Thank you, San Diego: Marlins snap losing streak carried by former Padres prospects

The Jakob Marsee experience continues to amaze. On Wednesday night, Marsee went 4-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBI and a triple shy of the cycle. His performance was key in snapping the team's four-game losing streak, winning by a final score of 13-4.

Since being called up by the Marlins the day after the trade deadline, Marsee has been among MLB's most valuable players, slashing .436/.542/.872/1.414 with three home runs, 13 RBI and six stolen bases. He just became the first Marlin since Adam Duvall in 2021 to have a seven-RBI game. He also tied a franchise record for most RBI in a single game.

In the top of the first inning, Marsee took Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams deep for his second home run of the season. That would cap off a four-run first inning for the Marlins.

After falling behind in the count, Marsee knocked in a base hit in the third inning.

With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the sixth, Marsee took reliever Kolby Allard deep for his third home run of the season. This marked not only Marsee's first multi-homer game, but his first three-hit game. The Marlins took a 6-4 lead and would never look back.

In the top of the sixth inning, Marsee drove in two more runs on a single, putting him a triple shy of the cycle. When he went up to hit in the eighth inning, Marsee grounded out to first base, ending his night.

"We've talked about (Marsee) a lot since he's come up," said manager Clayton McCullough. "The high quality at-bats, the discipline at the plate and he's hit for impact...Had all around another terrific game and helped in a big way tonight."

Along with Marsee, another former Padres prospect, Graham Pauley, had the first four-hit game of his career, with each coming against a different pitcher. After singling off of Williams and Allard, Pauley took Matt Festa deep in the sixth inning for his fourth home run of the season and second of the road trip. Pauley worked a walk in the seventh and knocked in one last base hit off of catcher Austin Hedges.

In addition to his strong offensive night, Pauley continues to flash the leather at third base, posting six outs above average and four defensive runs saved. He's been an upgrade within the Marlins defense.

"We've seen a much more relaxed, confident version of Graham this time," McCullough said. "What's really stood out outside of some of the production, some of the power that he's shown, has been his decision-making. I think he's been more in control of his at-bats. He's put himself in much better counts, he's seen the ball much better, slowed things down and that's going to be key for him."

Fitting with the theme of the night, Xavier Edwards, who was selected by San Diego in the 2018 MLB Draft, led the game off with a solo home run, his second of the season and the farthest-hit homet of his MLB career. The ball left the bat at 104.0 mph and the ball went 402 feet.

"A different kind of boost," said McCullough. "We're used to X getting things started for us, but we haven't seen that one come out that much. He's been impacting the ball really well recently. I think he's accessed the pull side some and it hasn't taken away from his ability to get hits all over the field. He's being calculated with when he's taken some shots."

Ever since going back to second base, Edwards has been great, posting seven defensive runs saved and six outs above average. The move back to second base has been a plus for his all-around game as he was slashing .333/.383/.426/.809 at the position going into Wednesday's game.

Edwards' surge has put him in play for the National League batting title—he is now leading all NL qualifiers with a .305 batting average. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (.302 BA) is a close second.

Eury Pérez, who made his 12th start of the season, went five innings, allowing four runs on three hits (two home runs). For the third time this season, Pérez did not walk a hitter and matched a season-high with eight strikeouts. His season ERA now stands at 3.58.

Pérez's changeup was crucial, accounting for four of his eight strikeouts, all swinging. He generated six whiffs on that pitch as well. His four-seam fastball, his most-used pitch, averaged 97.7 mph and topped out at 99.5 mph.

"We talked about it before pregame and that's a pitch he's continuing to gain comfort," McCullough said regarding the changeup. "It was a weapon for him tonight."

With the win, the Fish are now 58-62 and 6.5 games out of a wild-card spot. They go for the series win Thursday with Edward Cabrera starting the rubber match. Cabrera is coming off of an eight-inning performance in Atlanta. First pitch is at 6:40 pm.