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 road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 1B Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Kyle Stowers (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Javier Sanoja RF Owen Caissie (L) C Joe Mack (L) LF Esteury Ruiz P Tyler Phillips 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 third and final game of Miami's home series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup C Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) RF Owen Caissie (L) LF Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez CF Jakob Marsee (L) 1B Connor Norby DH Christopher Morel 3B Javier Sanoja P Tyler Phillips Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

"I don't think I'm gonna change anything." And why would you if you're Tyler Phillips? Phillips has been the Miami Marlins' best right-handed relief pitcher this season, and that was also true throughout the second half of 2025. Beginning on Sunday, that production is being rewarded with a starting rotation spot. The 28-year-old will pitch less frequently in this new role and shoulder a heavier workload when he does take the mound, but he told the media at loanDepot park he expects to attack opposing hitters with the same approach that served him so well out of the bullpen. Phillips' spot originally belonged to free agent acquisition Chris Paddack. The Marlins booted him to make room for highly touted prospect Robby Snelling, who lasted just one start before blowing out his elbow. Then Braxton Garrett got his opportunity...and quickly squandered it, landing barely half of his pitches for strikes en route to a pair of early exits. Paddack, Snelling and Garrett combined for a staggering 8.10 ERA. Miami went 0-9 in their starts. The bar for Phillips to clear is laughably low. "Whatever you want me to do to help the team, I'll go out there and answer the call," Phillips told manager Clayton McCullough. The way that the Marlins used Phillips during the past two months was head-scratching. His results were brilliant (1.20 ERA in 30.0 IP), but they often came in meaningless situations. In 11 of his 15 appearances, he took the mound with his club trailing, hence why he has accrued a modest total of 0.18 win probability added, per FanGraphs. Instead of inserting him to put out fires, he was cast as a glorified mop-up guy. What's encouraging is, Phillips has been equally effective against right-handed batters (.580 OPS allowed) and lefties (.588 OPS). Since debuting in the majors, he's actually better when facing an opponent multiple times in the same game. As recently as 2024, he logged 155 ⅓ innings pitched (AAA and MLB combined). Those are the kind of ingredients you look for in a rotation candidate. Phillips has had only three days' rest since his previous outing. Against the New York Mets, don't expect him to be stretched far beyond his season-high of 52 pitches. But by mid-June, we should have a clear idea of how well he's suited for a starting role. View full article

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton and FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger are currently tied atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR) on Monday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. TBD (TOR) on Tuesday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.91 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 7-14 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Leo Jiménez (7-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Blue Jays rank 23rd in MLB with a 93 wRC+ and fifth in MLB with a 3.54 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 15-12 record at home this season. The following Blue Jays players are on the injured list: Addison Barger (10-day IL), José Berríos (15-day IL), Shane Bieber (60-day IL), Lazaro Estrada (15-day IL), Bowden Francis (60-day IL), Yimi Garcia (60-day IL), Alejandro Kirk (10-day IL), Nathan Lukes (10-day IL), Joe Mantiply (15-day IL), Tommy Nance (15-day IL), Cody Ponce (60-day IL), Anthony Santander (60-day IL) and Max Scherzer (15-day IL). 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 second game of Miami's home series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Kyle Stowers (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 1B Connor Norby RF Owen Caissie (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Joe Mack (L) P Max Meyer 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 first game of Miami's home series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 1B Liam Hicks (L) 3B Connor Norby DH Kyle Stowers (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) LF Esteury Ruiz RF Owen Caissie (L) C Joe Mack (L) SS Javier Sanoja P Eury Pérez 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 fourth and final game of Miami's home series against the Atlanta Braves. Pregame roster moves: acquired Rece Hinds from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Zach McCambley and optioned Hinds to Triple-A Jacksonville; recalled Graham Pauley from Jacksonville; placed Leo Jiménez on the 7-day concussion IL; transferred Robby Snelling to the 60-day IL Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Kyle Stowers (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 1B Christopher Morel RF Owen Caissie (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) 05.21.26 vs. ATL - Marlins Game Notes.pdf

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 home series against the Atlanta Braves. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Connor Norby CF Esteury Ruiz 3B Leo Jiménez DH Christopher Morel C Liam Hicks (L) RF Javier Sanoja P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton and FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger are currently tied atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (NYM) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Christian Scott (NYM) on Saturday TBD (MIA) vs. TBD (NYM) on Sunday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.94 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 15-15 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Leo Jiménez (7-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Mets rank 27th in MLB with a 89 wRC+ and sixth in MLB with a 3.67 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 11-15 record on the road this season. The following Mets players are on the injured list: Francisco Alvarez (10-day IL), Reed Garrett (60-day IL), Justin Hagenman (60-day IL), Clay Holmes (60-day IL), Francisco Lindor (10-day IL), Ronny Mauricio (10-day IL), Tylor Megill (60-day IL), A.J. Minter (60-day IL), Dedniel Núñez (60-day IL), Jorge Polanco (10-day IL), Luis Robert Jr. (10-day IL), Kodai Senga (15-day IL), Jared Young (10-day IL). 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 second game of Miami's home series against the Atlanta Braves. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Christopher Morel CF Esteury Ruiz RF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Connor Norby 3B Leo Jiménez C Joe Mack (L) P Braxton Garrett 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 first game of Miami's home series against the Atlanta Braves. No actual pregame roster moves, but Kevin Barral brings us some other news from loanDepot park: Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Kyle Stowers (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 1B Connor Norby C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (four-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton and FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger are currently tied atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP JR Ritchie (ATL) on Monday LHP Braxton Garrett (MIA) vs. LHP Martin Pérez (ATL) on Tuesday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. LHP Chris Sale (ATL) on Wednesday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Spencer Strider (ATL) on Thursday The Marlins rank 18th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 3.85 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 14-12 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (15-day IL). The Braves rank second in MLB with a 115 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 3.85 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 16-7 record on the road this season. The following Braves players are on the injured list: Ronald Acuña Jr. (10-day IL), Dylan Dodd (15-day IL), Joe Jiménez (60-day IL), Sean Murphy (10-day IL), Spencer Schwellenbach (60-day IL), AJ Smith-Shawver (60-day IL), Hurston Waldrep (15-day IL), Joey Wentz (60-day IL), Eli White (7-day IL) and Danny Young (60-day IL). View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Nate Karzmer, Louis Addeo-Weiss, Sean Millerick, Alex Carver and Isaac Azout. The following topics were covered: Marlins on verge of falling into last place Eury Pérez showing no signs of turnaround Jakob Marsee's best series yet Joe Mack's control of the running game Elite production from middle infield of Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez Previewing and predicting the next series against the Atlanta Braves You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Thursday at approximately 10:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Braves series finale. 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 Tampa Bay Rays. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Connor Norby CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Leo Jiménez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Christopher Morel P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Tuesday afternoon at loanDepot park, on the verge of making history, Anthony Bender's fate was in his hands. Atlanta Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim chopped a 1-2 sinker back to the mound. Bender carefully tossed it to Christopher Morel at first base, completing a perfect fourth inning for the Miami Marlins...and a ninth consecutive perfect inning for himself. The veteran right-hander, spread out across nine separate relief appearances, retired 27 batters in a row. Let's call it a "hidden perfect game." The 28th batter, Ronald Acuña Jr., snapped the streak when he led off Tuesday's fifth inning with a double. The streak began against Willy Adames in San Francisco. Here is the full play-by-play account of Bender's pitching beginning then and continuing up until the Acuña double: Strikeout on April 25 Groundout, lineout, flyout on April 26 Popout, flyout, groundout on April 28 Strikeout, strikeout, flyout on May 2 Forceout, groundout on May 5 Groundout, flyout, strikeout on May 8 Groundout, groundout, strikeout, groundout, flyout, groundout on May 14 Groundout, strikeout, lineout on May 16 Strikeout, groundout, groundout on May 19 Even in such a small sample, this degree of dominance is incredibly rare. There are more than 400 MLB pitchers, according to FanGraphs, who logged at least five innings from April 26 through Monday. Bender was the only one of them who didn't allow any baserunners during that span. Across parts of five MLB seasons, he had never previously made it more than halfway to a hidden perfect game until now. I do not have sufficient research tools to verify it, but this is probably the first hidden perfecto in Marlins history. I ran several queries with the Stathead streak finder looking for comparable performances and couldn't find any instances of more than 24 straight batters retired. Bender achieved his perfect results even without perfect execution. He hung sweepers to J.T. Realmuto (May 2) and Luke Keaschall (May 14) that were hammered 353 feet and 356 feet, respectively. Both fly balls were caught on the warning track. But those were the only mistakes that had the potential to go for extra-base hits. That Keaschall matchup was also the only three-ball count any opponent worked against Bender during the streak. That's remarkable for a pitcher whose lifetime walk rate is slightly worse than the MLB average. One limitation of Bender's game is his inability to entice batters to offer at pitches outside the strike zone. He ranked in the seventh percentile among MLB pitchers in chase rate last season, per Baseball Savant, and similarly resides in the fifth percentile in 2026. It's crucial for him to trust his stuff in the zone, and he's been doing much more of that as this year has progressed. Bender has always had huge platoon splits. Entering Tuesday, his career OPS allowed to right-handed batters was .528 compared to .755 to left-handed batters. In limited exposure to lefties this season, he's been better than ever (.644 OPS). The only extra-base hit has been a double off the bat of Jazz Chisholm Jr. way back on April 5. Very similar to teammate John King, he's leaning into unpredictability when at a platoon disadvantage—his sweeper, sinker and slider usage rates have been nearly identical against lefties. Aside from pending free agent Pete Fairbanks, Bender is the Marlins' most obvious midseason trade candidate. He's earning a $2.81 million salary with one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining. The bullpen is a strength for the Fish, ranking ninth among MLB teams in fWAR and sixth in ERA, with plenty of intriguing depth at Triple-A. Regardless of where they stand in the postseason race a couple months from now, they could move the 31-year-old and promote from within and not necessarily hurt their competitive chances in the process. While it's premature to discuss potential suitors in depth, the Chicago Cubs are a logical landing spot for Bender. They whiffed on a pair of free agent reliever signings last offseason—Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton due to injury and ineffectiveness, respectively. Additionally, their pitching staff has allowed homers at the second-highest rate in the league, whereas Bender is consistently stingy in that department (including 0 HR in 18.2 IP this season). View full article

Fish On First LIVE discusses the special skill set of Marlins prospect Kemp Alderman. Slashing .308/.385/.503 with seven home runs for Triple-A Jacksonville, Alderman has begun playing first base this season in addition to his usual right field. 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 first game of Miami's road series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Marlins haven't won a series at Tropicana Field sine 2018. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 1B Christopher Morel LF Kyle Stowers (L) 3B Connor Norby CF Jakob Marsee (L) RF Esteury Ruiz C Joe Mack (L) P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)