MIAMI — Agustín Ramírez hit a three-run home run, Janson Junk pitched five effective innings, and the National League East Division’s last-place Miami Marlins beat the third-place Atlanta Braves 6-2 on Friday night in the opener to a three-game series at LoanDepot Park.
Ramírez made it 4-1 in the third with a drive off Braves starter Didier Fuentes (0-1) that went 436 feet to left field, giving the rookie catcher a team-leading 11 home runs this season.
Junk (2-0) allowed five hits and one run and struck out five batters in his first start for the Marlins (30-44). Junk, who has made five relief appearances, did not issue a walk.
Pinch-hitter Eric Wagaman boosted Miami’s lead with a ground-rule double in the sixth, and Ramírez drove in another run in the seventh.
Fuentes, called up earlier Friday from Triple-A Gwinnett, debuted as the youngest active player in the majors and the youngest Braves starting pitcher since 1969. He turned 20 years old on June 17.
The 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander from Colombia allowed six hits and four runs while striking out three batters in five innings for Atlanta (34-40), which was coming off a three-game sweep at home against the first-place New York Mets.
Marlins reliever Robinson Piña also made his MLB debut when he replaced Tyler Phillips in the eighth and gave up a solo homer to Austin Riley for the game’s final run.
Atlanta leadoff hitter Ronald Acuña Jr. went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak at Miami’s home field to nine games dating to October 2022. He also got his second stolen base of the season.
Dane Myers robbed Atlanta designated hitter Marcell Ozuna of a homer in the fifth without fully making a catch. The Marlins center fielder jumped over the wall to bring a deep fly ball back into the field of play, turning a would-be home run into a 406-foot double. The Braves stranded Ozuna at second.
Atlanta’s Matt Olson extended his MLB-leading on-base streak to 21 consecutive games with his RBI single in the fourth.
The scheduled starters for Saturday’s game are right-handers Grant Holmes (3-6, 3.97 ERA) for Atlanta and Eury Pérez (0-1, 6.43) for Miami.