ATLANTA -- Perhaps a trip to Atlanta would not have been the Marlins’ first choice after they were swept by the Tigers over the weekend.
In order to avoid a season-worst four-game losing streak, Miami had to face an NL East-leading Braves club that entered the series with a 117-64 record against the Marlins since 2015.
But Agustín Ramírez and the Marlins’ offense were not daunted by the club's historic struggles vs. the Braves.
Ramírez went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the season and four RBIs as Miami opened the season series against Atlanta with a 10-4 victory on Monday night at Truist Park.
After scoring just three runs in three games against the Tigers, the Marlins tied their season high in runs while eclipsing their previous season high in hits (15) with 16 knocks.
“It’s a new series,” Ramírez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “You have to give a lot of credit to Detroit, but you have to be able to reset and continue doing a good job.”
“Everybody in the lineup picked up a hit,” said manager Clayton McCullough. “[It was a] really terrific effort, how we just moved the ball around the field. There were a lot of hits the other way. I think we took what we were given and stayed through the middle.”
Ramírez entered Monday’s matchup with just four RBIs this season and took just two at-bats to double that total. It was Ramírez’s third career four-RBI game. Ramírez went deep in the fifth with a three-run home run, then added an RBI single in the sixth.
Ramírez’s home run soared a Statcast-projected 418 feet off a curveball that reliever Aaron Bummer left middle-middle.
“You have to be on time,” Ramírez said. “In that at-bat, [Bummer] threw me a couple of [curveballs] and I was on time and I got good results.”
Ramírez has been working on getting the ball up in the air, which starts with plate discipline; the inning before his home run, Ramírez drew a fourth-inning walk.
“[It’s] depending on the pitch type [whether or not] I’m going to be swinging,” Ramírez said. “If you notice, I’ve been taking a lot of walks. I’m just trying to maintain that plate discipline and am swinging at pitches I know I can elevate.”
The third and fourth spots in Miami’s lineup -- Ramírez and Liam Hicks -- were responsible for seven of Miami’s 10 runs. Hicks also went 3-for-4, collecting three RBIs of his own.
“Two really good hitters,” McCullough said. “We’ve all been waiting for [Ramírez] to break out and hit his first home run. He picked a fantastic time for that to happen tonight. [Hicks], since Opening Day, has been a really steady contributor. He’s come through in a lot of moments.”
Braves starting pitcher Grant Holmes retired the first nine batters he faced before giving up three runs on three hits in the fourth, which was Miami’s second time through the lineup.
“I think our guys just hung in there and got themselves in some better counts,” McCullough said. “I think we made some nice adjustments there with laying off some pitches that got us in some better spots.”
Miami is the first team to post double-digit runs and hits in a game against Atlanta this season. Entering Monday’s series opener, the Braves hadn’t allowed more than six runs in a game, nor more than nine hits.
“We’ve done a really nice job as a whole offensively this year,” McCullough said. “We’ve had some really strong performances from individuals and from our group. We’re just coming off one tough series and for me that’s all it was.”
It was the second time the Marlins tallied at least 10 runs in a game this season (April 1, vs. the White Sox).
“You have to continue working really hard every day,” Ramírez said. “I think you have to trust in that process and tonight we were able to see that at the plate.”
Five of Miami’s nine starters tallied multiple hits -- and though Otto Lopez was not among those five, the Miami shortstop still went 1-for-5 with an RBI and has now hit safely in 13 of his 16 games this season.
Connor Norby went 2-for-5 with two RBIs including a solo home run, his second of the season.