Chen remains with Marlins

Wei-Yin Chen exercised his player option to remain with the Miami Marlins.

Cincinnati Reds lose players to waivers

Zach Vincej was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.  Chad Wallach was also claimed off waivers by only by the Miami Marlins.

Ichiro becomes free agent

The Miami Marlins have decided not to pick up the club option for the contract of Ichiro Suzuki making Suzuki a free agent.  The Marlins also claimed Chad Wallach off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

Nats 'pen blows lead after lead in 4-3 loss to Miami in 10th

All it took was two blown leads and an extra-inning loss in Game 3 of the young season for Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker already to be defending his relief corps.

"I mean, my bullpen - I love my bullpen," Baker said. "These guys are going to be one of the best, if they're not already."

They were not at their best on this night. Justin Bour doubled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the 10th after the Marlins erased deficits in the eighth and ninth innings, and Miami earned its first win by beating Washington 4-3 Thursday.

The Nationals went into this season without an experienced, established closer after losing Mark Melancon to free agency. Instead, Blake Treinen won a spring training competition and he, Shawn Kelley and Sammy Solis all had a hand in this defeat, as did Joe Blanton.

"Whether they're closing or pitching in the eighth or getting left-handed guys out, it doesn't matter," said Ryan Zimmerman, whose tiebreaking homer in the eighth briefly put Washington up 3-2. "But I think everybody in this room has confidence in all those guys down there, in whatever they're asked to do."

In a game delayed by rain for more than an hour both at the start and in the middle of the sixth, Bour sent a shot off Blanton (0-1) down the left field line. That brought home J.T. Realmuto, whose single in the 10th was his third hit of the game, including a two-run homer in the eighth off Kelley that made it 2-all.

David Phelps (1-1) earned the win with a scoreless ninth. A.J. Ramos, Miami's sixth pitcher, worked the 10th to earn his first save.

Washington entered the eighth with a 2-0 edge thanks to homers from Adam Eaton and Jayson Werth.

But Kelley walked Christian Yelich then gave up Realmuto's second homer of the season.

"That's when I usually make my best pitches," Kelley said, "and I didn't tonight."

After Zimmerman put Washington back in front, pinch-hitter Tyler Moore - a former member of the Nationals - delivered an RBI single up the middle off Treinen with a 2-2 count and two outs in the ninth.

"I love those guys over there," Moore said, "but right now I'm with the Marlins, and I love these guys over here."

Treinen came in with a man on third, put there by Solis.

"I got myself in a position where I should've had success," said Treinen, who saved the first games of the series. "I just didn't execute the pitch that I wanted to throw. It came back to bite us."

QUOTABLE

"Once you lose the first two, you're basically in salvage mode, right? You never want to walk out of here 0-3 to start the season." - Marlins manager Don Mattingly.

LONG DAY'S NIGHT

A game that began 1 hour, 20 minutes late because of showers was held up for another 63 minutes in the middle of the sixth.

"A long game. Took a long time," Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez said. "I was up pretty early today and leaving pretty late."

The Nationals were taking a bus ride to Philadelphia for their next series, departing about an hour after game's end.

FOR STARTERS

Both starters left after the rain delay. Gonzalez allowed seven singles and struck out seven in six scoreless innings. Miami's Tom Koehler gave up one run in five innings.

SUN MONSTER

On a sinking liner by Realmuto in the second, RF Bryce Harper ducked to shield his eyes from the late-afternoon sun and awkwardly stumbled to the ground - but managed to make the catch, earning applause from Gonzalez.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Open a three-game series at the Mets on Friday, with LHP Wei-Yin Chen on the mound.

Nationals: NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer pitches Friday against the Phillies.

Harper's 2 RBIs, Zimmerman's HR lead Nats over Marlins 6-4

Tanner Roark's spring training workload was cut by participating in the World Baseball Classic and having his final tuneup rained out. So neither he nor the Washington Nationals were quite sure what they would get in the righty's regular-season debut.

For a couple of innings Wednesday night, it was rough: Two runs, two singles, two hit batters, two walks, a wild pitch. A whopping 46 pitches.

And then? Roark got down to business, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced and helping the Nationals come back to beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 as Ryan Zimmerman homered while Bryce Harper and Matt Wieters each drove in a pair of runs.

"Whether he gets off to a good start or a slow start, he somehow figures it out and grinds it out and gives us a quality start every time," said Zimmerman, whose opposite-field shot put Washington on the board in the second. "It's fun to play behind him. He gets the ball, works, throws strikes - and he's pretty good at it."

Roark (1-0) allowed two runs and three hits, striking out six and walking two.

Was he worried about what he'd be able to do, given the lack of preseason preparation?

"A little bit. But it's my turn to start, so I've got to go out there and give as many pitches as I possibly can," Roark said. "Gave them 97. I didn't feel like I threw 97, so that's a good sign. So hopefully, knock on wood right now, keep feeling good."

The reliever who replaced him to begin the seventh, Enny Romero, plunked Derek Dietrich, which led to some jawing between the two and the ejection of Marlins manager Don Mattingly.

"We got hit three times and we got a warning," Mattingly said. "It doesn't seem quite right."

Dietrich, who also was hit by Roark, said about Mattingly: "Wasn't expecting him to come out like that. And then when he did, I appreciate it. He's got every one of our backs, just like we've got his."

Blake Treinen pitched the ninth for his second save, striking out Christian Yelich with a man aboard to end it after giving up a run.

The Nationals went up 5-2 by batting around in a four-run fourth that featured Harper's RBI double down the right field line, Daniel Murphy's run-scoring single to center and Wieters' two-run single through a hole opened at shortstop by a defensive shift.

All came off Dan Straily (0-1), who gave up five runs in only 3 1/3 innings in his Marlins debut.

"That's not the way you want to present yourself to your new organization," Straily said.

HITS, HITS, HITS

In the season's opening two games, both wins, Harper is 3 for 7 with two extra-base hits and three RBIs. Wieters went 3 for 3 with a walk Wednesday, and Murphy had two hits.

HE SAID IT

"Honestly, we didn't deserve to win the game. We didn't play well enough to win. We give them extra outs." - Mattingly, who was bothered by, among other things, a failure to catch a foul fly by Harper during one of his at-bats that ended with a run-scoring hit.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Marlins: Martin Prado (hamstring) could come off the DL when Miami returns home after a season-opening six-game road trip.

Nationals: Anthony Rendon went 0 for 4 after sitting out opening day with a bruised calf.

UP NEXT

The three-game series wraps up Thursday with Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez facing Marlins RHP Tom Koehler.

Harper, Lind homer, Nationals top Marlins 4-2 in opener

Adam Lind's first swing as a member of the Nationals resulted in a pinch-hit, go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Bryce Harper went deep on opening day for the fifth time in his young career, leading Washington past the Miami Marlins 4-2 on Monday.

Stephen Strasburg (1-0) earned the win, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings, pitching out of the stretch the whole way. It was his return to action after missing last September and the playoffs with a right elbow injury.

Otherwise, it was a good showing by some of the reigning NL East champion's new pieces.

Catcher Matt Wieters singled off a soft liner ahead of Lind's drive into the first row in right-center off reliever David Phelps (0-1) that made it 3-2.

Center fielder Adam Eaton doubled, walked twice, stole a base and scored a run. Wieters and Lind were free-agent signings; Eaton came over from the Chicago White Sox in a much-debated trade.

Plus, Blake Treinen, a holdover but a closer for the first time, pitched the ninth for a save - only his second in the majors.

Treinen took on the 4-5-6 hitters for Miami, getting Giancarlo Stanton to pop out in foul territory, struck out Justin Bour swinging, then Marcell Ozuna looking.

The Nationals trailed 2-0 before Harper put them on the board in the sixth with a no-doubt solo shot off a 95 mph pitch from Phelps, who came in after Miami starter Edinson Volquez went five scoreless innings.

Harper, the 2015 NL MVP coming off a down year, added to his opening-day collection of homers: two in 2013, one each in 2015 and 2016.

Lind turned on a 2-0 fastball, then was coaxed out of the dugout for a curtain call by the loud sellout crowd of 42,744 on a cloudy afternoon.

REMEMBERING NO. 16

Michael Hill, the Marlins' president of baseball operations, wore a black lapel pin with the number "16," the jersey worn by Jose Fernandez, the charismatic ace who died when his boat crashed late last season. "He's gone, and that's something that we all have to come to grips with and accept," Hill said. "But his memory will always be a bond for this team and for me as well."

Said manager Don Mattingly: "I actually thought about him this morning, just that you miss this guy."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: 3B Anthony Rendon was out of the lineup after fouling a ball off his calf during spring training. Manager Dusty Baker said it was his decision for Rendon to sit, noting that the player wanted to start. "He could've played if I'd had wanted to push him," Baker said, "but I decided not to."

UP NEXT

After an off-day Tuesday, Washington sends RHP Tanner Roark to the mound against Miami newcomer Dan Straily for Game 2 on Wednesday. Roark's final spring training tuneup was rained out, but he threw a bullpen session of about 85 pitches to try to stay on track for the beginning of the season.

Marlins agree to deals with Locke, Ellis and McGowan

Still in the mix for a high-priced closer, the Marlins on Wednesday accomplished some lower-profile needs and addressed three areas.

Miami came to terms with left-hander Jeff Locke, right-handed reliever Dustin McGowan and backup catcher A.J. Ellis on one-year deals, pending physicals. The moves have yet to be officially announced, keeping the 40-man roster at 37 heading into Thursday's Rule 5 Draft.

The Marlins continue to be in talks with free agent closer Kenley Jansen after Aroldis Chapman reportedly signed a five-year, $86 million deal with the Yankees on Wednesday night.

To participate in the Rule 5 Draft, which wraps up the Winter Meetings, a team must have at least one vacancy on the 40-man roster.

Locke, formerly with the Pirates, will compete for a back-of-the-rotation spot. The 29-year-old's deal is worth $3 million.

"He gives us another starting option who we think is in line for a bounce-back year, and he has the ability to give us quality innings," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.

Locke, who had been with the Pirates since 2011, would become one of three left-handers in Miami's projected rotation. He will join fellow southpaws Wei-Yin Chen and Adam Conley. The right-handed options for manager Don Mattingly are Edinson Volquez and Tom Koehler.

"They're all different," Hill said of the lefties. "We talked about that, exactly. To phrase Donnie, the best five. If they all throw left-handed, so be it. We're trying to build the deepest, strongest rotation that we can. If we're right-handed, left-handed, we want the best quality."

The Marlins added even further to their potential battery by also shoring up their defense behind the plate. The club agreed to terms with Ellis for a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

Ellis previously played for Mattingly during their days with the Dodgers. Ellis played for the Dodgers last season before being traded to the Phillies. In Miami, he'll back up J.T. Realmuto.

During the free agent process, Mattingly reached out to Ellis.

"We've talked about that role," Mattingly said.

Miami was in the market for a quality defensive catcher after Jeff Mathis signed a free-agent deal with the D-backs on Monday. Ellis, who turns 36 in April, played the first eight full seasons of his career with the Dodgers, becoming a favored catcher of ace Clayton Kershaw, before Los Angeles traded him in August for catcher Carlos Ruiz.

Ellis batted .216/.301/.298 in 64 games in 2016, and sports a .239 average with 37 home runs and 200 RBIs over the course of his career.

Ellis will help in the development of Realmuto. And the Marlins are open to being creative with their catcher position.

Realmuto, who batted .303 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs, is one of the more athletic catchers in the game. The Marines see the addition of Ellis as giving them the chance to occasionally work Realmuto at first base, against left-handed pitching, on days when Ellis is behind the plate.

"The experience, it's more of the preparation part of it, and the game planning," Hill said of Ellis' presence. "J.T. is still a young catcher. He's incredibly talented. We want him to be the best in the game, and understand every aspect in terms of our pitchers, of the opponents that he's game-planning against.

"He wants to be that mentor and nurture and help grow J.T. into the best catcher in the game."

Locke is the second free-agent starter the Marlins have signed in the past two weeks. They previously added Volquez to a two-year, $22 million contract.

Locke was 9-8 with a 5.44 ERA in 30 appearances (19 starts) in 2016. The 29-year-old struck out 73 in 127 1/3 innings.

In Miami, Locke will be reuniting with Jim Benedict, the Marlins' vice president of pitching development. The two previously worked together in Pittsburgh.

An All-Star in 2013, Locke was 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA that year. He has a 50.6 percent ground-ball rate over the past four seasons. Locke's finest performance in 2016 was throwing a three-hit shutout on May 30 in a 10-0 win in Miami.

"In Locke, you're talking about an All-Star from a few years ago," Hill said. "We saw him up close and personal, when he made his start against us at Marlins Park. He threw a shutout."

McGowan, 34, went 1-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 67 innings for the Marlins last season. He recorded the third-lowest ERA on the team among those pitchers who threw at least 60 innings.

McGowan has starting experience during his years with the Blue Jays. He will likely be used in multiple-inning relief situations.

Marlins agree to 1-year deal with lefty Locke

Another rotation candidate is about to join the Marlins. Left-hander Jeff Locke has reached an agreement on a one-year contract, pending completion of his physical, MLB.com has confirmed.

Locke, who had been with the Pirates since 2011, would become one of three left-handers in Miami's projected rotation. The Marlins also are finalizing a contract with right-handed reliever Dustin McGowan, who will be returning to Miami.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was first to report Locke's deal.

Locke is the second free-agent starter the Marlins have signed in the past two weeks. They previously added right-hander Edinson Volquez to a two-year, $22 million contract.

Locke was 9-8 with a 5.44 ERA in 30 appearances (19 starts) in 2016. The 29-year-old struck out 73 in 127 1/3 innings.

In Miami, Locke will be reuniting with Jim Benedict, the Marlins' vice president of pitching development. The two previously worked together in Pittsburgh.

An All-Star in 2013, Locke was 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA that year. He has a 50.6 percent ground-ball rate over the past four seasons.

Locke is primed to join fellow left-handers Adam Conley and Wei-Yin Chen in Miami's rotation. Volquez and Tom Koehler are the right-handers.

McGowan, 34, posted a 2.82 ERA in 55 games with the Marlins over 67 innings in 2016. He was a non-roster invitee last year. The right-hander is finalizing a guaranteed big league deal, which means he is expected to make the Opening Day roster.

McGowan has starting experience during his years with the Blue Jays. He will likely be used in multiple-inning relief situations.

Volquez introduced: 'Marlins were my first choice'

A major piece of the Marlins' pitching puzzle is officially in place. The club announced the signing of Edinson Volquez to a two-year deal on Thursday afternoon.

The 33-year-old reached agreement with Miami on Monday. Now that the physical exam and all the paperwork are finalized, Volquez, who spent the past two seasons with the Royals, helps solidify the Marlins' biggest area of need.

"It was an obvious need," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "I speak a lot about our desire to add pitching and to add pieces that we think can help us. In Edinson Volquez, you have a veteran, experienced All-Star, world champion. He will fit nicely on our staff and gives us another proven starter who logs innings. We think he can have a really good year."

Per team policy, the Marlins don't announce financial terms, but MLB.com has confirmed Volquez has signed for $22 million, and he will make $9 million in 2017 and $13 million in '18.

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Volquez has lived in Miami for the past three years, and he said the Marlins were his first choice.

"I wanted to sign right away," said Volquez, who will wear No. 36. "I wanted to know right away where I was going to be. The Marlins were my first choice. I'm here."

Volquez joins a rotation that already includes lefties Adam Conley and Wei-Yin Chen and right-hander Tom Koehler.

Volquez also brings a winning pedigree to a Marlins club that expects to compete for a playoff berth in 2017. The righty spent the past two seasons with the Royals, going 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 34 games (33 starts) during their '15 World Series championship campaign.

Volquez is 89-79 with a 4.44 ERA in his 11-year career.

The signing reunites Volquez with Jim Benedict, the Marlins' vice president of pitching development. Benedict and Volquez worked together in Pittsburgh in 2014, when the right-hander went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA over 32 appearances (31 starts) and 192 2/3 innings.

"That was definitely a big part of it," Hill said. "Jim Benedict, our vice president of pitching development, was familiar with Edinson from their time in Pittsburgh. When we started our offseason meetings, and we started to identify pitchers we felt could be a good fit for us, [Volquez] was at the top of our list. Someone who has had a lot of success at every level of his career.

"We really felt like getting him here, putting him in our ballpark, and putting him with Bennie and [pitching coach] Juan Nieves, we felt like it would be a nice fit."

Miami remains in the market for at least one more starter, which may be addressed next week at the Winter Meetings. The rotation help has become the highest priority in the aftermath of Jose Fernandez's death on Sept. 25 in a boating accident.

No one starter can duplicate all Fernandez, a two-time All-Star, did for the club and the community. But Volquez has a track record for logging innings, throwing at least 170 1/3 innings in each of his past five seasons.

"I know this team had a big loss last year with Jose Fernandez," Volquez said. "That was a very sad moment for the entire MLB. I'm not going to try to be him. I'm going to try to be me. In a short period of time, I watched him pitch and he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. I just want to be myself, get some wins and bring the crown back to Miami."

Volquez also offers postseason and championship experience. The native of the Dominican Republic was part of the Royals' 2015 World Series title team. But in 2016, he dropped in production, going 10-11 with a 5.37 ERA in 34 starts and 189 1/3 innings.

The Marlins used 13 starters in 2016 and are looking for durability, which Volquez has traditionally provided.

"I was a little tired last year," Volquez said. "I was trying to push myself to do a better job. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to be better than I was the year before. It wasn't working. Now, I have plenty of time to recover. I can now help this team try to win."

A sinkerball pitcher, Volquez showed good velocity in 2016. According to Statcast™, his sinker averaged 93.53 mph, above the MLB average of 91.78. The spin rate of the pitch was 2,291 rpm, compared to a league average of 2,111.

Not overpowering, Volquez pitches to contact, averaging 6.61 strikeouts per nine innings in 2016.

Volquez has a chance to prosper at spacious Marlins, where home runs are harder to hit. Also, Miami has terrific overall defense, especially in the infield. Volquez posted a 1.77 ground-ball/fly-ball ratio and a 51.2 ground-ball percentage in 2016.

Rolling Teheran starts vs. Marlins

Julio Teheran is on a roll. The Braves' right-hander, who is drawing considerable trade interest, carries a string of 23 consecutive scoreless innings into Friday night's game against the Marlins at Turner Field.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are in the market for starting pitching, and they're looking to gain momentum in the congested playoff picture. Miami is countering with left-hander Justin Nicolino, who rejoins the rotation after a brief two-start demotion to Triple-A New Orleans.

Even in the Minors, Nicolino had stayed lined up with Miami's fifth starter spot. With New Orleans, he shed throwing his cutter and had success in two starts -- giving up three runs in 13 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks. In his previous seven starts with the Marlins before being optioned, Nicolino was 0-4 with a 6.44 ERA.

Teheran is enjoying one of his finest seasons, with 99 strikeouts to 24 walks in 106 innings. In his last 13 starts, he has a 1.72 ERA.

Things you need to know about this game

• Newly acquired reliever Fernando Rodney is expected to be in uniform and ready to pitch on Friday, a day after Miami acquired him from the Padres for prospect Chris Paddack. Manager Don Mattingly hasn't said what role in the back end of the bullpen Rodney will have, but he's available for the seventh inning and beyond.

• Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is just 4-for-27 (.148) in his career against Teheran, but two of his hits have been home runs. Marcell Ozuna, meanwhile, is 11-for-30 (.367) with a homer and four RBIs.

• The Braves don't have much history against Nicolino. Nick Markakis is 2-for-5 off the Miami lefty.

Braves rally after rain delay to beat Marlins

Pinch-hitter Brandon Snyder's two-run triple off Mike Dunn highlighted a four-run sixth inning that enabled the Braves to further frustrate the Marlins in claiming an 8-5 win on Thursday night at Turner Field.

Tyler Flowers recorded a career-high three doubles, including one that chased Marlins starter Wei-Yin Chen in the sixth. Erick Aybar greeted Dunn with a game-tying infield single, and Snyder followed with his two-run triple. Chase d'Arnaud capped the sixth inning with a RBI single for the Braves.

Miami scored a pair of two-out runs in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, butMauricio Cabrera retired pinch-hitter Cole Gillespie on a lineout to record his first save.

"It was a little too eventful, but we won the game, and that's the main thing,' said Braves manager Brian Snitker, whose team has gone 7-2 against the Marlins and 20-50 against all other opponents.

Justin Bour provided the Marlins an early lead with a three-run homer off Mike Foltynewiczin the second. Foltynewicz did not return after rain halted play during the middle of the third inning for 68 minutes. But the Marlins stayed with Chen, who allowed three hits, includingFreddie Freeman's RBI triple, during Atlanta's two-run third. Mike Dunn surrendered four hits, including Brandon Snyder's go-ahead two-run triple and Chase d'Arnaud's decisive two-out RBI single, in Atlanta's four-run sixth.

"Frustrating, in a sense, really with myself, to be honest with you," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of his club's struggles with the Braves. "I feel like somewhere, we're not getting prepared properly. I feel like I'm missing something with this. I just have to do a better job of getting us ready to play."

The game resumed after the delay at 9:09 p.m. ET, and Mattingly said his cutoff point to send Chen back out was at 9:15 p.m.

"I didn't think [the delay] was a big problem because I had been ready to go and pitch again," Chen said through his interpreter. "Today, it wasn't my best condition, and I missed some spots, and I couldn't control the game as I wished."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sudden uprising: Flowers' sixth-inning double gave him the first multi-double game of his career and, more importantly, set the stage for the decisive rally. Aybar's game-tying single deflected off the glove of Dunn, the former Atlanta lefty who has allowed hits to four of the six Braves batters he has faced this season. Snyder's pinch-hit triple gave him five extra-base hits through 19 at-bats this season.

"It wasn't the prettiest [game]," Flowers said. "It was a long one, for sure. We did a good job of tacking on runs and taking advantage of some two-out situations. That's always a plus. Our pitching did a good job all and all to shut them down and eliminate the big innings." More >

Bour's big moment, month: It was the biggest moment of the game before the rain delay. Bour's homer gave the Marlins a three-run cushion, and it also capped an impressive month for the left-handed-hitting first baseman. Bour also drew two walks, including with two outs in the ninth inning, and he went on to score. In June, Bour connected on six home runs while driving in 20 runs.

"I just noticed, it wasn't good enough tonight," Bour said. "We've got to move on and get to tomorrow. No real excuse. It wasn't good enough today. We've got to do better tomorrow."More >

Piecing it together: The long rain delay limited Foltynewicz to just three innings in his first start since going on the disabled list on June 3 with a bone spur in his right elbow. Tyrell Jenkins pitched around three fifth-inning walks over 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and the Marlins did not tally another run until Ichiro Suzuki ended Jim Johnson's 11-inning scoreless streak with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

"Just out of the stretch [in the second inning], I didn't get a good rhythm," Foltynewicz said. "I think I got a little excited and just kind of rushed through things. But other than that, everything felt good for me."

LOBs piling up: Stranding runners, a problem in their two losses at Detroit, carried over for the Marlins. A pivotal moment for Miami came in the fifth inning when Jenkins walked the bases loaded with two outs. With the Marlins ahead, 3-2, J.T. Realmuto had a 2-0 count before Jenkins regrouped and fanned the Miami catcher to retire the side. In the eighth inning with two outs, Christian Yelich went down swinging. The Marlins left 13 on base, which is one reason they have now lost three straight. In each of the two losses at Detroit to open the road trip, Miami stranded 12.

Mattingly and hitting coach Barry Bonds discussed stranding runners before the game and how better to approach situational hitting.

"How do we attack it?" Mattingly said. "We're not quite sure. I don't really have an answer for that. But the name of the game is runs, not necessarily hits. I think that's where we're falling short a little bit. But I think we know we're capable. I think that's the one thing we need to continue to look at, and stay positive. We're getting hits. Tonight, we throw up some runs. But in general, runs we have to get offensively better at. I think that's one of the areas we need to improve."

QUOTABLE
"We're not getting them out. We're having trouble in different areas. You always go back to yourself and say, 'We've got to prepare better. We've got to get ready for their hitters better. We've got to get ready for their pitchers better.' That kind of comes back to me." -- Mattingly, taking blame for his club's 2-7 record vs. Atlanta

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Freeman has recorded four triples in his past 98 plate appearances, dating back to June 7. Before this stretch, he had totaled eight triples through the first 3,337 plate appearances of his career.

MLB ERRORLESS STREAK SNAPPED
The Marlins' historical defensive streak also came to an end. Leading off the eighth inning,Emilio Bonifacio hit a grounder to third that Martin Prado couldn't handle. The misplay went as an error, which snapped Miami's streak of 28 straight games without an error committed by an infielder. According to STATS LLC, that's the longest such streak in MLB's modern era. STAT's data dates back to 1913. Prior to Prado's error, the last miscue by a Marlins infielder came on May 29, by second baseman Derek Dietrich, also at Atlanta.

WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins: The Marlins will call up left-hander Justin Nicolino (2-4, 5.17 ERA) to start Friday's 7:35 p.m. ET contest at Turner Field. He was optioned on June 19 to Triple-A New Orleans.

Braves: Julio Teheran will carry a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings into Friday's start. Teheran has produced a 1.72 ERA over his past 13 starts. He allowed three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings to the Marlins on May 29 at Turner Field.