Marlins hit Sims early; Braves fall

ATLANTA — The last time Jose Urena pitched, the Miami Marlins failed to score.

Run support was no problem this time, and he was even staked to an early lead.

“It’s the best thing you can have as a starting pitcher, when your team takes care of you like that,” he said. “You’ve just got to go out there and do your thing.”

Urena pitched six strong innings and Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer Sunday as Miami avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Urena (10-5) won for the third time in four starts, allowing one run and three hits while walking one and striking out three.

Lucas Sims (0-2), making his second career start, allowed four runs in six innings. The Braves’ 2012 first-round draft pick trailed 4-0 in the first after hitting Giancarlo Stanton with a pitch, walking Christian Yelich and giving up consecutive homers to Ozuna, his 26th this season, and J.T. Realmuto, his 13th.

“I had two options, either roll over and let it get ugly or go out there and try to keep us in it,” Sims said. “I just chose the latter. The first one really isn’t an option.”

Urena held the Braves to one hit, a double by Ender Inciarte in the fourth, before pinch-hitter Jace Peterson doubled in the sixth and scored on Inciarte’s single to make it 4-1.

It was his second straight strong start. He held Washington to one run, allowed four baserunners and struck out six in eight innings of a 1-0 loss last Monday.

Jarlin Garcia and Junichi Tazawa faced the minimum in the seventh and eighth, and Brad Ziegler earned his second save in five chances in the ninth. He gave up a single to Freddie Freeman but struck out Nick Markakis to end it.