video thumbnail

MIA@CLE: Johnson goes seven, allowing just one run

It was not the start to the series the Marlins hoped for as they welcomed the Braves to Miami for a three-game series. In the hotly contested National League East, every divisional game carries a great amount of weight. However, on Wednesday, the Marlins turn to their ace, Josh Johnson, to take a game back from the Braves after falling, 11-0, on Tuesday.

Johnson is 3-3 with a 4.83 ERA this season, but has pitched better since giving up six earned runs over 2 2/3 innings on May 4. In his last five starts since that outing, Johnson is 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA.

"They've got a little bit of everything, lefties, righties, a lot of power," Johnson said of the Braves. "You've got to be able to mix the balls on both sides of the plate. They've got a good hitting team."

He has plenty of experience against Atlanta. Johnson also takes a 5-3 career record and 2.29 ERA in 16 career starts versus the Braves into the outing.

Wednesday's start is something of a benchmark for Johnson. He enters the outing with 63 1/3 innings under his belt. It was after 60 1/3 innings over nine starts last season when Johnson was shut down for the rest of the year. As the Marlins continues to battle for NL East supremacy, they will need their ace the rest of the way.

"It's going to be a great race all the way down. It could be all the teams right down to the last week of the season. Hopefully, it's not like that. A little breathing room would be fine. You try to win series," Johnson said.

Randall Delgado, who will oppose Johnson, is coming off a victory on May 28 against the Cardinals. It was the 22-year-old right-hander's first win since April 17, a stretch which included five losses and just two quality starts over seven outings. Yet, despite the temperature of the series and his recent struggles, Delgado heads into the start with a level approach.

"It's like any other game, Delgado said. "I need to go out and do what I always do to try and get us a win. So far, things have been going well. I've been working hard to help us win and that is what I will continue to do."

Braves: Prado looking to repeat May performance
• Martin Prado is 3-for-13 in June, but the utility man will try to maintain the success that led him to a .381 (40-for-105) average in May -- third-best in the Majors. Prado hit one home run with nine RBIs and 10 doubles last month. He has raised his average from .273 to .325 entering Wednesday.

• Craig Kimbrel has gone nearly a month without surrendering the a hit. Atlanta's closer has tossed six consecutive perfect outings (six innings) and has not given up a hit in his last seven appearances. Since May 8, Kimbrell has pitched nine innings with one hit allowed, 14 strikeouts and two walks. He enters Wednesday with a National League-leading 16 saves.

Marlins: Reyes extends hit streak
• Jose Reyes stretched his season-best hitting streak to 15 games on Tuesday, during which he has raised his batting average from .247 to .279. He has tallied seven multihit games, driven in six runs, stolen five bases and scored seven runs. Reyes has also doubled in three of his last four games. However, Reyes remains in search of his first home run of the season.

• Hanley Ramirez is hitting .396 (21-for-53) since May 21, with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 12 runs scored. The third baseman has recorded seven multihit games in that span. His batting average has jumped from .198 on May 4 to .272 entering Wednesday.

• Austin Kearns, on the DL with a right hamstring strain, began a rehab assignment with Class A Jupiter on Monday, and the expectation is he could be coming off the DL, perhaps as early as Thursday in the series finale with Atlanta.

Worth noting
• According to STATS LLC, the Marlins have come from behind a Major League-leading 21 times in their 31 victories.

• The Braves have played just 23 of their 55 games at home, fewest in the NL.

MLB.com Comments