MIAMI, FL – For the second straight game, the Miami Marlins started the game with a lead but quickly had it erased. The Atlanta Braves went on to demolish Janson Junk all night long in an 8-1 defeat for Miami.
Marlins Come Up with Limited Run Support
Heriberto Hernandez made it 1-0 for the Marlins in the opening frame with a sac fly, his 13th RBI of the season.
Bot 1st
Braves 0 | Marlins 1Heriberto Hernandez hits a sac fly, his 13th RBI of the season #Marlins #FightinFish pic.twitter.com/6cZXuXKvGG
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) May 20, 2026
Hernandez has struggled this season, with a slash line of just .171/.274/.232 and 14 hits in 82 at-bats.
Austin Riley instantly erased that lead in the second by torching a sweeper off Junk for a three-run homer. His eighth home run of the season went quite the distance at 415 feet and a launch angle of 33 degrees.
Top 2nd
Braves 3 | Marlins 1Austin Riley absolutely torched this ball into center field. The three-run homer is his eighth of the season.
Exit Velocity: 103.6 MPH
Launch Angle: 33 Degrees
Home Run Distance: 415 Feet pic.twitter.com/cDLcdMafy5— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) May 20, 2026
After a few quiet innings without scoring runs, the Braves exploded in the sixth with five runs. First, Matt Olson drove in Ronald Acuña Jr. with a base hit, and then Ozzie Albies scored Michael Harris II on a single. Then, Dominic Smith took Junk out of the game for good with a three-run blast, making it an 8-1 washout.
The Marlins would not score anymore and total just four hits in the game. Otto Lopez had another multi-hit game, raising his average to .349. Chris Sale was in CY Young form, improving his record to 7-3 after tossing seven innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits on eight strikeouts.
Janson Junk Skid Continues
Top 6th
Braves 8 | Marlins 1That'll do it for Janson Junk. A three-run shot from Dominic Smith is the icing on the cake for him. His final line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 K, 2 HR, 86 NP#Marlins pic.twitter.com/ee3xJIWehC
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) May 21, 2026
Following a solid April with a 2.83 ERA in five starts, 28.2 innings pitched, .210 opponent’s average, and 1.01 WHIP, he’s struggled to get in form in May. In four starts, he’s 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA, .319 opponent’s average, and 1.59 WHIP in 17 innings.
Junk was not himself again tonight, throwing 86 pitches (62 strikes) in five innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs on three strikeouts. It was the second consecutive game where he allowed two homers after allowing just a pair in all of April.
The Braves swung at 50 of Junk’s pitches while only whiffing just 14% on those swings. They only had 12 pitches called strikes. Janson Junk leaned mostly on his fastball (34%), changeup (23%), slider (17%), and sweeper (12%). The sinker (7%) and curveball (7%) were used minimally.
Atlanta had a field day with their contact, garnering 20 batted balls, eight hits, and nine hard-hit balls. Batters had an average exit velocity of 91.5 MPH, and the curveball averaged 105.7.
Center Field Mishap
Tyler Phillips tossed three innings, allowing a hit, a run, and a walk on two strikeouts. However, the Marlins made a huge blunder out in centerfield with him on the mound. Dominic Smith was able to reach base on a triple as Owen Caissie collided with Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz was charged with a throwing error on the play as well, causing Smith to score.
Bottom 8th
Braves 9 | Marlins 1There's still no official scoring on this play, where Dominic Smith rounded the bases
Total mishap in center field between Estuery Ruiz and Owen Caissie, who got charged with an error#Marlins pic.twitter.com/hzBkUSUUSn
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) May 21, 2026
Javier Sanoja made his first pitching appearance of the season in the ninth. He allowed just one hit and was able to record a strikeout on a 62.7 MPH fastball against Harris II.
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