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Like the defending world champion Florida Marlins, reigning National League
Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis has picked up right where he left off.
Willis looks for another strong start as the Florida Marlins close a three-game
series with the Atlanta Braves at Pro Player Stadium.
In his last outing, Willis allowed an unearned run in 6 2-3 innings, leading the Marlins to a 3-1 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night. The left-hander allowed four hits, struck out three and walked none. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his three starts, spanning 19 1-3 innings.
``He was very effective,'' Florida manager Jack McKeon said. ``When he stays ahead of hitters, he has a lot of success. He's done a remarkable job.''
Jeff Conine and Luis Castillo overcame recent slumps to power Florida's 7-4 win over Atlanta on Saturday.
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Conine's homer of the season was his first, as was the Marlins' win over the
Braves -- after four straight defeats.
``Four in a row -- it gets a little annoying,'' Conine said. ``You want to stop that as quickly as you can.''
Castillo came into the game in a 1-for-15 slump, but he snapped out of it with hits in his first four at-bats.
Division-leading Florida, 11-1 when not playing the Braves, moved three games ahead of them in the NL East.
Atlanta actually out-hit Florida 14-13, including Andruw Jones' fourth homer, but stranded 10.
``We should have come back,'' said Andruw Jones. ``We had opportunities, and
we didn't do anything. We sure had some opportunities to score some runs, and
we didn't.''