Marlins enjoy 'big' win, take set with Braves

Though the calendar still reads April, the three-time reigning National League East champion Braves will serve as a measuring stick for the Marlins no matter the time of year. It has been a consistent message throughout the offseason, Spring Training and early part of the season.

Jesús Aguilar's go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning gave Miami a 6-5 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night at Truist Park. Jazz Chisholm Jr. went deep and the club overcame a pair of Ronald Acuña Jr. homers to win its fourth in a row.

"I think it's big for us, obviously to come from behind the other night, and then hang in there tonight,” manager Don Mattingly said during a Zoom call. “This is the kind of game that we haven't been able to win here.”

That’s certainly no overstatement. By taking the first three games, the Marlins secured their first four-game series win in Atlanta since 2014. That also marked the last time Miami had a winning season record (10-9) against its division rival. As recently as 2019, the Marlins had won just four of 19 contests. Last year, it was four of 10 before being swept in the NL Division Series.

The gap is closing, and it’s not going unnoticed.

"We saw how good they were last year, and we've seen them build a real good pitching staff over the past few years,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They have a lot of great arms over there. What they're doing is not surprising. That's a good club."

Since the build began in 2018, the Marlins have focused on developing pitching. Right-hander John Curtiss, who picked up the win after tossing a scoreless ninth, recalled Mattingly telling his club during Spring Training that it should come to the ballpark every day expecting to win. Curtiss, acquired on the day pitchers and catchers reported to camp, was part of the 2020 American League champion Rays and is seeing the foundation being laid in Miami.

“I think all winning teams are similar in that they seem to win close games and losing teams seem to lose close games,” Curtiss said. “Again, April 14, but I really think that we've played well. … I think that a lot of the similarities come down to the fact that we have a lot of young talent, and a lot of strong veteran leadership. And obviously a great coaching staff with a great manager. Both teams last year had the Manager of the Year, and a lot of young talent, and arms for days. I like our rotation as much as anyone's in baseball, so that's a good place to start.”

Mattingly also has preached to his club about doing the little things -- from making plays on the basepaths to the outfield. It did so on Wednesday with little room for error against one of the Majors’ elite teams. Corey Dickerson showed aggressive baserunning by going first to third on a single to left field. Adam Duvall gave his former club fits with a leaping catch to rob Austin Riley of extra bases, then by throwing out Freddie Freeman trying to stretch a single into a double. He later held Freeman to a single off the right-field wall.

Throughout the series, players from both teams have been spotted looking into the opposing dugout after a big play. On Wednesday night alone, Freeman signaled at Duvall for throwing him out at second. He jokingly swiped at Chisholm on a pickoff attempt after the second baseman robbed him of a hit. MLB Pipeline’s No. 58 overall prospect proceeded to advance to second on a balk, then stole third.

Chisholm, who knocked a two-out three-run homer to straightaway center in a four-run third, said the players acknowledge they’re competing in a child’s game and are just trying to have fun.

“We came back with the fire in our eyes,” Chisholm said. “We didn't forget what happened last year in the playoffs. We’re showing that we deserve to be talked about in this league. Our team is amazing, our pitching staff is amazing, our defense is amazing, our baserunning, our offense is just amazing as well. We want to show everybody that we're not a team to mess around with, and I feel like everybody's seeing that now.”