Get your mini-brooms out, because the Miami Marlins are going for the mini-sweep.

The Fish are looking to sweep the mini-series in Atlanta versus the Atlanta Braves, while the Braves try to fight things off with one of the team's best performing starters thus far. The Marlins will throw out one of their own top performers, though his peripherals have been in decline in the last two seasons and the question of whether he will continue this performance is still very much in the air. In the middle of all of this is one offense in the Braves' that has been one of the best in baseball versus an offense in the Marlins' that has been one of the hottest in the league.

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In the Miami Marlins' 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves last night, Austin Kearns was surprisingly our Hero of the Game for the purposes of Ichthyomancy. The backup outfielder went two for four with two doubles, including a two-RBI double in the third inning that put the Marlins on the board and had them take a 2-1 lead. The Fish never looked back, as their offense mowed down the Braves' pitchers en route to another high-output evening. It is worth noting that Kearns batted fourth in the lineup and that this was his seventh time hitting cleanup for the Fish this season.

It is that last sentence that grates on most Marlins fans. Austin Kearns was replacing Logan Morrison in left field, and Morrison usually bats cleanup for the Fish. We detailed a few days ago why that may be a slight misuse of Morrison's talents, but we mentioned that this is not a big deal in the long run. Well, having Kearns, who does not project as a good hitter, is also not a big deal in the long run. It is not good for the team, but it certainly is not the end of the world, especially for one to two games per week.

So why write about it? It just goes to show you that Ozzie Guillen is either so in tune with his players that he knows that the slightest twitch in their lineup slot would cause undue panic to them or he is simply throwing away fractions of runs every few games for no apparent reason.

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The Dominican Republic has produced more major league baseball players than any other international country. With all of the academies popping up around the D.R., that doesn't look like it is going to change. Both Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes were born in the Dominican Republic, and a couple of the Marlins top prospects are from the D.R. as well. The international signing period begins July 2nd, and this year is sure to be interesting, because of baseball's new CBA. For the first time ever, teams will be limited to how much money they can spend on international prospects. The new cap ($2.9 million) shouldn't affect the Marlins as much as it will other organizations, but it will still limit some of the players they can go after. Here are a couple of prospects that I would love to see sign with the Marlins.

Before we get to the prospects, let's clear a couple of things up. First of all, my goal isn't to tell you who the top unsigned Dominican prospects are. The consensus #1 Latin American prospect, Gustavo Cabrera, probably will sign with another team just due to their presence in the Dominican Republic. However, the top-rated prospect doesn't always become the most valuable player out of the bunch. For example, the best power hitter in the Marlins' system, twenty-one year old Marcell Ozuna, signed with the Marlins for only $50,000 in 2007.

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Two three-inning runs for the Marlins helped them get their first win of a short two-game series over Atlanta, 8-4. Mark Buerhle receives his third win of the season and Giancarlo Stanton belted a two-run home run in the seventh to seal a big road win.

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The Miami Marlins are going from one miniseries to another, as they turn around from their two-game spit with the Pittsburgh Pirates and immediately head to my current neck of the woods, Atlanta, to face the Atlanta Braves. The Fish are looking to get away with a couple of wins on the road to start their small road trip before heading back home for an extended home stand, while the Braves are looking to keep up with the class of the NL East and beat a local division rival. As for me, I'm disappointed that I will be too busy to make it to a game, sadly.

Tale of the Tape

The Braves have done a complete 180 degree turn on their plan for success and victory in 2012. Whereas last season, they found their way to wins via their pitching staff and their superior bullpen, this year the Braves have been doing it by absolutely mashing the ball. A number of their contributors that struggled last season have rebounded quite well this year, including Jason Heyward (.361 wOBA) and Martin Prado (.356 wOBA). Meanwhile, they have not pitched up to their peripherals, in part because of bad luck and in part because of defensive struggles, particularly of their infield.

The Marlins are continuing to use the same formula they have all season. The team has continued to get good performances from their pitchers, particularly their starting staff, while the hitters somehow have found a way to produce just enough runs to win. The plan has worked for most of May, so let us see how these two opposing forces collide in the two-game series.

Stadium: Turner Field

Five-Year Run PF*: 0.99
Five-Year Home Run PF*: 0.98

*Denotes five-year regressed park factors as calculated by Patriot here

Turner Field plays as mostly a neutral park and has been considered as such for much of its history. The Park is also quite a beauty from the outside looking in, and though it is of the retro style that has been much maligned for the last 15 years, it is still pretty impressive. I plan on attending a game between the Braves and Marlins at some point while I am here in Atlanta.

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Sorry for not checking in yesterday, gang, but we were flooded with good stuff to talk about yesterday. Today, let's recap what happened on the latest edition of SB Nation's Pick 6 game on Fish Stripes!

Use mice day gets back into the swing of things with the leading day yesterday, while clubhouse leader Kevin Nogle and others followed with strong performances. I was nowhere to be found because I was so darn busy, as mentioned. At this pace, I'll never get back into this game!

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Joe Frisaro and Tom Green over at MLB.com pointed out that the Miami Marlins were dead last in the league in batting average with runners in scoring position this season following Monday's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, a good deal of that may have rectified after the team's strong performance in a 6-2 win last night, but nevertheless, as of that loss, the Fish were batting .207/.309/.319 with runners in scoring position. For his part, Ozzie Guillen does not seem concerned with the team's effort at least.

"They're just not getting it done," Guillen said. "They're not selfish. Everybody is pulling the same rope together. They're pulling for each other in the dugout. When I see a player not doing what they're supposed to do, I'm not hiding it from anybody.

"If you know my style, this is my job. I will let you guys know if I see any bats or I see somebody do what they're not supposed to do. If I see somebody not playing the game right, I will get on his butt."

It must be frustrating not to drive in those runs with your teammates so close to home plate. But as Guillen is seemingly saying, there is no reason yet to change anyone's approach at the plate because of this problem, and that is a key point to make sure fans understand early in 2012.

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The Miami Marlins keep plugging along. The team is playing well. And now they get the luxury of playing at home for a few games. And while the Fish are barely above .500, I think its safe to say they are past their early season woes. As a team anyway. Immediate holes to fix still include Gaby Sanchez and his poor start at the plate, Heath Bell obviously, and John Johnson and how long until he notches his first victory of the season (he actually beat the Pirates Tuesday night).

Regardless, its great to see the Fish are coming around. And like I have said for a few weeks now, as long as the pitching stays this good, once the hitting comes around, the ball club will be a candidate to go on another long winning streak. The Fish have power, speed, and clutch hitting to be able to do this. They have shown these qualities even thought they are not hitting much.

- The NL East is tough. Want to know how tough it is? Four of the five teams in the divison are above .500. The only team that is under .500 has been the best team in the division the last few years (Philadelphia). Whoever comes out of this division will be battered. The competition will make sure of that.

- The Miami Marlins are still number 10 in the latest CBS New York baseball power rankings. The article says the Fish have been the comeback kids recently. Just ask the Mets.

- Rare pitching line for Ryan Webb Monday night. He recorded an out in one-third of an inning, without facing a batter. He came on to pitch with a man on first and two outs. John Buck then threw out the base stealer trying to steal second. So there you go.

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