Ely Sussman

Thursday's Gameshttps://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/lad-10-mia-0-marlins-saved-by-the-bell/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/07/4b7599a7-9f06f2cd-05b4f041-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's Marlins MiLB Notes: 1B Troy Johnston (Jacksonville) went the other way for his 26th home run, though his teammates combined for only one additional hit the rest of the game. OF Jake Thompson and INF Josh Zamora each hit their first homers at the Double-A level. Pensacola RHP Zach McCambley pitched his longest outing of the season (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K). OF Jorge Caballero (Beloit) went 4-for-4 with two doubles. INF Johnny Olmstead (Jupiter) raised his Low-A slugging percentage to .550, the highest mark of anybody who has played multiple games for the Hammerheads this season.After a brief start by Braxton Garrett, the Marlins bullpen allowed nine runs to the Dodgers. George Soriano and Devin Smeltzer combined to strike out only one of their 29 batters faced. It took the Miami offense until the seventh inning to record a hit.Sandy Alcantara (right forearm flexor strain) is traveling with the Marlins on their road trip to Philadelphia and Milwaukee. In hindsight, perhaps the injury should not have totally blindsided us—he hinted during Sunday's postgame interview that something had changed. Hopefully prior to tonight's game, we'll get more clarity about the severity.https://fishonfirst.com/news/tracking-miami-marlins-injury-rehab-updates/NL Wild Card race updates: the Diamondbacks won, while the Cubs lost. The Marlins are a half-game back of the third Wild Card spot.Elsewhere around the majors, Matt Olson hit his MLB-leading 47th home run and Ronald Acuña Jr. hit both his 33rd and 34th. Former No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick Spencer Torkelson is putting it all together, slashing .289/.405/.722 over the last 30 days for the Tigers.We’ve got a new episode of Fish On First LIVE streaming tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET on /Twitch/Twitter. Super Subscribers, submit your series predictions before first pitch. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/The Marlins have a 45.8% chance to win their series opener against the Phillies, per FanGraphs. Triple-A Jacksonville (7:05 p.m. ET), Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:35 p.m. ET) and Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) are all on the road.As part of his series of MLB bullpen reviews, veteran MLB reliever Trevor Rosenthal grades the LoanDepot Park setup as an 8/10.MLB Network is announcing the nominees for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award this morning. It is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball, both on and off the field. The Marlins' 2022 nominee was Pablo López.Happy 22nd birthday to Victor Mesa Jr. It's been an encouraging though inconsistent season for the Marlins outfield prospect at Double-A. He has caught fire again recently with seven homers and only 11 strikeouts over his last 16 games. It's looking increasingly likely that he could be a passable defender in CF at the highest level.

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Wednesday's Gameshttps://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/marlins-dodgers-9-6-23/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/06/3b3b978c-a730f64e-dd3a9377-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Wednesday's Marlins MiLB Notes: OF Brian Miller (Jacksonville) played for the first time in a full month, going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. Rare misstep for RHP Anthony Maldonado, who blew a save when he hung a breaking ball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and allowed a game-tying home run (the Jumbo Shrimp ultimately won anyway). Eight scoreless innings for LHP Luis Palacios (Pensacola) on a hyper-efficient 79 pitches. We're in the final days of tracking the walk-less streak of INF Yiddi Cappe (Beloit), which has reached 31 consecutive games. Everybody in the Jupiter Hammerheads lineup recorded at least one hit to bail out RHP Jacob Miller (0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K).The Marlins erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning, a rally improbably sparked by Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle. Wendle homered for the first time since June 9. Jazz Chisholm Jr. continues to excel since tweaking his batting stance, raising his season OPS from .728 to .779 during those eight games.After a shaky opening inning, Edward Cabrera looked great in his first-ever major league relief appearance (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 72 pitches/49 strikes). Expect him to pitch bulk innings again five days from now, whether it be as a conventional starter or entering mid-game as he did in this case. Two very high-profile losses for the Fish. Sandy Alcantara suffered a forearm flexor strain at the end of his start on Sunday, while Jorge Soler's nagging hip tightness has led to an oblique strain. Both were placed on the injured list (15-day IL and 10-day IL, respectively). No guarantee that either make it back before the end of the regular season. As part of the corresponding roster moves, Dane Myers and Devin Smeltzer were called up, and Geoff Hartlieb is now in DFA limbo.https://fishonfirst.com/news/tracking-miami-marlins-injury-rehab-updates/NL Wild Card race updates: the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Phillies won, while the Brewers, Giants and Reds lost. The Marlins hold the third Wild Card spot by a half-game over the Diamondbacks and Reds.Elsewhere around the majors, the Rangers continue to implode, getting swept by the Astros by a combined score of 39-10! Tyler Glasnow tied his career high with 14 strikeouts despite working only six innings. The Dodgers officially placed Julio Urías on paid administrative leave. Ryan Pepiot will start in his place tonight.The Marlins have a 49.6% chance to win their series finale against the Dodgers, per FanGraphs. Last game of the club's second-to-last homestand. A victory would clinch an above-.500 home record for the season. Triple-A Jacksonville (12:05 p.m. ET), Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:35 p.m. ET) and Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) are all on the road.Candid comments from Xavier Edwards to our own Kevin Barral about how the Rays' player development approach paid "negative dividends" for him. Edwards has found his groove since the trade by focusing on consistently compiling singles over selling out for home runs. Ironically, this interview drops the day after Edwards narrowly missed a grand slam.https://fishonfirst.com/video/xavier-edwards-interview-september-call-up/It's UD Night at LoanDepot Park. Proceeds from the Marlins' special ticket package benefit The Udonis Haslem Foundation.Happy 28th birthday to Sandy Alcantara. The reigning NL Cy Young award winner won't be collecting any hardware this year, but he is irrefutably a top-five starting pitcher in Marlins history, ranking among the franchise's best in career starts, innings pitched, complete games, earned run average and strikeout-to-walk ratio.Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

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Tuesday's Gameshttps://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/marlins-back-luzardo-with-four-homers-take-game-one/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/05/c6ca559d-39af81d4-37dfc803-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Tuesday's Marlins MiLB Notes: Every full-season affiliate won! On a night where top-rated MLB prospect Jackson Holliday made his Triple-A debut, SS Jacob Amaya stole the show with two homers. 1B Troy Johnston went yard for the 25th time this season. C/DH Paul McIntosh (Pensacola) put the Blue Wahoos ahead for good with a solo shot in the ninth inning. INF Yiddi Cappe (Beloit) has now gone 30 straight games without drawing a walk. The Jupiter Hammerheads clinched a Florida State League playoff berth for the first time since 2012.Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered Tuesday with only 10 total bases off of left-handed pitching all season. He racked up six against Clayton Kershaw and Ryan Yarbrough. After the game, he detailed the daily work he's been doing in order to improve against lefties.Tanner Scott put the game on ice by dotting a 98.5 mph fastball on the corner, amusingly ignoring Dodgers baserunner James Outman, who took off for third base before Scott even began his delivery. Scott lowered his FIP to 2.16, the second-best mark among all qualified MLB relievers.After five years in the Marlins front office, Adrian Lorenzo is departing at season's end to pursue a full-time art career. Lorenzo most recently held the position of senior director of international operations. I marveled at how Lorenzo balanced both of his passions considering the reputation that baseball jobs have for being all-consuming. is the podcast that Lorenzo did with us last offseason.NL Wild Card race updates: the Brewers, Cubs and Reds won, while the Diamondbacks, Giants and Phillies lost. The Marlins are a half-game back of the third Wild Card spot.Elsewhere around the majors, Giancarlo Stanton blasted his 400th career home run (267 of those came with the Fish). The Yankees have won seven of their last eight games to get back to .500. José Altuve homered three times within the first three innings of Houston's blowout win over the Rangers. Check out the latest for my extended thoughts on the Marlins' current playoff chances. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/The Marlins have a 50.7% chance to win their next game against the Dodgers, per FanGraphs. Edward Cabrera is poised to make his first career relief appearance behind opener JT Chargois. A sixth straight win would match the Marlins' longest streak of the season, which was set from June 2-7 against the lowly Athletics and Royals. Triple-A Jacksonville (6:35 p.m. ET), Double-A Pensacola (12:05 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:35 p.m. ET) and Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) are all on the road.Miguel Rojas was in good spirits heading into his first career series at LoanDepot Park as a visiting player. He said he will "forever be grateful" for how the Marlins treated him from 2015-2022. Rojas started at shortstop in the series opener and went 1-for-4 with a run scored.https://fishonfirst.com/at-the-ballpark/miguel-rojas-miami-return-quotes/Happy 21st birthday to Marlins RHP Xavier Meachem. The 10th-round draft pick is with Low-A Jupiter as he wraps up his first pro summer. Being utilized exclusively as a reliever, eight of his nine MiLB appearances have been scoreless. He's been striking out 34.2% of total batters faced.Our partners at FOCO have dozens of products in their Miami Marlins collection. Shop here.Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

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Monday's GamesNone 🫤 Marlins Podcast Episodes NL Wild Card race updates: the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Phillies and Reds won, while the Brewers and Giants lost. Trea Turner homered for the seventh time in his last seven games. Justin Steele remains firmly in the NL Cy Young conversation after tossing eight scoreless innings and recording a career-high 12 strikeouts. The Marlins are a half-game back of the third Wild Card spot.Elsewhere around the majors, Julio Urías was arrested on felony domestic violence charges. Urías previously served a suspension in 2019 stemming from a domestic violence incident. Previously scheduled to face the Marlins on Thursday, the Dodgers left-hander won't be traveling to Miami for the series. Lucas Giolito was destroyed by the Twins in his Guardians debut (3.0 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HR). It got so ugly that Cleveland position player David Fry pitched even longer than Giolito did to save the club's other arms for more competitive circumstances.We’ve got a new episode of Fish On First LIVE streaming tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET on /Twitch/Twitter. Super Subscribers, submit your series predictions before first pitch. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/The Marlins have a 46.8% chance to win their series opener against the Dodgers, per FanGraphs. It marks the beginning of a 16-game stretch without any scheduled off days for the Fish. Triple-A Jacksonville (6:35 p.m. ET), Double-A Pensacola (7:05 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:35 p.m. ET) and Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) are all on the road.I think Joey Wendle is overdue to have his playing time sharply reduced. He's in the midst of arguably the worst half-season by any hitter in Marlins history.https://fishonfirst.com/analysis/joey-wendle-second-half-slump/Kevin Barral spoke to Troy Johnston about reaching the 20 HR/20 SB milestone. Johnston candidly analyzed how he would fit on the Marlins active roster right now (if given the opportunity).https://fishonfirst.com/farm/troy-johnston-20-20-season/Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers wants Marlins fans to give Miguel Rojas a standing ovation as he makes his return to LoanDepot Park.The Marlins are commemorating Childhood Cancer Awareness Day by bringing patients from Alex’s Place and their families to tonight's game. The players will wear special batting practice shirts that were designed by children undergoing treatment at Alex’s Place.Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Joey Wendle was an MLB All-Star just two years ago and a key cog of the Miami Marlins lineup in early 2022. Entering this season, the Marlins projected Wendle and his lifetime 100 wRC+ as their primary shortstop, counting on somewhat of a bounce back from him after battling several minor injuries. There were moderate expectations placed on his shoulders, and he had ample motivation to meet those expectations as a first-time pending free agent. After yet another IL stint (right intercostal strain) and a mediocre month of May, Wendle began looking a lot like his usual self. The 33-year-old's signature series came against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park (June 27-29), going 8-for-12 at the plate en route to a Miami sweep. His batting average peaked at .290. He was on pace for 1.4 fWAR, slightly better than his previous season. Then the All-Star break arrived. The second half of Wendle's 2023 campaign has been one of the most severe slumps you'll ever see from a reputable hitter who supposedly has something left in the tank. And the Marlins cannot afford to tip-toe around it any longer. Wendle has a slash line of .139/.176/.178 since the break. That's a .354 OPS in those 39 games for somebody whose OPS has never dipped below .514 during any other 39-game stretch of his career! It is also the lowest half-season OPS in Marlins history (min. 100 PA). Placing second on that notorious list is the first half of Chris Coghlan's 2012 season, though that was interrupted by a demotion to the minors. The closest comp to what Wendle is doing would have to be the second half of Joe Panik's 2021 season...which led him directly into retirement. Lowest half-season OPS in Marlins history (min. 100 PA) | StatheadWhat has gone so wrong for Wendle? Well, his batting average on balls in play has been halved, from .350 pre-ASB to .171 post-ASB. That is problematic when you have zero home runs to compensate for it. Although it's discouraging to see an increase in his groundball rate and a reduction in his walk rate amid this slump, those tendencies did not hold him back from being serviceable in 2022. Clearly, there is some degree of bad luck involved here. However, making Wendle's futility more baffling is the fact that the Marlins have carefully platooned him. About 90% of the left-handed batter's plate appearances have come against righties, yet for the first time since his debut season, he's exhibiting reverse splits. There are no tasty matchups for him—he is nearly two months removed from his last multi-hit game. Wendle has historically fared well against offspeed pitches like changeups and splitters. Not so much recently. Wendle has zero hits against those pitch types since July 15. It's been a combination of chasing some of them below the strike zone and mistiming his swing on others that stay up. Opponents have noticed and responded by attacking him with offspeed stuff way more frequently. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/67a8af3b-2db2-4b57-adda-e0e0ffd188f9.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/7cd83135-a9a3-43ba-97a5-93cbe5a7d76b.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/d06b0ba9-0148-429d-8c51-4cc3fc28d169.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/3fe0f601-fcc8-4c51-bf60-03db1f7a39df.mp4Whenever a relatively steady veteran like Wendle plummets to sub-replacement level production, it's worth mentioning the possibility that he is grinding through some kind of injury. Whatever the true explanation, there is nothing to suggest that he's close to turning a corner. I don't think that the Marlins will nor should cut Wendle. He is the best defensive shortstop on their active roster, and by all accounts, a positive clubhouse influence. That being said, the days of Wendle as the strong side of Miami's SS platoon need to end immediately. The value of his glove does not come close to offsetting the superior offense—hitting and baserunning—that Jon Berti and Garrett Hampson provide. With each of their 25 remaining regular season games being so crucial, the Marlins ought to bench Wendle. I would only start him when both Berti and Hampson are unavailable due to rest or covering at non-SS positions. What do you think? Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Sunday's Gameshttps://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/marlins-nationals-9-3-23/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/03/b5f6d428-7e50e21d-7ad83a0d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Sunday's Marlins MiLB Notes: 1B Troy Johnston (Jacksonville) completed a 20 HR/20 SB season. He's the first Marlins minor leaguer to go 20/20 since Bryan Petersen in 2008! Ryan Weathers threw five scoreless innings and earned a win. More control issues for RHP Evan Fitterer (Pensacola), but overall, one of his best starts of the season (5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 91 pitches/49 strikes). C Will Banfield hit his 20th home run. OF Chase Luttrell (Beloit) is in a 3-for-39 slump. Blue Wahoos OF Davis Bradshaw confirmed that an injury will sideline him throughout the Southern League playoffs. He had a .314/.383/.405 slash line (124 wRC+) in 86 games this season, albeit while facing much younger competition. Bookmark our injury/rehab tracker.https://fishonfirst.com/news/tracking-miami-marlins-injury-rehab-updates/The Marlins are riding a four-game winning streak, their longest since late June. They went a perfect 7-0 at Nationals Park this season. Similar to 2022, the seemingly large gap in the standings between them and the Nats can be explained by head-to-head record.Sandy Alcantara retook the MLB lead in innings pitched (184.2 IP). He also committed two errors and now leads all pitchers in that department as well with five.NL Wild Card race updates: the Cubs and Phillies won, while the Brewers, Diamondbacks, Giants and Reds lost. The Marlins are in a three-way tie for the third Wild Card spot.On a related note, I'll be tracking the status of tiebreakers between the Marlins and other Wild Card contenders in the event that the final regular season standings aren't enough to determine postseason berths.https://fishonfirst.com/analysis/2023-nl-wild-card-tiebreakers/Elsewhere around the majors, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman both went 0-for-4. Luis Arraez is now up by 21 points on them in the NL batting title race. Jorge López tossed a scoreless inning in his return to the Orioles.Entering this new week, the Marlins have 26.3% playoff odds, per FanGraphs.Our 2023 FOF Super Subscribers fantasy football league is set. The league is viewable here.With eight series remaining in the MLB regular season, Willyans is clinging to a slim lead in our 2023 Prediction Time contest. All Super Subscribers are encouraged to play along with us.https://fishonfirst.com/super-subscribers/marlins-prediction-time-leaderboard/Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images