Marlins offense suffering from poor swing decisions

On Thursday, the Marlins improbably lit up the vaunted Philadelphia Phillies bullpen. Bryan De La Cruz had the most consequential hit, a two-out, bases-clearing double against Matt Strahm that erased a 3-0 deficit. Jake Burger's solo home run off of Jeff Hoffman in the eighth inning put the Fish ahead for good. Kyle Schwarber (groin) and Bryce Harper (hamstring) both suffered late-game injuries. The Marlins won, 7-4.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 10-0. RHP Evan Fitterer (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K, 97 pitches/49 strikes) had a successful Jumbo Shrimp debut despite struggling with his control. C Will Banfield homered for the third straight game and INF Tristan Gray drove in four runs. Double-A Pensacola lost, 3-2. C Joe Mack crushed a fly ball 400-plus feet to center field and celebrated as if it was a home run. When it stayed in the ballpark, his lack of hustle limited him to a long single. He was subsequently removed from the game, seemingly as a disciplinary measure. In relief, RHP Zach McCambley set season highs in innings pitched (three) and strikeouts (six). High-A Beloit lost, 4-1. Pitching for the first time since June 8, RHP Noble Meyer was rusty (2.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 57 pitches/26 strikes). Low-A Jupiter lost, 10-3. OF Colby Shade hasn't played since June 20. FCL Marlins lost, 6-1. INF José Devers played in his second straight rehab game as he inches closer to returning from an April injury. DSL Marlins won, 16-1 and 4-3. DSL Miami lost, 3-2.

Here's more Marlins news and content:

🔷 The FishOnFirst.com front page layout has been updated for both mobile and desktop users! We hope these changes make it more convenient to find what you're looking for. As a reminder, our Teal SuperSubs enjoy ad-free browsing for only $6 per month/$60 per year, and those subscriptions go a long way toward helping us make further upgrades.

🔷 We've reached the exact midpoint of the 2024 Marlins season. The team is on pace for: a 58-104 record, which would be third-worst in franchise history; a minus-248 run differential (second-worst); and a record-low .282 on-base percentage. Tanner Scott is on pace for 12 wins, but he's a lock to get traded in July. Nobody else on the pitching staff is on pace for more than six!

🔷 Check out the midseason edition of the Fish On First roundtable, featuring eight different perspectives on the state of the Marlins.

🔷 I applauded Valente Bellozo for his scoreless major league debut, while also explaining why his next scheduled start against the Red Sox should be a much tougher test.

🔷 Davy Andrews of FanGraphs is stunned by the Marlins' collective inability to draw walks. "Their roster is packed from stem to stern with players with absolutely no discipline at the plate," he writes. Relative to the league average, their walk rate is among the lowest single-season marks in the modern era.

🔷 MLB.com's Christina De Nicola went inside the recording studio with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon. They plan to release an album together in the future.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Jordan Montgomery (2.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) continues to be a huge disappointment for the Diamondbacks. The White Sox—patching things together with a bullpen game—upset Chris Sale and the Braves, 1-0. Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper were the leading vote-getters in the American League and National League, respectively, during Phase 1 of All-Star balloting. Phase 2 begins Sunday to determine the other starting position players for the Midsummer Classic. 

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Kyle Tyler) continue their series against the Phillies (LHP Cristopher Sánchez). I doubt you'll see Harper in the lineup as he undergoes further testing on his hamstring. The Marlins have a 29.7% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:20 p.m. ET.

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: 

• Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi, 7:35 p.m. ET
• High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m. ET
• Low-A Jupiter at Daytona, 6:35 p.m. ET
• DSL Marlins vs. DSL Rangers Blue, 11:00 a.m. ET
• DSL Miami at DSL Rangers Red, 11:00 a.m. ET
• FCL Marlins vs. FCL Astros, 12:00 p.m. ET

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