The Scouting Report: Braves vs Marlins, Game Two
Lineups, pitching matchup, bullpen status, and what to watch this evening
It’s Atlanta Braves baseball! Let’s break down everything you need to know about this evening’s matchup.
Game Info
First Pitch: 4:10 PM ET
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
TV: BravesVision, Gray TV (OTA)
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan
Roof: loanDepot Park’s roof will be CLOSED today
Atlanta Braves Lineup
DH Ronald Acuña Jr.
LF Mauricio Dubón
1B Matt Olson
2B Ozzie Albies
3B Austin Riley
CF Michael Harris II
RF José Azócar
C Sandy León
SS Ha-Seong Kim
Quick thoughts:
With Drake Baldwin (oblique) going on the injured list this morning, Atlanta’s losing probably their most consistent hitter of the season.
It’s also a new lineup, Atlanta’s 24 in their first 49 games.
Miami Marlins Lineup
2B Xavier Edwards
SS Otto Lopez
LF Heriberto Hernández
1B Christopher Morel
CF Esteury Ruiz
RF Kyle Stowers
DH Connor Norby
3B Leo Jiménez
C Joe Mack
Quick thoughts:
Miami’s going with their standard LHP-optimized lineup, with six righties and two switch-hitters.
Don’t salivate too much at the four-righty lane of Lopez through Ruiz - those are almost all platoon players (all except Lopez) and Miami’s not afraid to pinch-hit for any of them. My guess is both Ruiz and Hernández get PH for if it’s a close game.
Pitching Matchup
Braves Starter: LHP Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.25 ERA)
Quick snapshot:
2.25 ERA / 4.03 xERA / 4.08 FIP
20.0% K / 7.9% BB / 12.1% K-BB%
Pitch mix:
vs LHH: 56% sinker, 25% changeup, 10% curveball, 8% cutter, 1% four-seamer
vs RHH: 35% changeup, 27% cutter, 18% sinker, 11% curveball, 9% four-seamer
Who to watch:
There are a total of fifteen ABs and two hits off of Pérez on Miami’s roster. Shockingly, the one home run is from Esteury Ruiz, who has a career slugging percentage of only .350.
Opposing Starter: LHP Braxton Garrett (0-1, 33.75 ERA)
2026: 1.1 IP, 4H, 5ER, 5BB/3Ks
The arsenal:
Sinker (27%, 91.3 mph)
Slider (22%, 83.7 mph)
Cutter (20%, 87.1 mph)
Four-seamer (16%, 91.5 mph)
Changeup (16%, 84.2 mph)
What This Means for the Braves
Several Braves have seen Garrett in his career, but none since he went down for elbow surgery and missed the entirety of the 2025 season.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, and Ha-Seong Kim have all taken him deep, while Ozzie Albies is 4-5 off of him.
Braves Bullpen Status
Likely available:
The Braves were able to give the trio of leverage arms three days off, so they’re all fresh and available if the Braves can get a lead.
Used recently:
Reynaldo López threw 26 pitches on Sunday but should be available today, especially if the team is recommitting to him being a conventional reliever over a longman/spot starter.
Potential limitations:
Tyler Kinley has thrown on two straight days and so will be down today, while Didier Fuentes is likely also down today after throwing 23 pitches on Monday.
Quick takeaway:
Atlanta’s pen is in a good spot. Dylan Dodd and Victor Medeiros can both cover multiple innings, so there’s plenty of both length and leverage arms available.
Opponent Bullpen Status
Likely available:
Miami has closer Pete Fairbanks available, as well as several lower-leverage arms in Andrew Nardi (lefty), Anthony Bender, and Michael Peterson.
Used recently
Longman Lake Bachar threw only 15 pitches last night, so he might be able to return for an inning if needed.
Potential limitations
Miami’s thrown both of their setup men (going off of the FanGraphs depth chart), Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher, in the last two days, as well as using lefty John King on a back-to-back. It’s unknown if Phillips can come back from 43 pitches on just one day of rest, while Faucher can maybe give you an inning given that he threw ‘only’ 23 pitches last night, but why use them in those games?
Quick takeaway:
Miami has their closer, a lefty, and a few middle relievers available, but are they good enough to hold a lead late?
What to Watch Today
Ronald Acuña Jr.s back from the injured list and starting at designated hitter, a concession to the impact of Miami’s turf on an athlete’s lower body. How well does he run the bases on his hamstring?
Can Garrett, who struggled in his first MLB action since 2024, give Miami any length whatsoever?
Final Thought
Atlanta’s a favorite on the money line (FanDuel) in what’s expected to be a moderately-scoring game (O/U 8.5 runs). This one has the chance to get ugly if Atlanta can knock Garrett out of the game early.
Let’s Talk About It
If you’d like to also watch this, here’s the Braves Today live stream from this afternoon, after lineups were announced.