julio Teheran, backed by RBI singles from Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson in the fourth inning, held on for a 3-1 victory over the Marlins.
Teheran threw six shutout innings, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out four. Atlanta’s right-hander continues to have a split season. On the road, his ERA is 0.71 over 25 1/3 innings, compared to an 8.14 ERA in 21 home frames.
“That might be as crisp and as good as I’ve seen Julio since I’ve been here, and he’s pitched some really good games since I’ve been here,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The ball was really coming out of his hand good, and he was changing [speeds] really good. He pitched around some trouble with some guys on second. It was just a really solid outing.”
Miami’s Edinson Volquez, reinstated from the disabled list on Saturday with a right thumb blister, surrendered two runs in six innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. Volquez allowed four hits, and he encountered a bit of bad luck in the fourth when Marcell Ozuna lost Freddie Freeman’s fly ball in the twilight, setting up a two-run inning.
“My blister didn’t bother me today, and I was able to make a lot of good pitches tonight,” Volquez said. “I can’t blame anybody for the loss. Whatever happened over there is part of the game. Nothing to complain about.”
Justin Bour homered for the Marlins off Eric O’Flaherty in the seventh, but Miami has now dropped five straight at home and fell into last place in the National League East.
Doubles by J.T. Realmuto, Ozuna and Derek Dietrich accounted for the only hits surrendered by Teheran, who had allowed 10 earned runs over 11 innings in his past two starts. The Braves’ ace used his two-seamer a little more frequently and found more confidence in his four-seam fastball than he had in recent outings.
“It feels really nice when you have a nice outing after two rough ones,” Teheran said. “I’ve been working hard to get back. That’s how I pitch. I’m happy with how I did today.”
Marlins Park is in its sixth season, and Saturday marked the first time the roof has been open for five straight games. In the fourth inning, it was twilight in Miami, and the conditions helped the Braves open the scoring. Ozuna couldn’t find Freeman’s towering fly ball in the lights/twilight, and it dropped for a two-base hit. Per Statcast™, the hit probability on the fly ball with a 55-degree launch angle was 1 percent. The double set up Markakis’ RBI single, and Swanson delivered a two-out, run-scoring single.
“At that moment, I don’t see it,” Ozuna said. “I saw it when it went off the bat. And then I was, ‘Where’s the ball?’ I lose it because it was yellow and sky blue, light blue mix.”
An inning later, the sky got darker, and visibility wasn’t an issue at that point.
“When it’s dark, it’s easy,” Ozuna said. “But when it’s like this, when the sun is going to sleep, it’s hard to see it.”
Bour is getting a chance to face left-handers this season, and in the seventh inning, Miami’s first baseman connected on his first homer off a southpaw. Bour skied a homer into the second deck in right field against O’Flaherty. It was his first career homer versus a lefty, after his first 45 were off right-handers. Bour has also homered in three straight games. Statcast™ projected the solo shot at 388 feet, with an exit velocity of 97.8 mph and a launch angle of 32 degrees. More >
“I remember a couple years ago, it was the other way and I was getting in trouble on the road. Hopefully we’ll get everything together. At home, it’s been a little weird. But I don’t want to put that on my mind. I know it’s a new stadium and everything is new for everybody. I’m just trying to find myself in that setting.” — Teheran, on his home/road splits
R.A. Dickey will be on the mound when Atlanta and Miami conclude the three-game series at 12:10 p.m. CT on Sunday. Dickey has allowed just one of his eight home runs this year on the road.
