Marlins burn Braves
Dan Uggla drove in three runs, Chris Volstad and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Florida Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 Tuesday night.
The Marlins are a big league best 6-1 – all against NL East opponents – for their best start since opening 1997 with an 8-1 record.
Volstad (2-0) gave up three hits and one run in seven innings. He struck out four and walked two batters while lowering his ERA to 1.50. He has allowed only five hits in 12 innings.
Uggla drove in two runs with a third-inning single off Javier Vazquez (0-1).
Kelly Johnson led off the fourth with his third homer for Atlanta’s first hit off Volstad. Leo Nunez and Matt Lindstrom each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Volstad.
Vazquez struck out 12 in six innings, which tied for the fourth-highest total of his career, while giving up five hits and three runs. He set a career high with 14 strikeouts for Montreal against the Chicago Cubs on April 9, 2003, and had two games with 13 strikeouts.