Braves avoid 'trap' series vs. Marlins

MIAMI -- Sandwiched between matchups against contending clubs in the Padres and Dodgers, the weekend series in South Florida could've been a trap. Instead, the Braves took care of business to open a 10-game, three-city road trip.

Ender Inciarte’s go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning propelled the Braves to a 3-1 win and sweep of the Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Marlins Park.

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Atlanta improved to two games over .500 for the first time since April 16, and remains 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the National League East.

"That's good because you need it when you go out there," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the momentum going into a rematch of last year's National League Division Series vs. the Dodgers. "They're really, really strong as we saw all last year and in the playoffs. It's fun when you look at the rotation and the pitchers we're going to see. It reminds me of a playoff scenario what you'd run up against. It'll be a good challenge for us."

Here are three moments that turned the Braves' cross-country trip into a happy flight:

#PitchersWhoRun

When pinch-hitter Josh Donaldson worked a leadoff walk against right-hander Tayron Guerrero in the 10th, Snitker turned to pitcher Max Fried to run for Donaldson, who missed time this week with a sore right calf. Inciarte followed with a line drive down the third-base line, and Fried safely slid head first as catcher Chad Wallach couldn’t corral the one-hop relay throw.

Snitker said it was an easy call to go with Fried in that situation, with just Brian McCann and Ronald Acuna Jr., who was dealing with back tightness, left on the bench. Fried also wasn't scheduled to pitch until Tuesday against the Dodgers.

"He was hauling, that's for sure," Snitker said. "It's good to have a guy like that. He was a hitter in high school and is used to running the bases. He did a good job."

Around the seventh inning or so, Fried had put on his cleats. It marked his second career pinch-running appearance, but he said he is normally ready every game just in case.

When Inciarte made contact, Fried's first instinct was to go from first to third and keep watching third-base coach Ron Washington. According to Statcast, Fried’s sprint speed was 28.9 ft/sec. The Major League average is 27 ft/sec, with 30 ft/sec considered elite.

"Trust me, that wasn't my intention to go head first," Fried said. "Came around third, kind of stuttered a little bit. Wasn't sure if 'Wash' was going to hold me up or not. Lost my footing, figured the only way I was going to make it to home plate was launching myself forward. It was an instinctual thing."

Added Inciarte: "Amazing, man. He's just so competitive. He was giving everything and he got it right there just for the team. Hopefully next time he won't go head first. We want to keep him safe. He's such a competitive player and awesome for our team. Good thing he was able to score."

Pitchers' duel ends in a tie

Neither team could solve the opposing starter on a getaway day. Atlanta's Julio Teheran and Miami's Pablo Lopez each went six scoreless innings, as the game would be decided by the bullpens.

"I feel pretty good, I feel like I was working up and down with my fastball," said Teheran, who had dropped his last three starts. "I was locating [my four-seamer] pretty good. I got a couple walks, but that's going to be there, that's going to be part of the game. I feel like I got a little bit in the tank I threw in the last inning. That's something good to know, [that] I can put a little bit on my fastball when I'm able."

Scoreless into the seventh inning, Marlins manager Don Mattingly decided Lopez, who had thrown 88 pitches, wouldn’t face cleanup hitter Nick Markakis again (.375/.444/.458 2019 slash line against him a third time through the order entering Sunday). In came right-handed reliever Drew Steckenrider, whose elevated four-seam fastball didn’t fool Markakis.

The 0-2 offering went a projected 357 feet, with an exit velocity of 100 mph and a 38-degree launch angle. Markakis' leadoff shot had an expected batting average of just .210.

"That was a pretty easy one, really, the way he has struggled deeper into games," Mattingly said of the decision to pull Lopez. "To get out of that inning, after the fifth, I feel like it was the right time."

Limiting the damage

Miami evened the score at 1 in the eighth with three consecutive one-out hits off right-hander Josh Tomlin, Atlanta's second reliever of the frame. Tomlin, who had recently moved into a high-leverage role, had recorded holds in each of his past two outings.

With runners at first and second, Tomlin threw a cutter and induced an inning-ending double play off the bat of Neil Walker.

"Huge right there," Snitker said. "He left a few pitches in the middle of the plate and he hadn't been doing that, and he gives up one run. He kept the game manageable and got a win out of it."