Ely Sussman

A game that was tied midway through rapidly spun out of control when several substitutions and strategic maneuvers backfired for Miami's rookie manager. NEW YORK—The Miami Marlins made it to the fifth inning in a 2-2 tie with the New York Mets. Then, manager Clayton McCullough began pushing buttons. None of them worked on this breezy Tuesday afternoon with four different relievers allowing at least three baserunners apiece. The Fish ultimately lost, 10-5, and sank below the .500 mark for the first time this season. "Our guys have thrown the ball so well to this point, but today, they just happened to do a nice job with the opportunities that they had to cash them in," McCullough said postgame. Newly converted to starting duty, Mets right-hander Clay Holmes is a groundball machine. He has induced grounders on 66.4% of batted balls during his career, the third-highest rate among all active pitchers (min. 250 IP). Meanwhile, the Marlins offense once again leads the majors in groundball rate. So, naturally, Holmes faced 23 batters in this outing...and had zero grounders to show for it. Every Marlin who put the ball in play against him got it elevated to some extent. The issue was making contact in the first place. Holmes shattered his previous career high with 10 strikeouts (eight of them swinging). Liam Hicks' 22nd plate appearance as a big leaguer was his first in a bases-loaded situation. With two outs in the top of the first inning, he lined a single to left field that gave the Fish a 2-0 lead. d07714d0-c6677e79-b1e1a450-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Mets retaliated immediately. In the bottom of the inning, Connor Gillispie misplaced a cutter over the heart of the plate and Francisco Lindor drilled it into the upper deck in right field. The game-tying run crossed the plate in flukier fashion. Notorious Marlins killer Pete Alonso skied a ball to right field that barely stayed in fair territory and fell in between Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez. It took a big enough bounce off the dirt to easily clear the side wall, but protective netting kept it in play, enabling Juan Soto to score from first base. With Gillispie struggling to get a grip on the ball in the 43-degree weather and frequently falling behind in counts, McCullough got his bullpen warming early. Calvin Faucher was getting ready in case Lindor came to the plate in the fourth inning with runners on base. Gillispie completed the inning on his own before that situation presented itself, but McCullough went to his high-leverage arm anyway in the bottom of the fifth, calling it "the best situation to deploy him" against the top of the Mets lineup. Facing the same group of hitters in Miami last week, Faucher blew a three-run lead. In this instance, he surrendered four runs, though only one was earned due to a Matt Mervis fielding error. Brandon Nimmo's two-run double put the Mets ahead for good. v7flq8_1.mp4 The Marlins rallied in the top of the sixth inning to keep things interesting, punctuated by a Derek Hill two-run homer off of Huascar Brazobán to make it a 6-5 score. Alas, the Mets re-padded their lead in the bottom half of the frame. Back-to-back infield singles and a productive flyout put runners on the corners with one out. McCullough replaced Xzavion Curry with Ronny Henriquez, who's more likely to induce a double play ball to escape the jam. Rather than challenge Soto in that situation, they intentionally walked him to set up a right-on-right matchup against the red-hot Alonso, who proceeded to unload the bases by ripping a three-run double to left-center field. Hill stopped the bleeding with an awesome diving catch for the final out of the inning. Propped up by their 4-1 head-to-head record against Miami, the Mets have taken over the NL East division lead. The Marlins' first road trip of the season concludes on Wednesday. Max Meyer will be making his third start, coming off a career-high eight strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves. Right-hander Tylor Megill, who has allowed only one run through 10 ⅓ innings pitched, takes the mound for the Mets. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET. View full article

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 readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup DH Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Matt Mervis (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) SS Javier Sanoja P Connor Gillispie Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Today's news roundup also includes another milestone in Jesús Sánchez's rehab progression. I was at Citi Field for Tuesday's Marlins loss and it took a couple hours into the game to find a positive takeaway from the Marlins' perspective. That's when Derek Hill took over the sixth inning. A lifetime 47 wRC+ hitter against right-handed pitching, Hill trimmed the deficit with a two-run home run off of soft-contact machine Huascar Brazobán. Then in the bottom half of the frame, he saved three runs with a beautiful diving catch in the left-center gap. Hill racked up a modest 0.2 fWAR in 2024; he's already at 0.3 fWAR through seven games played in 2025. The brightest red flag with the 29-year-old is that he continues to chase outside the strike zone way too often. Overall, though, his place on the active roster is secure for the foreseeable future, no small feat for somebody who was claimed off waivers eight months ago. 72e2a7a1-f32cfd3c-b13cbc96-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-0. Double-A Pensacola won, 5-4. High-A Beloit lost, 3-2. Low-A Jupiter lost, 19-5. Kevin Barral's minor league report highlights notable performances from each level. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Sidelined by spring training injuries, Jesús Sánchez (left oblique strain) and Declan Cronin (left hip strain) faced each other in live batting practice on Tuesday. You could see them embark on minor league rehab assignments as soon as this weekend. 🔷 Fish On First's Sean McCormack noticed that Sandy Alcantara has lowered his arm slot compared to previous seasons and explains why that appears to be a good thing. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, beloved journeyman reliever Octavio Dotel was one of nearly 100 people who tragically passed away when the roof of a Dominican night club collapsed on Tuesday morning. A pair of veterans coming off excellent seasons, Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo López and Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles, are staring at extended absences. López in particular (right shoulder arthroscopic surgery) won't even be cleared to resume throwing until July. Happy 28th birthday to Luis Arraez, the all-time Marlins single-season record-holder for batting average. Arraez's start to the 2025 campaign has been perfectly on-brand, slashing .313/.346/.417 with zero strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. He is the only qualified hitter in the majors with a 0.0 K%. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) conclude their series against the New York Mets (RHP Tylor Megill). The Marlins have a 34.7% chance to avoid the sweep, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Charlotte, 12:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter vs. Dunedin, 6:30 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

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 readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez DH Matt Mervis (L) 1B Eric Wagaman LF Griffin Conine (L) CF Dane Myers 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Nick Fortes P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Today's news roundup also includes lots of winning throughout the Marlins minor league system. It was several years in the making, but the Toronto Blue Jays have finally inked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a lifetime contract. The extension reportedly guarantees Guerrero an even $500 million (with no deferrals) over the next 14 seasons, taking him through age 40 and ensuring he doesn't hit the free agent market. This news is rightfully being celebrated across Canada, but it underscores the importance of committing to elite players as early as possible. By letting this linger as long as they did, the Jays have wound up paying for a bunch of Guerrero's post-prime years, and he is already at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. It should go without saying that the Miami Marlins would never make such an inefficient investment under current ownership. If they're fortunate enough to develop a Guerrero-caliber hitter of their own in the coming years, they better be proactive about negotiating an extension. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-2. Edward Cabrera topped out at 100 mph in his second rehab start (4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 53 pitches/41 strikes). Although not fully stretched out as a starter, he appears likely to rejoin their rotation this weekend. Jacob Berry manned first base for the first time this season and delivered the walk-off RBI single. Double-A Pensacola won, 8-4. Messy outing for Dax Fulton in his return to minor league competition after a two-year absence (3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 72 pitches/45 strikes). Great situational hitting allowed the Blue Wahoos to overcome his control issues and four errors to complete the series sweep. High-A Beloit won, 5-4, sweeping their season-opening series as well. Low-A Jupiter won, 6-0. Dillon Head went 3-for-5 with two triples and two stolen bases. The Hammerheads totaled nine steals as a team. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Congratulations to Sandy Alcantara, who has flown back to Miami for the delivery of his second child, a baby girl. Alcantara already has an eight-year-old son named Yorlin. He will be going on the paternity list. 🔷 Valente Bellozo is being recalled from Jacksonville in a corresponding roster move, Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reports. Now I know for future reference—although Bellozo was optioned to the minors less than 15 days ago, a paternity list stint is one of the exceptions that allows a player to be recalled early. Bellozo is Miami's "likely" starter tonight, but he will need a lot of help from the rest of the pitching staff regardless after working two innings for the Jumbo Shrimp on Friday. Every bullpen arm should be available thanks to Sunday's postponement. 🔷 There are a couple injury concerns to monitor. Nick Fortes (neck stiffness) has not played since Wednesday. If he isn't available to catch tonight, the Marlins will have to seriously consider an IL stint. Xavier Edwards was scratched from Sunday's announced lineup due to right knee soreness. That knee began bothering him following this play way back on March 28. NXlhYU1fWGw0TUFRPT1fVUFrSFUxTlNBZ1FBRGxZS0FnQUhVMWRlQUZoVVV3UUFCVlJXQTFFQkJnQmNBQWRS.mp4 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first three series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the San Francisco Giants enter this week riding a seven-game winning streak and owning an MLB-best 8-1 record. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins open a three-game series against the New York Mets (probable starter RHP Kodai Senga). The Marlins have a 27.0% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the series beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off). Marlins podcast episodes State of the Fish - April 6, 2025 View full article

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 readers. These notes would have applied to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather. Starting Lineup RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez DH Matt Mervis (L) 1B Jonah Bride LF Griffin Conine (L) C Liam Hicks (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) SS Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

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 readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez 1B Matt Mervis (L) DH Eric Wagaman LF Griffin Conine (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Nick Fortes P Cal Quantrill Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Miami Marlins left-hander Thomas White started on Opening Day for the High-A Beloit Sky Carp and was practically unhittable. White's final line: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K (70 pitches/39 strikes). View full video

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 readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Otto Lopez 1B Matt Mervis (L) C Liam Hicks (L) DH Jonah Bride 3B Graham Pauley (L) CF Dane Myers P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

First Pensacola lineup of 2025

Today's news roundup also includes rosters for every Marlins full-season minor league affiliate in advance of their 2025 season openers. On this day in 2024, the Miami Marlins claimed Otto Lopez off of waivers from the San Francisco Giants. That date could prove very significant in franchise history if Lopez continues what he's been doing through his first 124 games with the Fish. Initially viewed as a utility player, the Dominican right-handed hitter has settled in as the club's everyday second baseman. Since the start of last season, Lopez leads all Marlins players with 3.0 fWAR, slashing .275/.320/.389 with eight home runs, 21 stolen bases and great defense. In the estimation of Baseball Trade Values, he has gone from having zero trade value to roughly the same as Marlins top prospects Noble Meyer and Dillon Head (even that feels like a conservative estimate, in my opinion). Nearly a year and a half into the Peter Bendix era, claiming Lopez and acquiring Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers for Trevor Rogers stand out as the most lopsided transactions in the Marlins' favor. Down on the farm on Thursday, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 5-1. Every Jumbo Shrimp position player recorded at least one hit. Meanwhile, Janson Junk, Austin Roberts and Christian Roa combined to allow only three total hits to Worcester. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Double-A Pensacola, High-A Beloit and Low-A Jupiter announced their Opening Day rosters on Thursday. The Fish On First injury/rehab tracker now includes players from those affiliates who are beginning the season on the IL, including PJ Morlando, Karson Milbrandt and Aiden May. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first two series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 More than three years since the Marlins last signed one of their players to a contract extension, I pondered who could be next. 🔷 University of Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill is next up in Hector Rodriguez's series of MLB Draft prospect profiles. Jamie Cameron is once again maintaining a mock draft consensus board for us leading up to the draft, taking rankings from major industry outlets to form a consensus board. 🔷 MLB.com's Christina De Nicola writes about the Coastal Carolina connection between Marlins reliever Anthony Veneziano and catching coach Joe Singley. 🔷 Sandy Alcantara (44th) is the lone Marlin who made the cut in ESPN's ranking of the top 100 MLB players. 🔷 For cord-cutters in South Florida, FanDuel Sports Network is offering a free 30-day trial to stream live Marlins game broadcasts and replays. Apply code MARLINS30 at checkout. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Aaron Judge has picked up right where he left off in 2024, leading the majors with a 364 wRC+ and 15 RBI through six games. He is tied for the league lead with five home runs. The Cincinnati Reds became the first MLB team since 1960 to lose three straight games by the score of 1-0. The Atlanta Braves, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants are scheduled to host their home openers tonight. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) begin their first road trip of the regular season against the Braves (RHP Spencer Schwellenbach). The Braves are MLB's last remaining winless team, yet the Marlins only have a 30.8% chance to beat them, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:15 p.m. ET. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the series beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off). 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Worcester, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Biloxi, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. South Bend, 7:05 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at St. Lucie, 6:10 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

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 readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's home series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) 1B Matt Mervis (L) 2B Otto Lopez 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Liam Hicks (L) DH Eric Wagaman CF Javier Sanoja P Connor Gillispie 04.02 vs. NYM - Marlins Game Notes.pdf View full article

Today's news roundup also includes comments from Sandy Alcantara about pitching through fatigue and another emerging MLB star inking a huge contract extension. For the first time since his rookie season, Sandy Alcantara made a start where his four-seam fastball averaged less than 96 miles per hour. His results were solid despite that, but it led to a quick hook for the Miami Marlins ace, who threw just 70 pitches on Tuesday night. After the game, Alcantara admitted to feeling "tired" and took pride in how he battled through it. Kyle Stowers homered to give the Marlins an early lead and Graham Pauley doubled to put them ahead for good in a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 10-5. Edward Cabrera (right middle finger blister) made his first rehab start with them (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 46 pitches/27 strikes). That modest workload suggests he will be making at least two more starts—one on Sunday and another next week—before the Marlins consider reincorporating him into their big league rotation. Maximo Acosta, Heriberto Hernández and Troy Johnston each homered in what was the Jumbo Shrimp's home opener. Every starting position player reached base safely. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Thanks to FOX 35 Orlando for having me on their television station on Monday to talk Marlins and torpedo bats! The full interview is posted here. 🔷 The official Marlins Opening Day payroll as calculated by the MLB labor relations department was $67,412,619, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, easily the lowest total in the majors. Last year at this time, their payroll was $97.2 million. 🔷 The updated FanGraphs MLB top prospects list from Eric Longenhagen includes five Marlins: Agustín Ramírez (40th), Thomas White (55th), Joe Mack (65th), Starlyn Caba (94th) and Noble Meyer (105th). Longenhagen assigns each of them a future value of 50. Also from FanGraphs, Jon Becker confirms that the Marlins had the youngest Opening Day roster in the majors (average age of 27.5 years) and the one with the most former waiver claims (seven). 🔷 Aram Leighton of Just Baseball highlighted Maximo Acosta as one of his 2025 prospect breakout candidates. Off to a good start! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, 2024 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill and the San Diego Padres have agreed on a nine-year, $135 million contract extension. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, Colton Cowser, will miss a minimum of 6-8 weeks due to a fractured left thumb. Lance Lynn has retired after 13 MLB seasons. Lynn was a two-time All-Star who began and ended his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, playing for five other teams in between those stints. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Connor Gillispie) conclude their series against the Mets (RHP Clay Holmes). They're seeking what would be the club's fourth straight regular season series win dating back to 2024. The Marlins have a 36.3% chance to get it done, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 4:40 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes View full article