In the second of a three-game series between the Miami Marlins (16-20) and the Atlanta Braves (16-20) at Marlins Park, Mat Latos (1-3, 4.72 ERA) and Alex Wood (1-2, 4.28 ERA) get the start. The Braves won the last game 5-3 and Atlanta leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 16 and will air on FS1.
Latos has a 4.56 ERA and a 3-5 record in his career against the Braves, and is up against a strong Atlanta offense that’s hitting .257 on the year. Dee Gordon (.433, 21 Rs, 12 RBIs, 12 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run. In his career against the Marlins, Wood is 3-3 with a 3.74 ERA. He gets a solid Miami offense that’s batting .268. Freddie Freeman (.319, 24 Rs, 5 HRs, 18 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 5 yesterday.
Miami, a -146 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Atlanta. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Marlins are 8-8 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -321. They have an SU record of 12-13 against teams in their division and a 7-6 record when they were the favorite in those games. Miami’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters during divisional games, only allowing an average of 3.6 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.1. The Marlins are second in the NL in hits allowed at home with just 7.7 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Braves come into this game with a weak win percentage of .400 when playing as the underdog (10-15) and an overall money line of -210. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 4-6 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 2-5 record. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Atlanta batters, who average an NL-low 6.2 strikeouts per game.
The Braves have gotten the best of the Marlins in head-to-head matchups this season, going 5-2. This game will feature Wood (LHP) on the mound against the Marlins, who have a 5-1 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Braves will be the right-hander Latos. They sport a 13-17 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIA, O/U – Over
Notes
For the second time this season, the Marlins registered at least two errors in a game.
The Marlins are 1-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Braves are 0-1 in such matchups.
The Braves are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Marlins have a 5-13 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
With records of 14-7 and 12-6 respectively, the Marlins and the Braves both do well when they outhit opponents.
Tied at 15th for total runs, Miami and Atlanta have each notched 148 runs this season.
Ranking 20th, Miami is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 96 this season. Atlanta ranks in the top half at 14th with 110.
When the Marlins hit at least one home run, they are 7-10. When the Braves hit at least one homer, they have an 11-7 record.
