 left, while the Braves surrendered only one run over the final six innings.Tyler Matzek (4-3) pitched two hitless innings for the win, and Darren O'Day and Chris Martin each worked a scoreless frame. Will Smith escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth after Shane Green surrendered a two-out run. With a big assist from the defense, Melancon finished it off.The Marlins got things rolling against Huascar Ynoa with RBI singles from Jesus Aquilar, Anderson and Garrett Cooper.The Braves bounced right back against Rogers, who created a mess for himself by walking Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freeman to start the inning. Travis d'Arnaud brought home a run with an infield dribbler, Ozzie Albies ripped a run-scoring single to center and Riley doubled into the right-field corner to put the Braves ahead 4-3.Both pitchers settled down after that. Ynoa faced the minimum over the next two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Rogers surrendered another run on back-to-back doubles to start the second, but the rookie avoided further trouble by getting d'Arnaud to hit into a double play.HANGING TOUGHRogers, Miami's first-round pick in the 2017 draft, came back from his rough start to strike out the last six hitters he faced in his four-inning stint.''It's huge,'' Rogers said. ''The stat line might say different, but for me personally might be my best outing as far as growing as a big leaguer.'' TRAINER'S ROOMAtlanta left-hander Cole Hamels is done for the season, dealing a big blow to the Braves' beleaguered rotation.The 36-year-old Hamels has spent all year struggling to bounce back from shoulder and triceps issues. He finally made his first start of the season last week at Baltimore, giving up three runs in 3 1/3 innings, and was scheduled to go Tuesday against the Marlins.But Hamels told general manager Alex Anthopoulos shortly before Monday's game that he didn't feel like he could get anything on the ball. The Braves placed Hamels on the 10-day injured list and are seeking permission from Major League Baseball to replace him in postseason player pool.UP NEXTMarlins: RHP Jose Urena (0-2, 6.00 ERA) gets his fourth start of the season against a team he has annoyed in the past with his tendency to hit batters.Braves: After being called up to replace Hamels, RHP Bryse Wilson is set to make his first start of 2020.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Division lead up for grabs in Braves-Marlins seriesFirst place in the National League East is at stake when the Atlanta Braves host the Miami Marlins for a four-game series that begins Monday.The Braves (31-22) are trying to win their third straight division title. They open the series against the Marlins (28-25) with a three-game lead over Miami.Both teams are 6-4 over the past 10 games. Atlanta won two of three against the New York Mets over the weekend. Miami took three of five games against Washington.The Braves and Marlins have split six games this season. It's quite a departure from a year ago, when the Braves went 15-4 against the Marlins.The Braves will use right-hander Huascar Ynoa (0-0, 5.30 ERA) against Miami left-hander Trevor Rogers (1-1, 6.00) in the series opener.Ynoa has appeared in eight games and started four. He was outstanding against Baltimore in his most recent start on Sept. 15. The young right-hander pitched four scoreless innings, allowed only two hits and struck out five before leaving with tightness in his lower back. He showed no lingering effects and was cleared to make the start, probably his final one of the season. He has never faced Miami.Rogers, the team's No. 1 draft choice in 2017, joined the rotation Aug. 25 and will make his sixth start. It will be his first appearance against Atlanta. In his last start on Sept. 16, Rogers allowed one run on three hits in three innings against the Boston Red Sox and was struck in the lower back by a line drive, but fielded it and retired batter Yairo Munoz at first base. Rogers was not seriously injured, but he did not return for another inning."Luckily it hit me right in the spot where my belt was," Rogers said. "(My back) pretty much tightened right away on me. I went to the trainers and got it taken care of." Rogers will face one of the top hitting teams in the National League. The Braves have scored five or more runs in 30 games and won 23 of those. They set an NL record with 29 runs against the Marlins on Sept. 9. They scored seven on Sunday against the Mets.Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman is making a bid to become the league's MVP. He is batting .346, second to Washington's Juan Soto's .353, and is attempting to become the first Atlanta player to lead the league since Chipper Jones in 2008.Atlanta center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. appears to have emerged from a recent downswing. He hit an opposite-field home run on Sunday, giving him 13 homers through 135 at-bats. Ten of his past 13 hits have gone for extra bases - two doubles and eight homers."Maybe (having Thursday off) was good for him because he just let his mind rest a little bit," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "From the first at-bat (on Friday) he was a lot more aggressive and on the attack. That was good to see." Miami third baseman Brian Anderson went 0-for-6 in Sunday's doubleheader, but had gone 5-for-8 with three homers in the two previous games. In 23 games in September, Anderson is batting .329 and slugging .539.--Field Level Media
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