ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider knew better than to panic when facing an early two-run deficit Sunday afternoon at Truist Park.
Fully aware of the talented lineup of bats backing him, Strider had good reason to remain confident on the mound.
Ozzie Albies’ two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Atlanta the lead, and the Braves charged back to beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 on Sunday for their 16th win in the past 17 games. After building a 5-0 lead in the first inning Friday before winning 16-4, then getting ahead 6-0 in the first inning of Saturday’s 7-0 win, the Braves took a different route to sweep the three-game series between the top two teams in the National League East Division.
“It just gives you confidence you don’t have to be perfect,” Strider said. “Having an offense like we do should make you more confident. … It’s unbelievable what our offense is capable of doing. Like today, we fell behind, but I just knew if I could just keep us in the game long enough, we’re going to come through, and we did.”
The Braves (56-27), who are the NL East’s five-time reigning champions, built their lead in the division standings to nine games over the Marlins (48-37), who had won five straight games before visiting Atlanta.