Valente Bellozo's best start yet; Nick Gordon accepts Triple-A assignment

On Tuesday, Valente Bellozo (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 95 pitches/62 strikes) was brilliant. He made nearly three full trips through the Phillies lineup, inducing tons of lazy fly balls. His 2.28 ERA is the ninth-lowest ever through five career starts with the Marlins. Jake Burger and Xavier Edwards continue to produce/create runs on a daily basis. Jonah Bride reached base safely four times. Even Ali Sánchez doubled for his first extra-base hit of the season. The only bad news: Vidal Bruján suffered a right shoulder AC joint sprain while making a catch in right field. The Marlins won, 5-0.

Down on the farm, things got pretty ugly for Marlins affiliates. Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-3. OF Griffin Conine provided all of their offense with a grand slam. Double-A Pensacola lost, 18-5. LHP Patrick Monteverde (1.2 IP, 8 H, 10 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 58 pitches/35 strikes) could not get through the second inning and LHP Josh Simpson (1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 31 pitches/14 strikes) struggled with control during his rehab appearance. High-A Beloit lost, 1-0. RHP Karson Milbrandt's quality start (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 78 pitches/52 strikes) went to waste. Low-A Jupiter won, 3-1. DSL Marlins lost, 10-8. They committed eight errors in only eight defensive innings! DSL Miami lost, 5-3.

Here's more Marlins news and content:

🔷 Nick Gordon accepted his outright assignment to Jacksonville (electing free agency would've meant forfeiting the rest of his 2024 salary). He could see substantial playing time in left field down the stretch if only because the Jumbo Shrimp roster is thin on healthy alternatives.

🔷 MLB Pipeline finally updated their Marlins Top 30 prospects list to incorporate draft picks and 2024 player performances. Overall, lots of similarities to the Fish On First Top 30. Those who we disagree most on: OF Kemp Alderman (MLB #14 vs. FOF #30), INF Gage Miller (MLB #17 vs. FOF unranked), RHP Juan De La Cruz (MLB unranked vs. FOF #19), LHP Dax Fulton (MLB #27 vs. FOF #15) and OF Victor Mesa Jr. (MLB #18 vs. FOF #10).

🔷 Happy birthday to former Marlins Juan Pierre (47th b-day) and Josh Bell (32nd). A 2003 World Series champion, Pierre continues to hold the Marlins all-time record for most hits in a single season (221 in 2004). Terrific contact hitter, bunter and base-stealer who will always be remembered fondly by Fish fans. Bell is thriving as the Diamondbacks everyday first baseman, slashing .300/.352/.660 (175 wRC+) with four home runs in 12 games. The D-backs are 10-2 in those games.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Pirates have rapidly faded from the NL Wild Card race. They've lost nine games in a row, including five to the Padres during that streak. Juan Soto had the first three-homer game of his career. He's gone deep 33 times this season, which ranks fifth in the majors.

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Edward Cabrera) wrap up their brief series against the Phillies (RHP Tyler Phillips). Cabrera enters the matchup with a 12-inning scoreless streak. He also owns a 2.84 ERA in 19 career innings vs. the Phils. The Marlins have a 37.1% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET.

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: 

• Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Memphis, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Double-A Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 7:05 p.m. ET
• High-A Beloit vs. Quad Cities, 7:35 p.m. ET
• Low-A Jupiter at Palm Beach, 6:30 p.m. ET
• DSL Miami at DSL Rangers Red, 11:00 a.m. ET

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