Hot hitters in the Marlins system; waiver claims with upside

On Tuesday, Elly De La Cruz stole the show again, going 4-for-5 with dynamic baserunning. Max Meyer (4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 76 pitches/43 strikes) pitched horribly. Way too many misses over the heart of the plate and only six whiffs against him. Xavier Edwards extended his on-base streak to 23 games. The Marlins lost, 8-2.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 9-2. INF Connor Norby went 3-for-5. Double-A Pensacola won, 7-3. They racked up 14 hits in five innings off of knuckleballer David Fletcher. OF Shane Sasaki went 3-for-4 and he's quietly hitting .351 since returning from the injured list. LHP Patrick Monteverde set a season high with eight strikeouts. High-A Beloit lost, 7-1. RHP Karson Milbrandt (3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches/45 strikes) struggled with his control. Bad defense behind him didn't help matters. Low-A Jupiter lost, 9-7. Two walks and an RBI double for INF Carter Johnson. DSL Marlins won, 9-2. INF Joseph Tailor drove in four runs and has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games. RHP Estarlin Francisco (4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) allowed only two balls to leave the infield. DSL Miami lost, 6-5. The game was decided on a fielding error by OF Jancory De La Cruz (making the catch would've sealed a 5-4 victory).

🔷 Sean McCormack explains which tweaks the Marlins could make with newly claimed relievers John McMillon and Brett de Geus.

🔷 Andy Slater reports that the PNC Club at loanDepot park will be expanding in 2025 to add five more rows of premium seating behind home plate.

🔷 Aram Leighton of Just Baseball summarizes how the Marlins transformed their farm system at the trade deadline. 

🔷 This week, Loud Miami Fan is giving away an autographed Lewis Brinson card from 2018.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Billy Bean, the revered Major League Baseball senior VP of diversity, equity & inclusion, passed away at age 60 from leukemia. Framber Valdez came one out shy of throwing his second career no-hitter. The White Sox beat the Athletics to snap their 21-game losing streak. Next season, the Braves and Reds will be playing a game at the Bristol Motor Speedway. CJ Abrams homered on a pitch up around his chin.

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Valente Bellozo) host the Reds (LHP Andrew Abbott). The Marlins have a 44.7% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET.

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: 

• Triple-A Jacksonville at Toledo, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Double-A Pensacola at Mississippi, 7:35 p.m. ET
• High-A Beloit at West Michigan, 6:35 p.m. ET
• Low-A Jupiter vs. Fort Myers, 6:30 p.m. ET

Marlins podcast episodes