Marlins get blanked in 2-0 shutout loss to Reds

[Hector Rodriguez]

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins returned from their series against the New York Yankees to face the Cincinnati Reds back at home on Monday night. However, it seems that all of their offense missed the flight and remains back in the Bronx. The Fish struggled to put anything together against left-handed starting pitcher Brandon Williamson in their series-opening 2-0 loss.

Starting pitcher Janson Junk had a very efficient outing in his second start of the 2026 season. Junk pitched 7 ⅓ innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. He improved his season ERA to 3.09.

“I’m happy with what I did today,” Junk said postgame. “I feel like I did not have my best stuff, but I was able to go out there and compete and get through quick innings to get back in the dugout and give the guys a chance.”

Right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Phillips took over for Junk and was able to keep a runner stranded. Phillips punched out Matt McLain and got Elly De La Cruz to ground out to Otto Lopez at shortstop. Phillips also pitched a scoreless ninth inning to keep the ballgame within reach.

The Marlins offense had a putrid night. Otto Lopez was one of the few hitters who did well against Cincinnati’s pitching staff. Lopez went 2-for-4 and boosted his season batting average to .351. It was his third consecutive multi-hit game.

Second-year catcher Agustín Ramírez was the only other Marlin to record a hit. Ramírez went 1-for-3 with a triple and drew a walk. His triple was about a foot or two away from being a solo home run to right field.

“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get much going offensively to back (Junk) up,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “The ones we did square up, they just didn’t fall.” The Marlins totaled 12 hard-hit balls, according to Statcast, compared to 10 for Cincinnati.

The Reds are now 4-0 on the road this season. The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other MLB team that also remains undefeated in away games.

 

What’s next?

The Marlins will look to rebound and even the series versus the Reds. On Tuesday, Miami will hand the ball to their ace pitcher, Sandy Alcantara. The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner has been stellar to kick off the 2026 season. Alcantara is coming off one of the best starts of his career, a complete-game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. It was also the second “Maddux” of his MLB career.

The Reds will hand the ball to left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott. In two outings far this season, the 2025 National League All-Star southpaw pitcher has recorded a 3.09 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, and a .674 opponent OPS.

The first pitch for Tuesday’s game is at 6:40 pm EST.

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[2qbn]

What in the living s**t is Slater leading off? The guy shouldn't even be on the team. We should have called someone up for the brief time Stowers was out. To put X at the bottom and leadoff Slater should be a criminal offense. 

Marsee is definitely in the midst of a sophomore slump. It's early, but he needs to snap out of it soon or it's going to fester. Heriberto too. Norby isn't helping his case either. I can't believe I want Morel back to see what he can do a 1B. 

 

Where have you gone, Kyle Stowers? Our bats turn their lonely eyes to you. 

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

I like pitching and defense, with a 3-2 game as the prototype. I envisioned those hard-hit balls falling in as the Marlins pulled off another late-inning comeback. 

The team will be rejuvenated tonight, mentally and physically, from the cold and soggy weekend in New York. Of course, Alcántara on the mound sure doesn't hurt! 

 

[Hippyboi]

We traded Cabrera for our future star. He starts out hot and is rewarded by being a platoon player.

We are going to see every leftie a team can muster.

[JustMarlins]

That late night flight carried over like a bad hangover. 

[Jose Herrera]

@JustMarlins Awesome take! Last night our announcers mentioned that Janson Junk returned early Sunday to Miami to get extra rest. It paid off.

[Jose Herrera]

@Hippyboi it will come cousin. To your point our announcers always throw in how much better Griffin Conine is at hitting left-handed pitching than righties. If that is the case, how come he does not play every game?

[JustMarlins]

51 minutes ago, Jose Herrera said:

@JustMarlins Awesome take! Last night our announcers mentioned that Janson Junk returned early Sunday to Miami to get extra rest. It paid off.

Junk’s performance gives me hope. I wasn’t expecting much from him as a SP this year. I honestly expected him to flop. Yesterday’s performance gives me hope. 

[2qbn]

13 minutes ago, JustMarlins said:

Junk’s performance gives me hope. I wasn’t expecting much from him as a SP this year. I honestly expected him to flop. Yesterday’s performance gives me hope. 

He pretty much gave the team a Sandy start and they rewarded him like they used to reward Sandy, with a sugary donut. So now with real Sandy starting tonight, I hope they exorcised the demons in last nights bats. 

[One Regend]

We brought Austin Slater to (supposedly) hit left-handed pitching. What does he do for us? -12 wRC+.

We have a surplus of outfield talent in the farm system. Why waste money on someone who we knew right from the start was washed up? Just bring a guy from the farm system under the league minimum.

Or, better yet, why not play the hot hand? Put your confidence in Owen Caissie. He's been our best bat by far and you're holding him back by sitting him against lefties.

[Ely Sussman]

8 hours ago, Hippyboi said:

We traded Cabrera for our future star. He starts out hot and is rewarded by being a platoon player.

We are going to see every leftie a team can muster.

After getting another lefty tonight, the tentative outlook is 7 righty starters over the next 8 games. And if you dare look even further down the road, the Brewers and Cardinals currently have only one lefty each in their rotations.

[Ely Sussman]

1 hour ago, One Regend said:

We brought Austin Slater to (supposedly) hit left-handed pitching. What does he do for us? -12 wRC+.

We have a surplus of outfield talent in the farm system. Why waste money on someone who we knew right from the start was washed up? Just bring a guy from the farm system under the league minimum.

Slater's salary is only slightly above the minimum, for what it's worth. I would find the frustration more understandable if Alderman was hitting the way he's capable of in Jacksonville, but he has stumbled out of the starting gate, too.

[TheEspinoReport]

Like I have commented on the videos posted on youtube when people talk about giving Marsee contract extensions based on 1 or 2 months of playing in MLB after not being very good in the minors to start with this to me shows lack of understanding by the people on the video. YOU NEVER SHOULD as a low payroll team do this with anyone because it locks you in with a player who might suck and just got off to a hot start and once the league adjusted to them and they couldn't "Fix it" now you the team are stuck with that player and like they had to swallow the remaining contract for a failed signing in Avisail Garcia when they let him go they would need to do it on Marsee or whoever. You keep your young talent build around them and go through the arbitration years and pay the ones who earn it and bring up replacements for those who fail.. This is how you build from inside the farm system especially on a low payroll team.

Now when you are "loaded in OF" players why did this team bring in Slater? This guy was not needed, sucks and they bench "Caissie, Conine, and others" to play him? As for the line up Clayton has proved he's not a talented manager and he's new to managing he honestly awful, cant put a good lineup together doesn't know how proper manager in game I've noted so many managing errors he's made. Now I'm not young I'm pushing 50 and seen MANY MANY years of baseball and Clayton is one of the worst managers I've ever seen... EVER.

Putting X. E as DH and hitting him last? What is Clayton smoking please share it with the rest of us cause DAMN! The man is on some of the good stuff! Seriously the team got off to a good start not cause of Clayton but because they faced bad teams and the guys he's benching were the ones doing the job! LOL So he's not rewarding them but keeps benching them and rewarding those who suck! LOL Can't make this crap up... Oh and Marsee is he doesn't get his stuff fixed he needs to be sent to AAA. Sorry just facts and time is running thin on him as he's not a power hitter to start with and right now all he's doing is proving nice CF glove work at times, and shaky there also at times but his bat is dead like Matt Mervis was last year... And the Marlins moved on from him a whole lot quicker and at least Mervis had more HR than Marsee has had so far in all his time up.

[MarlinzDude86]

I get tired of rooting for this gaggle of talentless losers. Awful baseball team.