Tommy Hanson will try to keep the Atlanta Braves rolling when they resume a 10-game homestand against the NL East-rival Miami Marlins on Monday in the opener of a four-game series at Turner Field.
Hanson just beat the Marlins on the road on Wednesday with five innings of one-run ball, seven strikeouts and a season-high seven walks. Hanson still improved to 6-1 with a 4.95 earned run average in his last 10 starts and is 11-5 overall with a 4.39 ERA in 21 outings this season.
The right-hander has faced the Marlins 10 times in his career - all starts - going 6-2 over that span to go along with a 2.49 ERA.
Atlanta just recorded a three-game sweep of Philadelphia, culminating with Sunday's 6-2 win in the series finale. Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones both homered and Tim Hudson allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings for his 10th win (10-4).
"They beat up on us a lot last year and they beat up on us when I was with the Marlins for the last few years, so it feels good to get the sweep and keep going in the right direction," said Braves second baseman Dan Uggla.
The Braves are four games behind Washington for the NL East lead and have won five in a row. They will also host Houston for three games on the homestand.
Meanwhile, the Marlins went 3-3 on their recent homestand and prevailed in the final two meetings of a three-game set versus the San Diego Padres.
In Sunday's 5-4 victory in 10 innings, Justin Ruggiano plated Jose Reyes with a game-winning RBI single. Reyes led off the frame with a double for Miami, which had a 10-7 advantage in hits. Ruggiano and Donnie Murphy both had two RBI, while Ryan Webb picked up the win with a scoreless 10th inning.
"I had quite a few in the Minors," Ruggiano said of his game-winning hit. "It feels the same. A walk-off is a walk-off. It doesn't matter where you are. It's always a good feeling."
Josh Johnson, the subject of trade rumors with the deadline approaching, was reached for two runs - one earned - in five innings.
Mark Buehrle gets the nod for the Marlins tonight and did not figure into the decision of a 4-3 loss to the Braves last Tuesday. The lefty gave up three runs, two of which were earned, in five innings to fall to 0-1 in his past two appearances following a personal four-game winning streak.
Buehrle is 1-1 in three starts against the Braves this season and 3-1 with a 3.77 earned run average in five career starts in this series. He is 9-9 with a 3.31 ERA through 20 starts in his first season with the Marlins, but 3-6 in nine road assignments.
The Marlins are only 2-6 against Atlanta this season.
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