Otto Lopez still very much alive in NL batting title race

[Ely Sussman]

Each of Otto Lopez's three seasons with the Miami Marlins have been marred by ugly slumps. His ability to make contact remains intact, but Lopez suddenly becomes unreliable in high-leverage situations and stops driving runs. The annual drop-off in production was more noticeable in 2026 because of the remarkably high standard the shortstop had set for himself during an All-Star-worthy first half.

In Lopez's first 42 games following the All-Star break, he slashed .231/.270/.296 with only one home run. The National League's leader in batting average for the majority of the year, he came oh so close to dipping below the .300 mark.

Although this lengthy Marlins homestand has gone horribly for the team as a whole, all but eliminating them from NL postseason contention, it has seemingly rejuvenated Lopez. His RBI single on Saturday put the Fish ahead for good in a 4-3 upset win in front of a crowd full of Los Angeles Dodgers fans.

During the past eight games (all at loanDepot park), Lopez has slashed .448/.556/.552 with only two strikeouts. Going 2-for-2 on Saturday and reaching base in all four of his plate appearances, he increased his BA to .310—the highest it's been since August 17. 

Lopez is just eight points back of Luis Arraez, coincidentally the last Marlin to win a batting title back in 2023. The gap between them is that Lopez has two more hits than Arraez, but has needed 22 more at-bats to get them. Hypothetically, if Lopez were to go 20-for-50 for the remainder of the season and Arraez went 15-for-50, Lopez would finish on top. Nick Gonzales of the Pittsburgh Pirates is also mathematically alive with a .305 average.

Regardless, Lopez is due a substantial pay raise in 2027 entering his first season of arbitration eligibility. A batting title would only add to his leverage.

Back to Saturday's game, Mookie Betts and Max Muncy tagged Tyler Phillips for back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Phillips issued a pair of walks in the second inning, but then settled in. To the dismay of Marlins.TV analyst Tommy Hutton (and many of the Marlins fans watching), the right-hander was taken out with a 3-2 lead while his pitch count was only at 68 and the hitters at the bottom of LA's were lineup due up.

Considering their recent struggles and the quality of competition they faced, the Marlins bullpen was shockingly awesome in this contest. Cade Gibson, Tyler Zuber, Calvin Faucher, Michael Petersen and Pete Fairbanks combined to toss 5 ⅓ innings in relief of Phillips, surrendering just one run. It was Fairbanks' first appearance since August 24 and he earned his 19th save of the season. Despite his inconsistency and two separate stints on the injured list, that's the highest save total for a Marlin since Tanner Scott in 2022.

Owen Caissie exited the game in the third inning due to right hamstring tightness. Caissie suffered a calf strain to that same leg back in July and has also been dealing with some lower back discomfort, manager Clayton McCullough revealed postgame. Caissie will undergo imaging to determine whether another IL stint is needed.

Probable starters for Sunday's series finale will be Eury Pérez and Emmet Sheehan. Prior to the game, Dontrelle Willis will be inducted into the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame.

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