Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins duel it out on Friday (7:05 pm ET, MLBN), at Sun Life Stadium, Miami.
Against an ascending young pitcher, a grizzled thirty-something will still face off when the Marlins face the Braves on Friday, although they’re not the two pitchers who were originally scheduled to start.
In the opener of a three-game series in Miami, Atlanta will send Kenshin Kawakami to the hill against Florida’s Andrew Miller. Between Braves right-hander Derek Lowe and Marlins righty Ricky Nolasco, the game had been scheduled to be a showdown, but because of injuries, both were shut down.
Lowe in his pitching elbow for the better part of six weeks has been battling discomfort, and on Sunday, he received a cortisone injection when he felt a numbing sensation in his right hand after throwing three innings against the Marlins. In a few days, he hopes to resume pitching.
Lowe said, “I didn’t think I was going to miss a start, so I can’t say it’s going to feel better in three days, a week or whenever. It’s unfortunate. It’s [my] turn to pitch, and I’ve never missed [a start]. But you’ve got to be honest with yourself and true to your team.”
Since July 16, enter Kawakami, who hasn’t pitched in the Majors. He was being used in a relief role. With Triple-A Gwinnett, he made five starts, as he was being prepped for this outing, in 21 innings, posting a 4.29 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Nolasco will undergo surgery next week and is finished for the season and he has a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.
On Monday, Miller last pitched out of the bullpen, when he allowed a hit and a run in an inning of work. With Double-A Jacksonville, he has spent most of the season, where he’s battled command problems while posting a 6.01 ERA in 18 starts. He’s walked 61 batters and fanned 66, in 85 1/3 innings. In 73 appearances, he has made 48 career starts, with a 14-21 record and a 5.47 ERA.