Swanson, d'Arnaud Go Deep, Braves Blank Marlins in Game 2

The Atlanta Braves overcame the Miami Marlins by the score of 2-0 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 series lead in the NLDS (best-of-5).

For Atlanta, it's been relatively smooth sailing thus far in the 2020 MLB Postseason.

Following a Freddie Freeman walk-off in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, the Braves dropped the hammer in Game 2 to sweep the Cincinnati Reds, winning their first postseason series in 19 years.

Atlanta followed up their Wild Card Series success with an explosive 7th inning to propel them to victory in NLDS Game 1 against the Marlins.

However, Wednesday's victory seemed to carry additional weight, as the Braves now stand only one win away from their first NLCS appearance since 2001.

Though the scoreboard reflects a close contest, Game 2 was never truly in doubt.

Dansby Swanson homered in the second inning, Travis d'Arnaud homered in the fourth, and the Braves carried their 2-0 lead throughout the remainder of the afternoon.

However, perhaps the most notable moments of Wednesday's contest came in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively.

In the sixth, Braves' reliever Darren O'Day worked out of a bases loaded jam to preserve Atlanta's 2-0 advantage.

In the eighth, Braves' outfielder Nick Markakis made an alert play -- throwing out Corey Dickerson at second base and erasing an opportunity for the Marlins to hit with two runners aboard and nobody out.

And in the ninth, Atlanta brought in closer Mark Melancon to shut the door, improving their perfect 2020 MLB Postseason record to 4-0.

Despite the Marlins boasting a playoff series record of 7-0 in their franchise history, Miami must now win three consecutive games to avoid being eliminated by a confident Braves squad.

This will be no easy task, as Atlanta's victory on Wednesday made them only the third team in MLB history with three shutouts in their first four postseason games.

Game 3 will be played on Thursday at 2:08 PM EDT.

Kyle Wright and Sixto Sanchez are scheduled to take the mound for Atlanta and Miami respectively.


What are your thoughts on the Braves' postseason odds?

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