Young Marlins hitters flash potential in blowout victory

[Alex Krutchik]

Maybe it's a sign of things to come? Filled with midseason call-ups, the Marlins lineup has begun to click, piling up 10 more runs off Phillies pitching on Sunday.

MIAMI—It’s hard to predict the future, especially with a franchise that historically wheels and deals its players in quick succession.

But if Sunday was any indication of what the Miami Marlins could be, the future looks brighter than it did a few months ago.

A conglomeration of newly acquired players, recent minor league call-ups and 2024 regulars who have made a case for themselves since the trade deadline took it to the Philadelphia Phillies in a 10-1 blowout.

Connor Norby, one day after hitting a two-run home run, did it again in the first inning Sunday with a two-run blast to right-center field to begin the barrage. He did the exact same thing in the third inning to cap off a seven-run frame.

Norby, who was traded from the Baltimore Orioles along with Kyle Stowers in exchange for Trevor Rogers on July 30, has now hit safely in 17 of his first 18 games as a Marlin. Norby came into Sunday hitting .356/.370/.667 with a 1.036 OPS at home as a Marlin, and now has five home runs in 12 games at loanDepot park.

Javier Sanoja, who made his major league debut on Saturday and collected his first RBI, notched another RBI when he drove home Otto Lopez with a single in the third inning. Sanoja also had a double in the second inning and came around to score on a Nick Fortes sacrifice fly. Fish On First's 16th-ranked Marlins prospect, Sanoja was given a chance after a slew of injuries to outfielders at the major league level.

Then there’s Griffin Conine—son of Marlins legend Jeff Conine—who spent six years in the minors before being called up in late August. The 27-year-old also had an RBI single and came around to score in the third inning and went 3-for-4 on the day. He has been exactly as advertised in his first 12 games here: high strikeout rate of 32 percent coming into Sunday, but a .441 slugging percentage and .333 batting average on balls in play.

Otto Lopez and Jonah Bride, regulars on this team that have had their ups and downs, both scored in the third after they each hit a single, with Lopez driving in a run of his own. 

Bride had spent some time in the minors this year, but came into Sunday slugging .459 with an .837 OPS in 36 games since the trade deadline. 

It was the first time all season the Marlins scored more than nine runs in back-to-back games.

Edward Cabrera was perfect against a potent Phillies lineup the first time through the order, which is par for the course for the Dominican right-hander. But then he was almost perfect again the second time through, allowing a fourth-inning walk to Kyle Schwarber that was negated by a double play on the next at-bat. That was the only walk Cabrera allowed in seven scoreless innings of work.

Cabrera didn’t allow a hit until Brandon Marsh hit a single over the left side of the infield in the sixth inning. 

It was Cabrera’s third shutout appearance this season, with the other two coming in early August against the Atlanta Braves (5.0 IP) and San Diego Padres (7.0 IP).

While Cabrera has struggled deep into games this season, he looked just as effective late in the game Sunday as he did coming out of the dugout in the first.

“He’ll have three of these innings, then the fourth, you just don't know,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “So I'm proud of how locked in he was every single inning. He didn't let the score dictate how he was going to pound the zone. He was still on the game plan, and him and Fortes were on the same page.”

Cabrera was not even slated to start on Sunday. He was originally lined up for Friday night, but was scratched after he went to the emergency room with a severe migraine about 90 minutes before first pitch. The Marlins lost 16-2 that night, with Austin Kitchen and various relievers attempting to fill the void.

Cabrera said he has been dealing with these migraines since he was a child, but it had never affected him on a day where he is supposed to pitch.

“I know it’s not anybody’s fault, but I kind of felt like I needed to redeem myself,” Cabrera said.

The Marlins' nine-run margin of victory matched their largest of the year. Despite trailing the Phillies by 31 games in the NL East standings, they concluded their 2024 season series with a respectable 6-7 head-to-head record.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

You know the new Nike commercial ("Am I a bad person?"). I may not be maniacal, but does it make me a bad person to thoroughly enjoy sending all those LDO-attending Phillies fans home very sad. "OMG! We lost two games to the freaking Marlins!" WAAAAA. LOL. 

What a nice little pick-me-up of a game! We all know it means very little on any level, but it was so much fun to watch. Cabrera - like we all know he can be and against a tough-ass lineup. Norby - unstoppable! And, he is working hard at third base - love the grit he brings to the team in this last month of a totally lost season. Conine and Sanoja - refreshing! Fortes, Bride, and Lopez - solid contributions continue. 

Our only missed opportunity? We didn't plunk Marsh before his RBI single. LOL.