Cubs walk it off due to Marlins' ninth-inning meltdown

[Kevin Barral]

The Marlins had outplayed the Cubs going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but weren't able to hold onto a 4-2 lead. They've now lost six straight series.

Everything was going well, maybe too well. The tough Chicago Cubs lineup had been hitless ever since the Marlins bullpen came into play on Tuesday night. The Marlins had taken the lead in the top of the seventh inning and were still up 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth. They couldn't close it out. The Cubs rallied back to walk it off, 5-4. The Marlins have now lost six straight series. This also marks the second time in 2025 that they have been walked off against.

With Jesús Tinoco on the mound, Carson Kelly started off the ninth by hitting a grounder to Xavier Edwards, who wasn't able to get a grip on the ball. Edwards was charged with his sixth error of the season. Dansby Swanson walked, moving Kelly to second, then rookie Moises Ballesteros (in his major league debut) grounded into a force out, putting runners on the corners. Nico Hoerner drove in the third Cubs run and Justin Turner did the rest with a game-winning double down the left field line. This marked Tinoco's third career blown save, but first in 2025.

"I thought he threw a ton of strikes," said manager Clayton McCullough. "They just got some hits well-placed there at the end to bring home a couple. He went in there, he pounded the strike zone and they just got some hits."

Defensive struggles are nothing new for Edwards, who came into the game with negative six outs above average and negative four DRS at shortstop this season. He is tied for the third-most errors among MLB shortstops. His arm strength, which was expected to improve in 2025, has actually gotten worse. He is in the ninth percentile of arm strength, with his throws averaging 76.3 mph.

The experiment with Edwards at shortstop has gone on for nearly a full year at this point and it is failing. It may be time to move him back to second base, where he would have less responsibility defensively.

On the bright side, both pieces who were acquired in the 2024 Trevor Rogers trade homered for Miami.

Kyle Stowers was the secondary piece of that trade return. After struggling with the Marlins in 2024, posting a .557 OPS, he faced an uphill battle just to make the Opening Day roster. After he did make it, he hit a walk-off on Opening Day, walked it off with a grand slam against the Athletics earlier this month and was recently named National League Player of the Week. In the top of the second inning, Stowers hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season, giving the Marlins an early 1-0 lead. Following the game, he is now slashing .287/.365/.507/.872 with eight home runs and 27 RBI.

"He's certainly a calming presence," said McCullough. "Big home run today to get us on the board, take an early lead. I think we've just seen that with Kyle, that his ability to just hang in there within a game and put together high quality at-bats. The steady presence with the way he handles himself and how he comes in each day, approaches the process and the preparation aspect of things. Kyle continues to find every night to do something on either side of the ball that helps us."

Connor Norby made a great first impression with the Marlins last year and followed it up with a strong spring, but began the season on the injured list after suffering a left oblique strain. He extended his hit streak to eight games, leading off the top of the fifth with a triple. Javier Sanoja drove him in on an RBI groundout, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead.

Tied at two apiece in the top of the seventh inning, Norby hit a 400-foot blast to left field, his second home run of the season and taking a 3-2 lead. Jesús Sánchez later drove in Derek Hill to give the Marlins an insurance run.

Norby's spot in the batting order has constantly changed this season, sometimes batting as high as second or as low as eighth. McCullough notes that he "lengthens out the lineup." On Tuesday, he was hitting seventh.

Valente Bellozo was the Marlins starting pitcher on Tuesday. In four innings of work, he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. After showing an increase in velocity in his last start, it was back down to what we've usually seen, with the fastball averaging 90.3 mph and topping out at 92.3 mph. He generated six whiffs—three with the cutter, two with the changeup and one with the sweeper.

In the bottom of the third inning, young Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 11th home run of the season, taking advantage of a middle-middle cutter, which tied the game, 1-1. In the fifth inning, Bellozo hit Nico Hoerner, Nick Lopez got on first thanks to a throwing error by Eric Wagaman, moving Hoerner to third. Crow-Armstrong drove Hoerner in on a sac fly.

"Bellozo was good again," said McCullough. "I think the cutter is a real pitch for him. How well he can use that to both side hitters and got some good changeups in there. I think he used his fastball well. He went out there and he attacked guys. Did his job."

With the loss, the Marlins find themselves with a 15-26 record and look to salvage the series finale on Wednesday. In all likelihood, Bellozo will be optioned to the minors as the corresponding roster move to reinstate Ryan Weathers from the injured list as Weathers makes his 2025 season debut. First pitch is at 7:40 pm.

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