Lefty Paul Maholm tries to make it two straight strong starts to begin the season when the Atlanta Braves visit Miami on Monday to begin a three-game series with the Marlins' home opener.
Maholm, who joined Atlanta from the Chicago Cubs last season, opened 2013 with 5 2/3 scoreless innings of six-hit ball with six strikeouts in a 9-2 win over Philadelphia on April 3.
The 30-year-old was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003 and pitched with the Pirates through 2011. He joined the Cubs to start 2012 and was 9-6 in 21 games for them last year before going 4-5 in 11 starts with the Braves.
Maholm had two wins and a no-decision in three starts against Miami in 2012 while allowing just three runs on 14 hits in 21 1/3 innings.
He opposes Texas-born right-hander Kevin Slowey, who debuted with a tough-luck 3-0 loss at Washington after allowing four hits and a run in 5 1/3 innings.
Slowey was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2005 and was with the team through 2011 before being traded to the Colorado Rockies in December 2011. He was then dealt by Colorado to Cleveland a month later and made eight starts in the minors, going 3-3 with a 5.14 earned run average at Triple-A Columbus.
He signed with the Marlins as a free agent on Jan. 15.
Slowey is 1-1 in two career starts against the Braves with a 5.91 ERA in 10 2/3 innings of work.
On Sunday in Atlanta, Ramiro Pena hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth inning and Tim Hudson fired 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Braves' 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game set.
Hudson (1-0) fanned seven and surrendered just three hits and two walks for Atlanta, which swept the series.
Dan Uggla smacked a solo homer and scored twice in the triumph.
"A lot of good things happened on the homestand, great pitching again," Uggla said.
In New York, Marlon Byrd's two-run single in the ninth inning gave the Mets a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Marlins in a rubber match.
Steve Cishek (0-1) was on the mound in the ninth and got the first out, but then nicked Ruben Tejada with a pitch. Kirk Nieuwenhuis then dropped a single into left field that saw Tejada move to third and Nieuwenhuis take second on Juan Pierre's throw to third.
With the infield in, Byrd ripped a pitch down the third base line and past a diving Chris Valaika, scoring both runners for the victory.
Jose Fernandez, who won't turn 21 until July 31, became the youngest Marlin to ever start a game. He gave up just one run on three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts over five innings, and was in line for the win until the ninth- inning collapse.
Donovan Solano went 3-for-5 with an RBI while Justin Ruggiano and Valaika each added two hits and an RBI for the Marlins, who came into this season having been swept by Washington.
The Braves won 14 of 18 games between the teams in 2012, including seven of nine in Miami.
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