ATLANTA — The Miami Marlins secured a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, thanks largely to first baseman Matt Mervis, who hit his first two home runs of the season and achieved his first career multi-home run game. In the series, the Marlins evened things up with this win.
Mervis’ powerful play began with a two-run homer in the first inning, giving Miami an early 2-0 lead. He then extended the advantage with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Cal Quantrill showed impressive form, pitching five scoreless innings, conceding just four hits, allowing no walks, and striking out four batters.
The Braves, struggling against the Miami defense, managed no success with runners in scoring position, following a 10-0 loss to Miami on Friday where they faced similar challenges. On Saturday, they went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position while Miami’s pitching staff recorded a total of 11 strikeouts against them.
Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver had a rough outing, pitching 4 2/3 innings, where he gave up three earned runs on seven hits, walked three batters, and managed six strikeouts.
A key moment unfolded in the eighth inning when Braves pinch hitter Stuart Fairchild led off with a triple against Marlins reliever Anthony Veneziano, but was left stranded. After Veneziano struck out leadoff batter Michael Harris II, he was replaced by Calvin Faucher, who effectively managed the inning by getting Ozzie Albies to ground out and striking out Marcell Ozuna, keeping the Braves scoreless.
One notable statistic for the Marlins was their ability to make strong contact. They recorded 12 batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 95 miles per hour, six of which were over 100 miles per hour. Out of these, five were converted into base hits. Mervis’ home runs were clocked at 106.5 and 104.2 miles per hour.
Looking ahead, right-hander Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to take the mound for Miami in the series finale on Sunday. He will face Atlanta’s right-hander Grant Holmes, as the Marlins seek their first series win in Atlanta since April 2022.