The Atlanta Braves gave Mat Latos a lot of headaches at the beginning of the season. The pitcher made his debut with the Miami Marlins and was hit hard by the Braves. In his first game with Miami, he gave up seven runs, six hits and two walks in what was the shortest outing by a starting pitcher making his Marlins debut. However, Latos has since found his form and is looking for a little revenge against Atlanta.
Latos came to Miami shortly after having his knee drained which could have played a large role in his performance. After two starts against the Braves, the pitcher had a 17.36 ERA. However, he has since gone 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in four outings while giving up just two runs while striking out 11 over 13 innings of play. In his last start he gave up just one run over seven innings.
Miami has been struggling to get help from their bullpen. The relievers have a 7.53 ERA in their last five games. Meanwhile, Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton are picking up the slack in terms of the plate work. They were both responsible for the previous wins.
The Braves will try and counter Latos' growing success with Alex Wood on the mound. In his last six outings, Woods has not won a game while putting up a 4.37 ERA in the process. He recently gave up three runs in over six innings to the Washington Nationals. Against Miami, he is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts.
The Braves have only won for the second time in seven games. The team is struggling in all forms of the game. According to manager Fredi Gonzalez, the Braves have certainly had their short comings over recent weeks, but he had faith they can easy bounce back. Getting the win on Friday was certainly a nice start for the team who is sitting in third in the National League East and well below .500.