Braves-Marlins Preview

With their starting rotation hurting, the Atlanta Braves are counting even more on Jair Jurrjens.

The 22-year-old right-hander gets the ball on Tuesday as the Braves open a three-game series with the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.

The Braves (5-7) lost one of their key starters on Sunday, when Tom Glavine left a 5-4 loss to Washington before recording an out because of a strained right hamstring. The 42-year-old lefty, who was charged with two runs, matched the shortest start of his 22-season, 303-win career.

Atlanta is already without another starter -- Mike Hampton strained his left pectoral warming up for his season debut and was placed on the 15-day disabled list -- and ace John Smoltz has experienced some soreness in his shoulder this season.

That puts more pressure on Jurrjens (1-1, 4.38 ERA), who was acquired in an offseason trade that sent shortstop Edgar Renteria to Detroit. Jurrjens gave up four runs in seven innings of last Tuesday's 4-3 loss in Colorado, six days after going 5 1-3 innings in a 10-2 win over Pittsburgh in his Braves debut.

"I gave up some bloopers. I didn't get hit hard. It's a tough park to pitch in," Jurrjens said after facing the Rockies. "The bloopers I can't do anything about them. There were others that found holes. I did as well as I could."

Jurrjens, who is making his third start of the season and the 10th of his career, has never faced the Marlins (7-5).

The Braves took two of three from Washington over the weekend after being swept in three games in Colorado, and nearly came back from an early 5-0 deficit on Sunday. Jeff Bennett, who relieved Glavine, walked in two other runs and hit a batter who scored.

Chipper Jones went 3-for-5 with a homer, but the Braves lost their sixth straight one-run game.

"It would have been a nice win," manager Bobby Cox said told the Braves' official Web site. "We'd have gotten to a .500 (record) and been able to take off again."

The Marlins dropped two of three to Houston over the weekend, including Sunday's 5-1 defeat. Florida was outscored 10-1 in the last two games of the series after battering Roy Oswalt in Friday's 10-6 win.

"This is a funny game," said Josh Willingham, who homered Sunday for the Marlins. "Not to say anything against these guys, but we hit Oswalt around and these guys come in and give up only one run in two days. We need to do better at situational hitting, getting back-to-back hits, sacrifice flies and stringing things together."

Hanley Ramirez singled and has hit in all 11 games since going 0-for-3 in Florida's season opener.

The Marlins will hand to ball to Scott Olsen (1-0, 4.61) in the series opener.

Olsen lasted 7 2-3 innings in his last outing, yielding four runs in Wednesday's 10-4 win at Washington. Olsen, who went six innings in his season debut five days earlier, was just one out shy of matching his longest career outing.

However, Olsen has struggled against the Braves, going 1-4 with an 8.54 ERA in eight career appearances -- seven starts. He was pounded for a career-high 10 runs in four innings in the last of his four starts against Atlanta last season, a 13-2 home loss on Aug. 27.