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The Braves proved their legitimacy over Miami in the series finale, Sunday afternoon. No offense was generated by the Fish, resulting in a Shelby Miller no-hitter, lasting until two outs in the bottom of the 9th.
Following a quick, easy first inning of work for starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez, he ran into a load of trouble in the second. After giving up two straight singles to Nick Markakis and Todd Cunningham, Alvarez allowed an A.J. Pierzynski double, driving in Markakis to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. The next batter, Pedro Ciriaco, hit a sacrifice fly deep to center, scoring Cunningham, extending the lead to 2-0. Alvarez proceeded to walk the next man up, Cameron Maybin, who was wheels. At this point, Alvarez was laboring through his pitches, struggling to make the strike zone. Shortly after Maybin stole second base, Henderson Alvarez was able to strike out Shelby Miller. However, the Braves weren't done in this inning. With two runners in scoring position, Jace Peterson hit a single to Giancarlo Stanton in right field, scoring both runs, and, also, advancing Peterson to second base on Stanton's throw home. With a 4-0 lead, Atlanta continued to hit on all cylinders. Freddie Freeman was the last Brave of the inning to drive in a run, by singling to right, allowing Peterson to score from third.
Alvarez last until the sixth inning, where he ran into trouble once again. He gave up a no-out double to Pedro Ciriaco, who was driven in on a Cameron Maybin single to left field, giving the Braves a 6-0 advantage. This marked the end of the day for Alvarez, who threw 85 pitches in 5.1 IP. He certainly disappointed in his first game back from the DL, only striking out two, while giving up 6 runs on 9 hits. Brad Hand would come in to relieve him, tossing 2.2 innings, without allowing a hit or run.
Atlanta's starting pitcher Shelby Miller was fantastic all game, pitching 8.2 no-hit innings. If it weren't for a walk given to Marcell Ozuna in the bottom of the second, Miller would have been up for a perfect game bid. He kept his pitch count under 100, at 94.
The no-hit bid was tarnished in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, when Justin Bour reached first on a single to center. Dee Gordon would also reach first on an infield single, keeping his hitting streak alive (4 games, 12 at Marlins Park).
Miller's masterful performance may have been overshadowed in the end, with the news of Mike Redmond's firing taking over the social media realm.
Miami Marlins fire manager Mike Redmond less than an hour after loss to Braves http://t.co/aXG4beLwGi pic.twitter.com/7IgBgo9arP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2015
#Marlins announce firing of manager Mike Redmond.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 17, 2015
The #Marlins have dismissed Mike Redmond and bench coach Rob Leary
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) May 17, 2015
It's a shame, because Shelby Miller was damn impressive today. He improves to 5-1, as Henderson Alvarez falls to 0-3.
Miami will look to rebound at home Monday night at 7:10 P.M., in their series opener against the Diamondbacks.
Source: FanGraphs
Attendance: 23,075
Hero of the Game: Shelby Miller (+.175)
Goat of the Game: Henderson Alvarez (-.335)
Play of the Game: A.J. Pierzynski RBI double in the second (+.145)