MIAMI -- Three months later, a healthy Huascar Ynoa returned to complete the potentially magical season that was interrupted by an unfortunate expression of anger.

Ynoa showed no signs of rust as he worked into the sixth inning of the Braves’ 2-0 win over the Marlins on Tuesday night at loanDepot park. This was the Atlanta right-hander’s first start since he fractured his right hand punching the dugout bench in Milwaukee on May 16.

“It felt great,” Ynoa said. “I was really excited and happy to be out there with the team. I felt a little anxious because I wanted to throw well obviously. I feel like the result was good, I was happy with it. You know, obviously anything you can do to help the team win -- that's all we're all trying to do.”

Performing much like he had while posting a 3.09 ERA in the eight starts he made before the ill-fated punch, Ynoa allowed just three hits over 5 1/3 innings. Tyler Matzek killed a Marlins threat in the sixth, and Jorge Soler provided a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the eighth for the Braves, who have won five in a row and 12 of their past 14 games.

With this surge, the Braves have vaulted to the top of the National League East standings, increasing their lead to 2 1/2 games over the Phillies and 4 1/2 games over the third-place Mets, both of whom lost Tuesday. They could continue to add to their lead now that they have put Ynoa back into a rotation that could soon also welcome Ian Anderson back. Anderson threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. It’s unknown whether he’ll make another Minor League rehab start.

“[Ynoa] was really good, especially after the first inning,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That breaking ball got really good. The stuff was good, and he was in the zone and on the attack, just like he was when he left.”

Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara scattered five hits and recorded seven strikeouts over eight innings. But his gem was tarnished when pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte drew a one-out walk in the eighth, stole second base as Ozzie Albies struck out and then took third on a wild pitch.

As Soler stood at the plate with two outs, Almonte rushed down the line enough to get the attention of Alcantara just before the Marlins’ ace threw the slider that Soler laced to right-center field.

Austin Riley drilled his 26th homer of the season in the ninth to further back the effort of Ynoa, who really came out of nowhere to become a reliable starter this year. He seemed destined for the bullpen before he further refined a slider that induced eight whiffs (out of 18 swings) and nine called strikes (out of 22 pitches not swung at) in this comeback outing.

“I really didn't know anything about him before I met him,” said Soler, who was acquired from the Royals on July 30. “I met him maybe like two or three days after I got to the clubhouse. Then I started hearing that he threw really hard. I think today he proved it. He had it on display. He was just dominant with all of his pitches.”

Armed with a four-seam fastball that averaged 96.4 mph and touched 98.4 mph on Tuesday night, Ynoa has the capability to be dominant on any given night. In six of the nine starts he has made this year, he has allowed one or zero earned runs over at least five innings. On one other occasion, he allowed two runs over six innings.

So after spending the past couple of weeks showing off the strength of their rebuilt lineup, the Braves are now ready to reap the benefits of a bolstered starting staff. Entering Tuesday, the rotation ranked third in the NL with a 3.60 ERA over 55 games going back to June 17.

Now, Charlie Morton and Max Fried could gain some assistance from both Ynoa and Anderson. Drew Smyly and Touki Toussaint have also provided valuable innings over the past few weeks. So the Braves may need to remove one current rotation member or possibly go to a six-man rotation, which seems less likely with some upcoming off-days.

Regardless, the return of two quality starters puts the Braves in a much better position than they were in late August last year, when their starting staff seemed to consist of Fried, Anderson and three days worth of unproven starters.

“We talk about that all the time,” Snitker said. “You can never have too much [pitching]. Getting some of these guys back from injury is going to do nothing but bode well for us.”