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Braves-Marlins Preview

Jul 25, 2010 - 3:46 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Atlanta (56-40) at Florida (48-48), 1:10 p.m. EDT

Jair Jurrjens has been rounding into form after getting off to a slow start to the season and spending time on the disabled list. He feels like he's coming off his best start of the year, and that doesn't bode well for the Florida Marlins.

Jurrjens looks to win his fourth consecutive decision and help the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves take two of three from the Marlins in Sunday's series finale.

Jurrjens (3-3, 4.25 ERA) emerged has one of Atlanta's top pitchers in 2009, winning 14 games and leading all starters with a 2.60 ERA. The right-hander opened this season 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in his first five starts, though, and was placed on the DL May 5 with a strained left hamstring.

Since returning to the rotation June 30, Jurrjens has regained his dominance, going 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in four starts. Against NL West-leading San Diego on Tuesday, he gave up one run and five hits while striking out seven over seven innings in a 4-1 win.

"(Tuesday) was the best day in the whole season (for me)," Jurrjens told the Braves' official website. "Everything was working."

This will be Jurrjens' first game against the Marlins this year after going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts against them in 2009.

The Braves (57-40) defeated Florida 10-5 on Saturday behind an eight-run eighth inning highlighted by Brooks Conrad's second pinch-hit grand slam of the year. It was the most runs in an inning for Atlanta, which has won four of six and owns a six-game lead over Philadelphia atop the division.

"It was awesome. It was great. It was huge," Conrad said. "It's the perseverance we have this year. No matter what the situation or how we're playing, we're always going to play hard until the end."

Braves All-Star second baseman Martin Prado led off Saturday's game with his 13th home run. He's homered in each of the first two games of this series and is batting .421 with seven RBIs in eight games against the Marlins (48-49) this season.

Florida's collapse came with the club on the verge of winning for the seventh time in eight games and moving over .500 for the first time since it was 28-27 on June 3.

"It just so happens they stole one from us," said Dan Uggla, who homered and drove in three runs. "That's baseball."

Uggla homered in Friday's series opener and is 8 for 17 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last four games against the Braves. He is also 7 for 17 with three doubles lifetime against Jurrjens.

The Marlins counter with Chris Volstad (4-8, 4.78), who is expected to get called up from the minors.

Volstad began the year with Florida, and was 3-2 with a 4.12 ERA in his first six starts before going 1-6 with a 5.22 ERA over his next 11 outings with the Marlins losing 10 of those games. The right-hander was sent to Triple-A New Orleans after yielding five runs in three innings of a 7-3 loss to the Dodgers on July 6.

Volstad, 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA in four career starts against the Braves, will be taking the spot in the rotation of Nate Robertson, who was designated for assignment Wednesday.