ATLANTA — Julio Teheran and Ronald Acuña Jr. have flourished against the Miami Marlins this season.
That success has led to continued dominance for the Braves in the NL East rivalry.
Acuña and Adeiny Hechavarría each hit a two-run homer, Teheran struck out a season-high nine and the Braves beat Miami 5-0 on Wednesday night despite being held to three hits.
Led by Teheran, the veteran right-hander, and Acuña, the 21-year-old slugger, the Braves are 14-4 against Miami this year after winning the 2018 season series between the NL East rivals 14-5.
Teheran (8-8) combined with Sean Newcomb and Josh Tomlin for a seven-hit shutout. The right-hander allowed five hits in seven innings. He improved to 3-0 with a 0.28 ERA in five starts against Miami this season.
"When you know that you're pitching good against one team, obviously that gives you more confidence," Teheran said. "That's what I had coming into this game."
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Teheran "has kind of shut us down all year."
"We haven't had any luck with him," Mattingly said. "A guy like that or a situation like that kind of ends up in your head."
Acuña's shot off Caleb Smith (8-7) in the fifth cleared the center field wall. He has 16 homers against Miami in his two-year career, including nine this season.
"I think the confidence is always there," Acuña said through a translator when asked about his success against Miami. "As long as I'm feeling good and confident I can give my best effort. That's all I try to focus on."
Acuña's team-leading 36th homer came one night after he was hit by Elieser Hernandez's first pitch, leading to the ejection of Braves manager Brian Snitker.
The first-place Braves have won four straight. The last-place Marlins have dropped five in a row.
Teheran rebounded nicely from the shortest start of his career. He lasted only 1 1/3 innings while allowing six runs in a loss to the New York Mets last Thursday.
"I know that I had a rough one and I needed to bounce back," he said.
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