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Braves try to cool off Bonifacio, Marlins

Jul 29, 2011 - 3:25 PM (Sports Network) - If not for a disastrous June, the Marlins could very well be in the mix for a playoff spot given their play this month. Some recent struggles by the Braves, however, has kept the door open slightly.

With still plenty of baseball left to be played, Florida will look to close the gap a bit with wild card-leading Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series at Turner Field.

The Marlins have won 16 of their 24 games this month, but still sit fourth overall in the National League East and 8 1/2 games back of the Braves in the standings thanks to a 5-23 record in June. A sweep of this series could be the jolt Florida needs, though Emilio Bonifacio continues to be a spark as well.

Bonifacio has hit in a career-best 26 straight games, notching a pair of hits and an RBI in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Nationals that finished off a three-game sweep and ran the Fish's current win streak to five straight.

Now owner of the second-longest hitting streak in Florida history, behind only Luis Castillo's 35-game run in 2002, Bonifacio has raised his season batting average to .299.

"He loves to play and he's very unselfish, always smiling. He's a fun guy," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said of Bonifacio.

Mike Stanton homered for the fourth time in six games on Thursday and he will look to stay hot in this series as well.

Atlanta's Dan Uggla also brings an impressive hitting streak into this game as he ran his run to 19 consecutive games in yesterday's 5-2 loss to the Pirates. Uggla is now batting .205 on the season, while Freddie Freeman had three hits to give him a 12-game hitting streak.

It wasn't enough to give Atlanta a series win over Pittsburgh as the clubs battled to a split of the four-game set. The Braves won the middle two portions of the series, including Tuesday's 19-inning affair on Jerry Meals' blown call at home.

Derek Lowe went into Thursday's finale with a 10-0 mark in 10 career starts versus the Pirates, but took the loss as he struggled following a 47-minute rain delay in the fourth inning. The veteran allowed two of his three earned runs after the rain, lasting five full frames.

"It was three mistakes pretty fast there in the fifth inning," Lowe said. "They were only able to score two runs. Obviously they could have scored more, but still there were a lot of hard hit balls and a lot of mistakes."

Atlanta has won just four of its past 10 games and sits five contests behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.

Chipper Jones will continue to come off the bench in a pinch-hitting role for the Braves as he recovers from a strained right quadriceps. He returned from right knee surgery on Monday, but suffered his latest ailment late in that game.

Taking the hill for the Braves in this opener is Brandon Beachy, who closed out June with two straight wins but is 0-1 in four starts this month with a 4.98 earned run average.

His losing decision came in Colorado on July 19 as the righty was beaten up for six runs over 4 2/3 innings. He impressed manager Fredi Gonzalez in a rebound effort on Sunday in Cincinnati, allowing three runs -- one earned -- on five hits and four walks over six innings of a no-decision.

"Outstanding," Gonzalez said of Beachy. "He got really two pitches -- because I thought he did a really terrific job pitching -- just above the strike zone, and down in the strike zone. ... But other than that, it was a hell of an outing. He gave us a hell of a chance to win the ball game."

Beachy, who is 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 14 starts this year, has been hurt by the long ball. He has given up nine homers in his past seven starts and 13 total on the season.

The 24-year-old faced the Marlins for the first time in his career on April 14 and got a no-decision despite yielding five runs on seven hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. He did strike out eight in the outing.

Clay Hensley will make his third straight since being inserted into the rotation on July 18 for the Marlins.

Both of his outings were versus the Mets and he beat them in his first start with five scoreless innings of one-hit ball. He then got a no-decision five days later at home, getting charged with two runs on four hits and four walks over another five innings.

The 31-year-old righty is 1-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 22 overall appearances this season and will make his first career start against the Braves. He has faced them 13 times in relief, going 0-1 with a 1.72 ERA while allowing three earned runs across 12 2/3 innings.

Atlanta has won four of six over Florida this year and seven of the past nine meetings overall. The Marlins, though, did take two of three at Turner Field in mid-April.