After a frustrating night at the plate on Wednesday, the Braves wasted to time getting the bats going in the series finale. Atlanta scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second as they handled Nathan Eovaldi and the Marlins by a score of 6-1.
Mike Minor continued to pitch well, although a rain delay forced him out of the game in the fourth inning. Minor worked 3.2 scoreless innings, surrendering two hits and two walks. Eovaldi was not as lucky, exiting after just two innings of work.
Chipper Jones made it 2-0 with a double into the left-center field gap in the first inning. Following a walk to Brian McCann, Dan Uggla lined a ball to left to bring Jones home.
Jason Heyward singled in the second to make it 4-0. Freddie Freeman then followed with a two-RBI double of his own, scoring Reed Johnson and Heyward without a throw.
Carlos Lee brought in the lone run of the game for Miami with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
The Braves bullpen continued to be very good on Thursday night. Cristhian Martinez, who took the win, worked three innings of one-run ball. Chad Durbin recorded one out after Martinez departed, and then he was lifted for Cory Gearrin. He and Craig Kimbrel worked the eighth and ninth innings to close the game out.
Atlanta takes three out of four from the Marlins. They improved to 6-1 on their current home stand. Next up for the club: the Houston Astros, who have lost 26 of their last 29 games.