One reason for Emilio Bonifacio's hot start has been his improvement in batting against left-handed pitchers.
A switch hitter, Bonifacio came into the season just 8-for-48 (.167) in his career against lefties. So far this year he is 7-for-13 (.538) against lefties. "I'm waiting for a good pitch to hit and staying more on top of the ball," said Bonifacio, who is batting .436 with a NL-high 12 runs.
Bonifacio is 10-for-26 (.385) against right-handers. Last year he was 34-for-126 (.270) against right-handers.
He said he spent extra time in spring training with hitting coach Jim Presley watching video of his at-bats from the right side.
"Watching my video, he noticed I was a little bit under (the ball with his bat) from the right side," Bonifacio said. "Now, I concentrate on staying on top of the ball."
MARLINS 10, BRAVES 4: This time, it was the bullpen's turn to shine. Four relievers combined to throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings after LHP Andrew Miller gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings in his first start of the season. The Marlins got another three-RBI game from 2B Dan Uggla, and they tacked on five runs in the ninth inning.
