The pitching matchup is the whole story here. Martín Pérez has been the steal of Atlanta's winter — 2.25 ERA across his first 5 starts, opponents hitting .194, never out before the 6th. His last time out he gave up 2 runs in 5.2 against Seattle in a loss. He's the stabilizer in a six-man rotation that's been carrying the load while the lineup figures itself out.
Braxton Garrett's line is the cartoon you think it is. He missed all of 2025 after internal-brace surgery on his UCL, opened 2026 at Triple-A Jacksonville, and got called up when Robby Snelling went down. His MLB debut last Thursday vs. the Twins was a wreck: 1.1 IP, 5 runs, 5 walks. Hence the 33.75. He's a lefty with a real track record before the injury — but the Braves should be drooling at this matchup on paper.
Atlanta is doing this without Sean Murphy, who's looking at up to 8 weeks with a fractured left middle finger after taking a Hyeseong Kim swing to the hand. Matt Olson (11 HR, 31 RBI) and a resurgent Michael Harris II have been the engine. Miami, meanwhile, is 22-26 and watching their best young arm in Snelling head to a UCL specialist — Meyer is essentially the rotation by himself right now.
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter (RP) — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
- 7-Day ILEli White (CF) — White (concussion) is on track to be activated from the 7-day injured list Monday, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.05/17
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer (DH) — Farmer went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's rout of the Guardians.05/18
- 10-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Manager Walk Weiss said Tuesday that Murphy (finger) is expected to be sidelined at least eight weeks, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/12
- 15-Day-ILHurston Waldrep (SP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that Waldrep (elbow) will throw a bullpen session in about a week and could be ready to rejoin the team in June, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILDylan Dodd (RP) — Dodd (back) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett in the coming days, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.05/08
- suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) received a positive update when evaluated last week and is expected to start a throwing program soon, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.05/12
- 60-Day-ILDanny Young (RP) — Atlanta transferred Young (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver (SP) — Atlanta placed Smith-Shawver (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Friday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman (RF) — Alderman (hand) has gone 2-for-13 with two RBI and a run scored in four games since returning from Single-A Jupiter's 7-day injured list Thursday.05/18
- 10-Day-ILGriffin Conine (LF) — Conine will undergo a left hamstring tendon excision next week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILRobby Snelling (SP) — Snelling (elbow) will be examined by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.05/18
- OutJesus Tinoco (RP) — The Marlins re-signed Tinoco (elbow) to a minor-league contract Jan. 5.05/08
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez (RP) — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur (SP) — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
On paper this is a get-right spot. Pérez vs. a guy with one start and a 33.75 ERA, the best team in the NL trying to avoid getting swept up in a 2-game blip. Miami covered Game 1 by 12 — they don't need that again, they just need to not get embarrassed back.