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A fifth-inning rally against Miami's newest pitcher flipped Saturday's game upside down.The Miami Marlins reportedly shopped for veteran starting pitching reinforcements prior to the MLB trade deadline. However, they didn't find any priced to their liking. It left a void in their rotation, temporarily filled by George Soriano, who made the first start of his major league career on Saturday against the Texas Rangers. He wasn't stretched out for a regular starter's workload, though, leaving the rest of the pitching staff responsible for preserving an early lead. In his Marlins debut, Ryan Weathers wasn't up for the task in the 9-8 loss. The Marlins needed a pair of fresh arms prior to the game, replacing Devin Smeltzer (designated for assignment after pitching each of the previous two days) and JT Chargois (placed on the 15-day injured list with a right rib cage strain). Weathers and Huascar Brazoban were recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding moves. Soriano kept the explosive Rangers lineup off the scoreboard through three innings, locating his signature slider well to both sides of the plate. https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/7a52abb5-80d0-4789-8521-c46007206dad.mp4Meanwhile, the Marlins had a lot of success against Jon Gray. They plated three runs in the top of third, the last of those coming on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. infield single. Unfortunately, his right hamstring cramped up on a subsequent stolen base attempt, forcing him to exit the game. The Jazz-less Marlins stretched their lead to 5-0 in the next inning, punctuated by a two-out Luis Arraez RBI double. "Skip (Schumaker) told me to take it easy—we were up by five (runs) at the time. No need to go out there and try to be Superman like I always try to do," Chisholm said postgame. He hopes to play on Sunday. Soriano got ahead in the count 0-2 against Adolis García in the fourth inning. That's when things collapsed. García drew a 10-pitch walk, Josh Jung singled and Robbie Grossman clobbered a poorly placed slider for a three-run home run. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/05/9653c9b5-94722f9f-19103ad5-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Unflattering final line for the rookie right-hander: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR (59 pitches/36 strikes). Steven Okert temporarily halted the Rangers' momentum, holding the score at 5-3 with a scoreless inning of relief. Weathers may physically resemble him, but he predictably struggled in this situation. The former San Diego Padre hadn't pitched since July 26 and was previously expected to work as a starter in Jacksonville before the major league team's needs took precedent over his development. In the fifth inning, four of the five batters atop the Texas lineup reached base safely against Weathers. Corey Seager went yard to tie it up and Josh Jung followed suit to make it 7-5, homering against a changeup and a slider, respectively. With the Marlins now trailing, Weathers was left out there to wear it. The hope was he'd be able to finish the game himself, but at 95 pitches, Skip Schumaker mercifully let him hit the showers with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The Marlins have now lost 12 of their last 13 road games. For the first time since June 4, they're only four games over the .500 mark. Additional InfoThe Marlins dropped to 24-10 in one-run games.In his fourth game since the trade, Jake Burger hit his first Marlins home run, a two-run shot against Will Smith that made the ninth inning slightly more interesting. Burger has more homers (26) than singles (24) this season.Joey Wendle singled to snap out of a 0-for-28 slump.Probable starters for the series finale are Sandy Alcantara and Andrew Heaney. That will leave the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros as the only non-Marlins teams Alcantara hasn't faced during his career.The Marlins need another "fresh arm" to replace Weathers for the rest of this road trip, and they're reportedly going with their very best internal option, per Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Eury Pérez will be Monday's probable starter against the Cincinnati Reds, returning one month after being optioned to Double-A Pensacola./news/marlins-roster-moves-eury-perez-call-up/Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images

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Today's Marlins news roundup also invites you to submit FanPosts.Thursday's Games/game-coverage/marlins-phillies-michael-lorenzen-8-3-23/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/03/31d2cc6b-f9fc0583-3bce6902-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's Marlins MiLB Notes: LHP Patrick Monteverde (Jacksonville) had the worst outing of his professional career (3.0 IP, 11 H, 13 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 3 HR). That throws a wrench into his Marlins Minor League Pitcher of the Year candidacy. OF Victor Mesa Jr. (Pensacola) had his first career multi-home run game. His 11 dingers this season equals his total from the 2019-2022 seasons combined. OF Osiris Johnson (Beloit) enjoyed a 3-for-5 night, continuing what's been his best season as a Marlins prospect. OF Kemp Alderman (Jupiter) is off to a slow start with the bat since turning pro, now 2-for-24 with seven strikeouts. RHP Albert Polanco (DSL Marlins) tossed five scoreless innings against DSL Miami.Dating back to July 22, Joey Wendle is hitless in his last 28 at-bats. Maybe he just needs a breather? Wendle has quietly played in 42 consecutive Marlins games (albeit some of those off the bench).The Marlins are now 0-5 in games that Johnny Cueto has pitched this season. Truthfully, he did well against the Phillies (two inherited runners scored after he left the game).Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald report that the Marlins attempted to acquire Lance Lynn from the White Sox before ultimately swinging a deal for Jake Burger instead. Fellow pitching prospects Max Meyer and Dax Fulton were discussed during the negotiations (the Sox settled on Jake Eder). Lynn went to the Dodgers. Eury Pérez could possibly return to the Marlins roster during the Yankees series (Aug. 11-13). That implies Pérez will make one final minor league start on either Sunday or Tuesday.Another trade deadline what-if: the Marlins "felt they were close" to getting Justin Turner from the Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. That would've been a bold move for both sides considering that Boston is still very alive for an American League playoff spot and Turner is a pending free agent (2024 player option doubtful to be exercised). The 38-year-old has had a better all-around season at the plate (126 wRC+ in 102 G) than the players that Miami added. The Marlins reportedly made Turner a competitive offer last winter when he was a free agent.Elsewhere around the majors, Liam Hendriks underwent Tommy John surgery. The cancer survivor and three-time All-Star pitched just five innings for the White Sox this season. The Cubs have won 11 of their last 13 games to reach three games over .500 for the first time since April. The Mets were swept by the lowly Royals and finished Thursday's game with a position player on the mound. The Yankees have attributed the worst slump of Anthony Rizzo's career to post-concussion syndrome. He's been placed on the injured list.We’ve got a new episode of Fish On First LIVE streaming tonight at 7:00 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! The Marlins have a 43.8% chance to win their series opener against the Rangers, per FanGraphs. They are a half-game back of the third NL Wild Card spot entering play today. Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET) and DSL Miami (11:00 a.m. ET) are at home, while Triple-A Jacksonville (8:05 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:05 p.m. ET), Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) and DSL Marlins (11:00 a.m. ET) are on the road.Luis Arraez was the 2023 Marlins selection for the MLBPAA's Heart and Hustle Award. The award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. Arraez also won it with the Twins in 2022. Jon Berti won it for the Marlins last year. I'm bringing the Fish Stripes concept of FanPosts to FOF! Submit your own Marlins articles and we'll share them with the rest of our community. Details below./fish-on-first-updates/marlins-fanposts/Kevin Barral mentions the solid production coming from members of the Marlins' rookie-level affiliates (FCL Marlins, DSL Marlins and DSL Miami)./farm/marlins-prospects-rookie-ball-updates-2023-midseason/Christina De Nicola of MLB.com does a roundup of the week's worth of community impact events coordinated by the Marlins on this past homestand. She also explains that two of the mascots in the Marlins' new mid-game Rooster Race have names derived from Charlie Hough and Bobby Maduro. Photo courtesy of Danis Sosa/Fish On First

Throughout my Fish Stripes tenure, we opened the door to FanPosts, allowing anybody in our audience to share their detailed thoughts about the Miami Marlins in article form. Submit them whenever you want, however long you want to make them, just keep it Marlins-related. I'm implementing a similar setup here at Fish On First! Comment at the bottom of this article if you are interested in authoring FanPosts. I'll then invite you to be a "contributor" to FOF (I have already done so for several former FS FanPosters). FanPost submissions will be proofread before publication to ensure that articles are free of blatant lies, misspellings/statistical errors, ethnic/racial/gender discrimination, etc. They'll also be clearly marked as FanPosts to avoid any confusion with FOF staff articles. But otherwise, your words will go online here just as you originally intended. Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins

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Today's Marlins news roundup also wonders whether the rumored Salvador Perez trade talks could pick up again in the not-too-distant future.Wednesday's Games/game-coverage/marlins-phillies-josh-bell-jake-burger-walk-off-8-2-23/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/02/639f3541-2b943069-dcd2bcb1-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Wednesday's Marlins MiLB Notes: Newly acquired LHP Ryan Weathers was optioned to Jacksonville. INF José Devers (Pensacola) set a new Blue Wahoos team record for most career triples. Two more stolen bases for OF Jake DeLeo (Jupiter). He's now 7-for-7 in that department through his first nine minor league games. RHP Jacob Miller (FCL Marlins) continues to get stretched out for starting duty on his rehab assignment (2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K). C/INF Carmine Lane recorded a season-high three hits, bumping his OPS above 1.000. INF Yoffry Solano (DSL Miami) returned to minor league action after missing nearly two months. Solano received the largest bonus in the 2022 Marlins international signing class.Trade acquisitions Josh Bell and Jake Burger combined to go 6-for-11 with two walks in their debuts with the Marlins. Bell reached base safely five times, joining fellow deadline pick-up Nick Johnson (2009) as the only players ever to do so in their first Marlins game.Jesús Sánchez blooped a single to left field to deliver the walk-off winner. He already has more than twice as many opposite-field hits in 2023 as he had all of last season! It was the 24th one-run win for the Marlins, matching their total from 2022.Jorge Soler had the most important individual hit, a game-tying solo home run off of Gregory Soto in the bottom of the ninth inning. He ranks 14th in win probability added among all MLB hitters this season, sandwiched in between Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.Our Twitter followers voted the Burger/Jake Eder exchange as the best Marlins deadline day deal, though the Bell/Jean Segura/Kahlil Watson one also received 40.6% of the support.Check out Kevin Barral's with Burger about his excitement of being shipped into a playoff race. Elsewhere around the majors, the Cubs have racked up 36 runs against the Reds over the last two days, though they just lost Marcus Stroman to the injured list with right hip inflammation. Fernando Tatis Jr. reached 100 career home runs in the fourth-fewest games of any player in MLB history. Austin Riley stays sizzling hot, homering for the ninth time in 17 games since the All-Star break. Teammate Matt Olson blasted his 37th of the year, putting him only two behind Shohei Ohtani's MLB lead.The Marlins have a 45.7% chance to win their series finale against the Phillies, per FanGraphs. They are tied for the third NL Wild Card spot entering play today. Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET) is at home, while Triple-A Jacksonville (8:05 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:05 p.m. ET), Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) and FCL Marlins (12:00 p.m. ET) are on the road. The two DSL teams face each other at 11:00 a.m. ET.The Marlins revisited Salvador Perez trade talks with the Royals on Tuesday, per multiple reports. I could definitely see those negotiations picking up again in the offseason.Ben Clemens explains that although he likes how the Marlins upgraded their present-day roster in several areas prior to the deadline, they paid a steep long-term cost for players who might not actually move the needle for them.MLB Pipeline wants to see Xavier Edwards called up by the Marlins before season's end. Edwards ranks second in the Triple-A International League batting race behind only veteran retread Miguel Andújar.The Caliente Red team defeated Miami Blue in the Marlins Media Softball Game, 13-9. Shoutout to Noah Berger and Kevin Barral for proudly repping Fish On First at the silly event.Happy 22nd birthday to Marlins LHP Kevin Vaupel. Drafted by the team in the 16th round of last month's MLB Draft, Vaupel has pitched one scoreless inning for the FCL Marlins so far. Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins

It's no secret that the Miami Marlins have a weakness behind the plate. Neither Jacob Stallings nor Nick Fortes has hit a lick in 2023. They struggle to control the running game, too. The tandem's combined production would be well below replacement level if not for . That being said, it is notoriously messy for a team to make major catching changes in the midst of a contending season. It's imperative to preserve the relationships between pitchers and their catchers when things are going well. With Tuesday's MLB trade deadline approaching, it seemed that the Marlins had resigned themselves to sticking with their internal options and would focus on making upgrades at other positions instead. However, per multiple reports, the Marlins set aside some time on deadline day to inquire about at least one notable catcher: Kansas City Royals captain Salvador Perez. The still-rebuilding Royals "entertained offers" for Perez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Athletic's Jayson Stark added that Perez, who has full no-trade protection, would have been willing to make the move to Miami. Alas, the teams could not agree on a fair return package. Don't let his 2023 AL All-Star selection fool you: Salvy has been in a gradual decline. His on-base and slugging percentages have fallen annually since 2020. He's a below-average hitter by wRC+ in his age-33 season. The five-time Gold Glover still catches frequently, but doesn't do it well—even his impact as a thrower has deteriorated by Statcast's estimation. Would Perez still represent an upgrade over Stallings and Fortes? Of course. But one issue is, Perez gets paid like an elite catcher and his contract calls for that to continue through the 2025 season. He has over $50 million guaranteed still coming his way (including a buyout of his 2026 club option). The other prominent factor impeding serious negotiations is Perez's sterling reputation in KC, being that he's a lifetime Royal and the last remaining link to the 2015 championship-winning team. His contract is even deeper underwater than Avisaíl García's, according to Baseball Trade Values' formula. However, that fanbase would go ballistic if the Royals traded Perez for García straight up, and understandably so. To make a Salvy trade palatable from the Royals' perspective, they would need to get mildly promising players in return. That isn't happening unless they eat the majority of the money still owed to him. Hence, the lack of progress. Stallings is a likely non-tender candidate for the Marlins this offseason. Fortes still merits a 40-man roster spot, but his offensive production has cratered since mid-2022—overall, he is underqualified to be their primary catcher if they have real aspirations to be playoff contenders in 2024. The internal options beneath them on the depth chart (Austin Allen, Will Banfield, Paul McIntosh, etc.) do not inspire much confidence, either. So yeah, the Marlins will resume their catching search in a few months. Although you'd expect Miami to engage other teams who have solid veteran catchers, a barren farm system limits the universe of realistic targets. Salvy will only have $44 million left on his deal by then. As general manager Kim Ng said during Wednesday's Marlins game broadcast on Bally Sports Florida, "these deals really do take quite a long time sometimes" to come to fruition. I could see a Salvador Perez trade being an example of that. Photo courtesy of Kansas City Royals

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Today's Marlins news roundup also highlights another encouraging start for Miami's ace.Tuesday's Games/game-coverage/marlins-phillies-sandy-alcantara-start-wasted-8-1-23/https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/01/91920349-578bcd04-79eba194-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Marlins Podcast Episodes Tuesday's Marlins MiLB Notes: Another multi-hit game for 1B Troy Johnston (Jacksonville), who's now hitting .448 since his promotion. RHP Eury Pérez (Pensacola) stretched out to 63 pitches (3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). OF Griffin Conine homered twice in support of him. Tommy Nance (Jupiter) pitched one inning in the third outing of his minor league rehab assignment. 1B Kendry Feliz (DSL Marlins) hit for the cycle. In the aftermath of the deadline day trades, MLB Pipeline has added OF Andres Valor, RHP Anthony Maldonado and RHP Matt Pushard to their Marlins Top 30 prospects list.So summing these trades up one at a time, the Marlins acquired the controllable infield power bat that they had been coveting in Jake Burger. The price was Jake Eder, their top left-handed pitching prospect. I liked this deal very much. For all of his limitations as a player (in particular, poor plate discipline and contact ability), Burger will undoubtedly improve the production that this club has been getting from third base—Jean Segura set the bar so low. Meanwhile, Eder wasn't going to contribute to the 2023 playoff push./news/marlins-white-sox-trade-jake-burger-jake-eder/Speaking of Segura, the Marlins swapped his bad contract with Josh Bell's, though they had to include former first-round draft pick Kahlil Watson to make it a fair value. Lots of risk here. The veteran Bell has the potential to be the most impactful hitter of anybody moved at the deadline, but ever since he was traded at the 2022 deadline, he simply hasn't performed. By fWAR, Bell and Segura have both been among MLB's five least valuable position players over the last calendar year. Watson, 20, still has immense upside./news/josh-bell-jean-segura-kahlil-watson-trade/Evidently deterred by the asking prices on proven major league starting pitchers, the Marlins packaged Garrett Cooper and relief prospect Sean Reynolds to the Padres for left-hander Ryan Weathers. Through 143 MLB innings pitched (43 G/29 GS), Weathers has been lousy (5.73 ERA and 5.54 FIP) due to issues preventing homers and enticing opponents to chase outside the strike zone. General manager Kim Ng was non-committal about whether—no pun intended—the would join their rotation. This is a lo-fi version of the 2021 Starling Marte/Jesús Luzardo trade. Even if pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. has a plan for bringing out the best in Weathers, it would be unrealistic to expect that to pay immediate dividends. This is a project for 2024 and beyond. Which of these three do you like most? Vote here!Hear our live reactions to the trades on the special call-in show we hosted on the @MarlinsSpaces Twitter account. Fish On First staffers and Super Subscribers weighed in. Consider supporting FOF by becoming a Super Subscriber yourself.As for the Marlins who were on the field Tuesday night, Sandy Alcantara excelled for the second straight start. Slated to face the top of the Phillies lineup for a fourth time and having already thrown 101 pitches, manager Skip Schumaker turned to his new closer, David Robertson, who blew it (season-high three earned runs allowed). But the game was truly lost at the plate as Miami pushed across only one run despite putting 15 runners on base."Pepito" won the inaugural Marlins Rooster Race, which was held in the middle of the sixth inning.Elsewhere around the majors, Justin Verlander was traded back to the Astros for two top outfield prospects. Despite being the reigning AL Cy Young award winner, you could argue that he's merely their No. 2 starter behind Framber Valdez, who just threw a no-hitter against the Guardians. The Cubs clobbered the Reds, 20-9. Josh Hader extended his streak to 20 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run (dates back to the beginning of June). The Phillies rented Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers, and he'll be starting on Thursday at LoanDepot Park. The Marlins have a 46.0% chance to win their next game against the Phillies, per FanGraphs. Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET), and DSL Miami (11:00 a.m. ET) are at home, while Triple-A Jacksonville (8:05 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:05 p.m. ET), Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) and FCL Marlins (12:00 p.m. ET) are on the road.Louis Addeo-Weiss looks back at what went well for the Marlins in July (slim pickings)./analysis/july-2023-marlins-stats-highlights/Fish On First's Noah Berger and Kevin Barral are participating in the Marlins Media Softball Game at LoanDepot Park as I write this. They're on the Caliente Red team. See the full rosters here.Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins