Ely Sussman

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Heriberto Hernández 1B Eric Wagaman RF Joey Wiemer 2B Maximo Acosta LF Victor Mesa Jr. (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Valente Bellozo Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Throughout the past 2+ years, I was not shy about saying that I wanted the Marlins to get out of the Edward Cabrera business. Some of that stemmed from his injury history, but it was more about not believing in him as an effective starter moving forward. He proved me and a lot of others wrong this season. Took a leap forward with his command and sequencing.

Down on the farm on Thursday, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 2-0. Ryan Weathers (4.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 68 pitches/44 strikes) made what is expected to be his final rehab start. He has been on the injured list with a left lat strain since June. Johnny Olmstead hit his first Triple-A home run. Double-A Pensacola won, 2-0. Jake Brooks, Gabe Bierman and Nigel Belgrave combined for the shutout. High-A Beloit won, 8-7. Low-A Jupiter won, 2-1. Liomar Martínez set a season-high with 6 ⅔ innings pitched. Robby Snelling, Thomas White and Julio Mendez were named Pitcher of the Month for the International League, Southern League and Florida State League, respectively. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Maximo Acosta is being called up again, Fish On First's Kevin Barral reports. It's unclear how he would get meaningful playing time down the stretch unless slumping Xavier Edwards is going to miss time. 🔷 We are expected to receive more specifics on Edward Cabrera's elbow injury today. No matter the verdict, the Marlins acted appropriately in holding onto him through the trade deadline, Sean Millerick of Marlin Maniac writes. 🔷 During September, Cristian Crespo of Just Baseball is keeping his eye on the continued development of young players, 2026 roster battles that are already in progress and every pitch Sandy Alcantara throws. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first 45 series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, suffering injuries that will linger into 2026, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was diagnosed with a torn ACL and Shelby Miller is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery. Yordan Alvarez has been phenomenal in nine games since returning from a lengthy injured list stint, slashing .500/.595/.786. The Los Angeles Dodgers were swept by the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. 🔷 Today's MLB game: it's the opener of a three-game series between the Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies (probable starters RHP Valente Bellozo and LHP Cristopher Sánchez). This should simply be a spot start for Bellozo, his first since May 13. Weathers is lined up to start when this spot comes up again next week. Kyle Schwarber is on the verge of his 50th home run. He has only gone deep twice against Miami this season. The Marlins have a 31.3% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Heriberto Hernández 3B Connor Norby 1B Eric Wagaman RF Joey Wiemer LF Javier Sanoja P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Wednesday's announcement was a formality. Miami Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee officially won the August 2025 National League Rookie of the Month award for 30 games' worth of superhuman all-around production. Called up by the Marlins when the calendar flipped, Marsee slashed .352/.430/.629 with four home runs and nine stolen bases during his first month at the major league level. He was especially dangerous with runners in scoring position (.464/.500/.893), allowing him to compile 25 RBI. He got defensive reps at all three outfield positions, but primarily in center. FanGraphs estimates that the 24-year-old left-handed-hitter was the most valuable player in MLB, accruing 2.1 fWAR. The next-best NL rookie was Atlanta Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep (1.0 fWAR). Throughout the season, the Marlins have utilized a rookie-laden roster that is the youngest in Major League Baseball. However, Marsee is the only one of those rookies to earn this award in 2025. The most recent Marlins NL Rookie of the Month recipient was Trevor Rogers in May 2021. Rogers finished runner-up to Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds in that year's NL ROY voting. Marsee's post-trade deadline debut makes him an extreme NL ROY longshot—even elite quality of production cannot compensate for his lack of quantity. The 2025 finalists for that award are expected to be Cade Horton (Chicago Cubs), Drake Baldwin (Braves) and Isaac Collins (Milwaukee Brewers). Through two September games, Marsee is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, so it'll be an uphill climb to defend his Rookie of the Month title. View full rumor

On Nothing Personal with David Samson, former Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest reflects on Miguel Cabrera's rapid position change prior to being called up in 2003. View full video

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 3B Connor Norby 1B Troy Johnston (L) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Victor Mesa Jr. (L) P Adam Mazur Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Unfortunately seems clear at this point that they see more value in gaining club control of him through 2032 than they do getting him big league experience now. Regardless of pitching injuries and other variables, I don't expect to see him up until several weeks into next season.

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez RF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez 3B Connor Norby DH Heriberto Hernández 1B Eric Wagaman CF Derek Hill LF Javier Sanoja P Lake Bachar Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins could really use another consistent starting pitcher, preferably one who throws from the left side. As has been obvious throughout the season, they're also lacking a catcher who can help control the running game—opponents have been safe on 46 consecutive stolen base attempts entering Monday. With the calendar flipping to September, the Marlins have the flexibility to call up prospects Robby Snelling and Joe Mack from Triple-A Jacksonville to address those respective areas without having to demote any members of their active roster. Both Snelling and Mack would remain rookie-eligible for 2026. However, you won't be seeing either of them in The Show quite yet. As first reported by Fish On First's Kevin Barral, the Marlins' initial pitching reinforcement will instead be journeyman reliever Michael Petersen. We're still awaiting confirmation on the position player call-up, but it won't be Mack. Although Snelling (2.75 ERA and 3.01 FIP across a full season in the upper minors) is undoubtedly ready for a promotion, the Marlins are expecting both Ryan Weathers and Janson Junk back from the injured list sometime next week. In the meantime, they want to evaluate Adam Mazur's viability as a rotation candidate first. My counter to that is, there are enough innings available for all of them and Snelling. Above all else, it seems that the Marlins have prioritized gaining an extra year of club control over Snelling through the 2032 season, which they can guarantee by delaying his debut until mid-April. As for Mack, there is a more coherent argument that he could benefit from another month of minor league development. Through 85 games at Triple-A, he has posted a 94 wRC+ with only one home run off of left-handed pitching. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 6-5. In his Jumbo Shrimp debut, Kemp Alderman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run. Double-A Pensacola lost, 7-2. It was a terrific series for Fenwick Trimble, who went 10-for-21 with two homers and six walks. High-A Beloit lost, 2-1. The Sky Carp still hold a 1.5-game lead in the race for the second-half Midwest League West division title. Low-A Jupiter lost, 6-5. Drew Faurot extended his hitting streak to seven games. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 As illustrated above, the Marlins have a season-high 13 players on their major league injured list, with Dane Myers (right oblique strain) and Ryan Gusto (right shoulder impingement) being the latest casualties. Myers previously landed on the IL with the same issue in May. It's unclear whether either of them will return this season. 🔷 Sandy Alcantara wrapped up his best month of the 2025 season, while Jakob Marsee enjoyed arguably the best month that any Marlins rookie has ever had. 🔷 Right-hander Karson Milbrandt told Locked On Marlins (episode embedded below) that he will be pitching in the Arizona Fall League. Assuming that the Mesa Solar Sox use Milbrandt as a starter, the 21-year-old should be able to establish a new season-high in innings pitched—he's currently at 79 ⅓—while challenging himself against older, tougher competition. 🔷 Eli Ben-Porat of Baseball America likens the arsenal of Marlins draft pick Peyton Fosher to that of San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta. 🔷 Lake Bachar reminisced with David Laurila of FanGraphs about his football career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and how he modified his breaking balls this past offseason. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first 44 series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Boston Red Sox extended Aroldis Chapman through the 2026 season with a mutual option for 2027. Carlos Santana and Walker Buehler joined the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies via waiver claim and free agent signing, respectively. They'll be postseason-eligible for their new clubs. José Ureña signed with the Los Angeles Angels, which will be the fifth different MLB team he's played for in 2025 alone. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins are playing the earliest game on MLB's Labor Day schedule on the road against the Washington Nationals. The Nats have lost eight straight games and are calling up left-hander Andrew Alvarez to make his major league debut. This season in Triple-A, Alvarez has posted a 4.10 ERA, 4.45 FIP and .242 BAA in 123 innings pitched. Miami's innings will be divvied up by a handful of relievers. With the likely exception of Calvin Faucher, everybody in the bullpen should be available to contribute. First pitch at 1:05 p.m. ET. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

NEW YORK—I have already seen enough from Jakob Marsee to buy out all of his pre-arb and arbitration years, as detailed for Fish On First SuperSubs earlier in the week. While it's premature to label him an MLB star, the rookie outfielder does so many things well, he arguably has the highest floor of any player in the Miami Marlins organization moving forward. Ironically, Marsee's marvelous August was a disappointing stretch for the Marlins as a whole—they posted a 13-17 record to fall out of the National League postseason picture. It's a reminder that the impact of any individual baseball player is very limited, even when they perform at an MVP level. Without exaggeration, that is what Marsee did during his first month in the big leagues. Marsee entered Sunday with 1.9 fWAR, tied for the second-best mark among MLB players in August. That total inched up following yet another awesome game, which included a single, a double, two walks and two runs scored. Marsee has been an everyday player for the Marlins since debuting on August 1. He's slashing .352/.430/.629 with four home runs and nine stolen bases, producing nearly twice as well at the plate as the average major leaguer (189 wRC+). On top of all that, he is contributing good defense in center field. There is zero suspense regarding the upcoming NL Rookie of the Month announcement: that award is going to Marsee. But what about succeeding fellow Marlin Kyle Stowers as NL Player on the Month? Marsee has made a compelling case for himself. I predict that Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers or Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves will edge him out, solely on the strength of their gaudy home run totals. More notable numbers about Marsee's first 30 games: The only Marlin who has ever surpassed his 66 total bases during any month of their rookie season was Chris Coghlan (the 2009 NL ROY). He chased only 15.7% of pitches outside the strike zone, according to Statcast. Among full-season MLB qualifiers in 2025, only Juan Soto has been more disciplined than that. Despite exhibiting big platoon splits as a prospect, Marsee raked especially well against fellow lefties (1.292 OPS in 30 PA). He's second to Stowers among Marlins hitters with 1.67 win probability added this season. That's right—on a club with a handful of pleasant surprises on the position player side, it took Marsee a single month to leapfrog all of the others. On the other end of the experience spectrum, Sandy Alcantara wrapped up an encouraging August of his own. The hot-hitting New York Mets had racked up 31 runs on the strength of 11 homers during the previous three games of the series, but they manufactured just one run off Alcantara. The veteran right-hander leaned more heavily on his fastballs than usual—56.7% of his total pitches were either four-seamers or sinkers. It was Alcantara's fourth quality start in a row. He has had at least six strikeouts in each of those outings. Even outside of his Cy Young-winning campaign, Alcantara has distinguished himself from the typical starter with his determination to eat as many innings as possible. Nearly two full years removed from Tommy John surgery, it looks like he's got his full appetite back. Alcantara led the NL this month with 39 innings pitched. The Marlins will play a Labor Day matinee on Monday, opening up a three-game series at Nationals Park. It would have been Ryan Gusto's turn to start, but he's been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement. Expect a bullpen game, with Tyler Phillips, George Soriano and Seth Martinez as options capable of covering multiple innings apiece. Thanks to September roster expansion, the Marlins could also call up one additional pitcher from the minor leagues. That's what the Nats are doing by promoting left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who'll be making his MLB debut. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the fourth and final game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Agustín Ramírez SS Otto Lopez 1B Liam Hicks (L) LF Heriberto Hernández DH Troy Johnston (L) RF Joey Wiemer 3B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The 2023 Miami Marlins postseason run was an anomaly in so many ways. That applies to the team's offensive production when facing left-handed pitching. For much of the past half-decade, the Marlins have been impotent against southpaws. Dating back to 2021, here is where they rank annually among the 30 MLB teams in wRC+ under those circumstances: 2021: 30th 2022: 30th 2023: 14th 2024: 29th 2025: 27th But even the '23 Fish never pulverized a great lefty starter as thoroughly as the current club did on Saturday. Miami's all-right-handed lineup scored eight runs off of New York Mets All-Star David Peterson, who couldn't even record an out in the third inning. The timing of that onslaught was convenient because the Marlins pitching staff had plenty of issues themselves in an 11-8 victory. It was apparent immediately that Peterson "didn't have it." Five of the first six Marlins batters reached base safely, including a Heriberto Hernández RBI double that was mere inches from clearing the right field wall and an Eric Wagaman two-run double. The inning was prolonged by a Brandon Nimmo misplay that turned a catchable line drive into a Joey Wiemer two-run double, but Peterson was partially culpable, falling behind in the count 3-0. Wiemer, who hadn't collected any extra-base hits since being called up two weeks ago, pounced on a mediocre fastball over the heart of the plate. Peterson took a brief hiatus from struggling when he breezed through the second inning, but he failed to retire another batter after that. He allowed a leadoff double to Hernández, followed by back-to-back walks. Replacing an injured Dane Myers (right side discomfort), Jakob Marsee ripped an RBI single to right that made it a 6-2 advantage. Wiemer sent Peterson to the showers with an RBI single of his own. One of the runners inherited by Chris Devenski also came around to score. Since 2021, Peterson is the only fully stretched-out left-handed starter to get knocked out by the Marlins due to sheer ineffectiveness within two-plus innings. Seriously, take a look (via Stathead). Everybody else who matched that criteria was an opener, with the exception of Madison Bumgarner, who got himself ejected from his start after one inning. The Marlins totaled eight hard-hit balls off of Peterson and only struck out once. "We just continue to maintain confidence in the players that we have on our roster, that this is what they're very capable of doing," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. "Guys put together some really good at-bats and we were able to get some early runs." The Marlins' win probability peaked at 96% during the Peterson portion of the game. However, the lead completely evaporated a few innings later. Edward Cabrera (4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 79 pitches/55 strikes) yielded home runs to Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos and Juan Soto. No previous opponent this season had homered more than once against him. It was an 8-6 ballgame when McCullough turned to his bullpen. Soto tied things up with a two-run shot off of Cade Gibson in the bottom of the sixth. Both of his homers landed in practically the same spot in right-center. 8813ee9c-4948e428-bb5b178b-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Connor Norby carried the Marlins to the finish line from there. Playing in just his second game since being reinstated from the injured list, Norby lined out deep to right for a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh. He added crucial insurance in the ninth with a two-run double against Edwin Díaz, the menacing Mets closer who entering Saturday had held right-handed batters to a .133 batting average this season. "Just get him up in the zone, something out over [the plate] and stay through the big part of the field," Norby said postgame. This goes on the short list of Norby's most impactful games of 2025, as he also drew walks in each of his two plate appearances against Peterson. The third baseman's overall production has been only slightly better than replacement level, with a .246/.297/.373 slash line and 84 wRC+ through 74 games. He insists that he isn't concerned with those numbers: "When I focus on winning and focus on the team, it takes a lot of the individual performance out of the way. I think I was putting so much pressure on myself to be someone that I'm not necessarily, and who I was before was pretty good. It's just believing in myself again, having that confidence. A lot of different conversations, a lot of hard work, but there's no numbers I'm looking at. I don't care about what the scoreboard says when my stat sheet comes up. I care about the wins. I do." Calvin Faucher, Ronny Henriquez and Tyler Phillips combined for 3 ⅓ scoreless frames to secure the win. The Marlins had lost seven straight series dating back to August 4, but they're ensured at least a split of this four-game set. Sandy Alcantara will start Sunday's series finale, his final time taking the mound as a 29-year-old. He'll try to build upon back-to-back-to-back quality starts. Alcantara has allowed just four earned runs in 20 innings pitched during that span while compiling 23 strikeouts. Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets. Senga and Alcantara previously matched up on April 1, which was a 4-2 Fish victory. First pitch is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez C Agustín Ramírez DH Heriberto Hernández 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Connor Norby RF Dane Myers LF Joey Wiemer CF Derek Hill P Edward Cabrera Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Agustín Ramírez SS Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) 3B Connor Norby LF Troy Johnston (L) 1B Eric Wagaman RF Joey Wiemer P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)