Marlins’ slump deepens with loss
Jair Jurrjens gave up three hits in seven innings Thursday, and the Atlanta Braves completed a two-game sweep of the slumping Florida Marlins, 4-2.
Casey Kotchman homered and hit an RBI double for Atlanta. David Ross had a two-run homer.
Jurrjens (3-2) allowed two runs, both on homers by Hanley Ramirez. The right-hander’s ERA rose to 2.01.
Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez (1-4) allowed two homers and four runs in 4 2/3 innings before leaving the game because of discomfort in his pitching shoulder. Sanchez underwent surgery on the shoulder in June 2007 and returned last July.
Florida extended a club-record streak of 20 consecutive games without a win by a starting pitcher. During that span the starters are 0-10. The last Marlins starter to win was Sanchez against Atlanta on April 16.
The Marlins lost their third consecutive game to finish a 1-3 homestand, during which they fell out of the lead in the NL East for the first time this season. They’re 4-13 since an 11-1 start.
For the Braves, the sweep comes at the start of an eight-game trip. They were swept at home by Florida for the first time ever April 14-16.
Atlanta took a 2-1 lead in the second when Kelly Johnson led off with a single and Ross hit his third homer. Kotchman hit his first homer in the third, and hit Sanchez’s final pitch for a two-out RBI double in the fifth.
Rafael Soriano struck out Ramirez with two on to end the eighth inning, and Mike Gonzalez completed the four-hitter with a perfect ninth for his fifth save in six chances.