Ely Sussman

Welcome to FOF's 23rd Miami Marlins game thread of the 2024 season. Edward Cabrera hopes to replicate the success he had in his season debut earlier in the week. The Chicago Cubs counter with the venerable Kyle Hendricks, who's been awful through his first four starts. Bryan De La Cruz's seven-game extra-base hit streak was snapped in Saturday night's loss, but he is still the guy to watch in Miami's lineup. SuperSubs can access exclusive game notes here. Pregame roster moves: RHP Roddery Muñoz optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Puk had lousy control in each of his first four starts of the season. A dip in velocity during Friday's Marlins loss signaled that something was physically wrong with the converted reliever. Well, it was worth a shot. The Miami Marlins brought A.J. Puk to spring training as a candidate to crack their 2024 starting rotation. Despite never having handled that role at the major league level, Puk genuinely earned a spot, excelling in an exhibition setting while utilizing an expansive pitch mix. Once the real games began, though, the tall left-hander looked way over his head. On Saturday, the Marlins placed Puk on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder fatigue. Puk was an important albeit inconsistent piece of the 2023 Marlins bullpen. He stood out for his nasty stuff and his ability to control it, serving as Miami's closer for nearly half the season. Unfortunately for the Fish, Puk was unrecognizable in a starting role. Through four starts (13.2 IP) in 2024, he issued an MLB-leading 17 walks; the year before, he totaled only 11 unintentional walks (56.2 IP). His average four-seam fastball velocity plummeted from 95.8 mph to 93.3 mph. A 9.22 ERA exaggerates the degree of Puk's struggles, but he was undisputedly the weakest link in the Marlins rotation. For the time being, there is now a void in the Marlins starting rotation. Rookie right-hander Max Meyer is out of the picture indefinitely after the club optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, allegedly for workload management and developmental reasons. He was limited to three innings in his start on Saturday. Left-hander Braxton Garrett was seemingly on the cusp of being reinstated from the IL before experiencing a setback during a bullpen session on Monday. He is currently throwing, but there is not a firm timetable for his return. Roddery Muñoz was summoned from Jacksonville to make his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night. The 24-year-old right-hander was very impressive in his five-plus frames. However, his MiLB track record is underwhelming (6.57 ERA in 76.2 IP over parts of three Triple-A seasons). Puk's old rotation spot comes up next on Wednesday when the Marlins will be wrapping up a series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins games. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

An annual tradition when the Marlins visit Wrigley Field (dating back to 2019, I believe)...

Welcome to FOF's first Miami Marlins doubleheader game thread of the 2024 season (Game No. 21 and Game No. 22 of the season overall). Right-hander Roddery Muñoz will be making his major league debut in the latter game. This is the 65th doubleheader in Marlins history. In the first 64, they have swept 12 times, split 36 times and been swept 16 times. SuperSubs can access exclusive game notes here. Pregame roster moves: RHP Roddery Muñoz recalled and RHP Kyle Tyler selected from Triple-A Jacksonville; LHP A.J. Puk (left shoulder fatigue) placed on 15-day injured list; LHP Josh Simpson transferred to 60-day IL. Get your live on-site coverage from Isaac Azout.

Whatever illness he has been dealing with this week seemingly contributed to the velo dropping so low.

Big Fish Small Pod for Friday, April 19 Ely Sussman shares an interesting adjustment that Miami Marlins left-hander Devin Smeltzer has made while pitching out of the Triple-A Jacksonville bullpen. Would Smeltzer be an upgrade over some of the Marlins' current relievers? Find Big Fish Small Pod on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is now being presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Through six Triple-A appearances this season (all in relief), Smeltzer has pitched to a 1.08 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 11 strikeouts in 8 ⅓ innings pitched. For context, he was used exclusively as a starter by the Jumbo Shrimp in 2023. Following the recommendation of Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Smeltzer has changed his delivery. His vertical release point has noticeably dropped and he has increased the extension he gets toward home plate. The new mechanics have diminished his fastball velocity even more—after averaging 89.0 mph on his heater as a Marlin in 2023, he's currently averaging 86.5 mph. However, that trade-off could be worth it if it translates to added deception and movement. smeltzer ummmmm.mp4 The only left-handed relievers in the Marlins bullpen are Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi, both of whom have struggled so far this year. Follow Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

Welcome to FOF's 20th Miami Marlins game thread of the 2024 season. It's gonna be a chilly afternoon at Wrigley Field. After being pushed back due to illness and a rainout, A.J. Puk is slated to start on nine days' rest. SuperSubs can access exclusive game notes here. Pregame roster moves: none. Get your live on-site coverage from Isaac Azout.

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Marlins news roundup for 4/19/24 On Thursday, the Marlins and Cubs were rained out. Convenient timing in the middle of a stretch when Miami was scheduled to play games on 13 consecutive days. The postponement will be made up on Saturday as part of a split doubleheader. I'm thinking Roddery Muñoz is the leading candidate to serve as the 27th man for the doubleheader. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-1. LHP Devin Smeltzer continues to fare well as a reliever this season, lowering his ERA to 1.08. Double-A Pensacola lost, 5-3. OF Tanner Allen stuffed the box score (4-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB). Nice bounce-back start for RHP Valente Bellozo (5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K). High-A Beloit won, 7-2. OF Brett Roberts went 3-for-5 with two home runs. Low-A Jupiter won, 6-5. Three stolen bases for INF Jesús Hernández. Here's more Marlins news and content for you: 🔷 In the Miami Herald, Peter Bendix discussed the Marlins' disappointing start to the season with Craig Mish. Bendix says he truly believed the team had a chance to make the postseason this year with young players taking steps forward—he did not specify which particular players and also declined to label anybody as a "building block" for the future. Bendix insists that he's had the full support of owner Bruce Sherman when pursuing roster upgrades and off-the-field investments. In closing, Bendix said, “To Marlins fans—and Marlins skeptics—reading this: thank you for your patience and thank you for your support. I know how much you want to root for a consistently competitive team, and I can assure you we’re working tirelessly to make this happen. We have made tremendous progress in building the organization and I confidently believe we are going to right the ship in the near future.” 🔷 In the latest batch of Marlins injury updates, we learned that Christian Bethancourt (viral illness) is beginning a rehab assignment with Jacksonville tonight and JT Chargois (neck spasms) will begin his own on Sunday. Bethancourt is on track to return from the injured list as soon as he's eligible on Wednesday. 🔷 Jesús Luzardo, Luis Arraez and Tanner Scott could all be valuable trade chips for the Marlins this summer, though not as valuable as originally hoped if they continue to slump, writes Louis Addeo-Weiss. 🔷 On this day 15 years ago, the Marlins defeated the Nationals with another late-game comeback, improving upon their franchise-best 11-1 start to the season. 🔷 MLB Pipeline added Max Meyer to their Top 100 prospects list, joining fellow Marlins pitchers Noble Meyer (No. 51) and Thomas White (No. 97). Meyer is scheduled to start for Jacksonville on Saturday. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Justin Verlander (right shoulder inflammation) will make his season debut today. He reinforces the 6-14 Astros, who to this point have been arguably MLB's most disappointing team. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter LHP A.J. Puk) visit the Cubs (RHP Jameson Taillon) at 2:20 p.m. ET. Taillon is making his 2024 debut after beginning the season on the injured list with a back strain. The Marlins have a 45.2% chance to win, per FanGraphs. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Rocket City, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. South Bend, 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Fort Myers, 7:05 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

THURSDAY'S GAME POSTPONED So you still have until Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET to get Prediction Time submissions in...

Marlins news roundup for 4/18/24 On Wednesday, Trevor Rogers pitched very well (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), although it's clear at this point that the above-average fastball velocity he had earlier in his career isn't coming back. Bryan De La Cruz went 9-for-25 with a 1.080 OPS on the just-completed homestand. The Marlins lost, 3-1. In his return to the majors, Declan Cronin took the loss. Postgame comments from Rogers and Skip Schumaker are embedded below. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 16-4. Every position player in the Jumbo Shrimp lineup recorded multiple hits except for Jonathan Davis. OF Victor Mesa Jr. (Fish On First's #3 prospect) raised his Triple-A OPS to 1.215. Double-A Pensacola lost, 9-2. INF Jacob Berry has only one hit in his last 28 at-bats. High-A Beloit won, 19-4. C Joe Mack drove in seven runs by himself, including a grand slam that came against a South Bend position player. Low-A Jupiter won, 4-3. Second straight scoreless start for LHP Emmett Olson (5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K). Marlins MiLB affiliates have combined for a .571 winning percentage (28-21 record) this season. Here's more Marlins news and content for you: 🔷 The Marlins are favorites to sign Cuban INF Luis Manuel León, Francys Romero reports. As of March, the Marlins had $1.725M left in their 2024 international bonus pool, per Romero. Signing León would use up most of those funds. Listed at 6'2" and 165 pounds, the 17-year-old was just declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. 🔷 Through six Marlins series, FOF staffer @Daniel Rodriguez sits atop the Prediction Time leaderboard with 10 points. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub. 🔷 It took 11 years from when he signed his first professional contract, but Jhonny Pereda made his major league debut. He's the only player so far this season to break through to The Show as a member of the Marlins. Expect Pereda to start a couple more times behind the plate on the upcoming road trip. His future beyond that is uncertain assuming Christian Bethancourt (viral illness) returns to the active roster next week. 🔷 Happy birthday to Pereda, by the way. The Venezuelan catcher turns 28 today. 🔷 On this day 10 years ago, the Marlins topped the Mariners on Giancarlo Stanton's walk-off slam. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck threw a shutout against the Guardians. Houck had never previously gone beyond seven innings in any professional start. RHP Jack Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, will debut today for the Texas Rangers. Mike Trout and Marcell Ozuna remain tied for the MLB lead in home runs after they each blasted their eighth on Wednesday. Angels reliever Robert Stephenson will miss the entire season with an elbow injury. Stephenson signed a three-year, $33M deal in free agency last winter. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE tonight from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. Special guest: Lou Schiff. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter LHP A.J. Puk) visit the Cubs (RHP Jameson Taillon). Puk is pitching on eight days' rest after being pushed back due to illness. The Marlins have a 45.4% chance to win, per FanGraphs. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Rocket City, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. South Bend, 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Fort Myers, 7:05 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Top highlights of pitchers Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers from the Marlins' series against the San Francisco Giants (April 15-17, 2024). View full video

Lots of screeching kids in the building today...

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article