Ely Sussman

NEW YORK — In the two previous Miami Marlins losses of 2026, observers could recognize early what the outcome would be. Saturday night followed a much different script, as a 4-0 lead suggested that they were firmly in control midway through the game. Alas, largely capitalizing on their visitor's inability to find the strike zone, the Yankees scored nine runs over their final four trips to the plate in a series-clinching victory. A Marlins bullpen that had been fantastic during the club's opening homestand has plummeted back to earth. Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender, John King, Calvin Faucher and Michael Petersen combined to throw more balls (47) than strikes (45) in relief of Max Meyer. "Credit to them," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said complimenting New York's offense. "They really got a really good approach and are very stubborn with what they're looking for. They showed that and did a good job or working some good at-bats with what we know are some really good pitchers that we have." Marlins Bullpen ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Nardi 4.50 0.1 0 1 1 3 1 0 4 Bender (BS, 1) 7.71 0.1 2 2 2 0 1 0 4 King, Jo 0.00 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Faucher 0.00 1.0 0 1 0 1 2 0 4 Petersen (L, 1-1) 6.75 1.0 1 3 2 3 0 0 7 Totals 13.50 3.1 3 7 5 7 5 1 21 Close friends Meyer, Weathers equally underwhelming This was supposed to be the main storyline of the game, right? Marlins teammates from 2023-25, Meyer and Ryan Weathers are both under the microscope, as the former tries to preserve his spot in the starting rotation and latter tries to ingratiate himself to a new organization that holds itself to the highest standard. Another interesting twist: Meyer describes Weathers as "one of my best friends last year," so he was excited to see their pitching schedules align this way. Weathers started the night on an impressive note, striking out unorthodox leadoff man Austin Slater on three pitches. However, from that point forward, a Marlins lineup that generally stunk against left-handed starters in 2025 founds its spark. With two outs in the first inning, Heriberto Hernández caught up to a 99 mph fastball and drove it to the right-center gap for a two-run triple. The Marlins stretched their lead to 3-0 in the next inning with an assist from the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. Slater was initially called out on strikes to end the top of the second, but the 3-2 pitch was overturned to ball four after review. That set up an Agustín Ramírez RBI single. It was an inefficient outing for the talented left-hander, throwing 88 pitches in just 3 ⅔ innings. Meyer held the Yanks scoreless entering the fifth, but that was misleading. He allowed baserunners in all but one of his innings and never really found his rhythm. The bottom of the third was particularly adventurous. The first two batters reached base in front of Aaron Judge, who punished a middle-middle changeup with a 112 mph exit velocity. Fortunately for Meyer, it was directed to center field, so 387 feet later, Jakob Marsee had room to run it down for a long, loud out. Later from the frame, with the bases loaded, Meyer fell behind 3-0 in the count to Giancarlo Stanton, but rallied back to induce an inning-ending popout. More notes and takeaways - The Marlins had nine more hit than the Yankees (15 to six), but their baserunners totals were very similar due to all of the free passes. Going back to Friday's game, the Fish have tied a franchise record by issuing 21 walks in a two-game span. - Agustín Ramírez wasn't gun shy after carelessly getting picked off late in Friday's game. He showed good awareness in the fourth inning, taking third base on Jakob Marsee's single when he noticed that the base was unoccupied. An errant throw allowed him to score on the play. At the plate, he went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, raising his season wRC+ to 131. - In the second inning, Leo Jiménez recorded his first hit as a Marlin, a soft, well-placed grounder off of Weathers. He added another infield single in the sixth. - Speaking of Weathers, let's do a brief check-in on the prospects who the Marlins acquired in exchange for him. Outfielders Brendan Jones (.750 OPS) and Dillon Lewis (.250 OPS) and infielder Dylan Jasso (.833 OPS) have each begun 2026 with Double-A Pensacola. High-A infielder Juan Matheus went 0-for-4 with four walks in the Beloit Sky Carp's season-opening doubleheader on Saturday. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, but inclement weather in the forecast puts that start time and the game itself in jeopardy. If they're able to play through the raindrops, the starting pitchers will be Chris Paddack (Marlins) and Max Fried (Yankees). While Paddack was shelled for eight runs (all earned) in his season debut, Fried owns a shiny 0.00 ERA on the heels of back-to-back scoreless starts. table { border-collapse: collapse; width: 80%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 8px 12px; text-align: center; } th { background-color: #f2f2f2; font-weight: bold; } td:first-child { text-align: left; color: #3366cc; } tfoot td { font-weight: bold; background-color: #f9f9f9; } 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 road series against the New York Yankees. It's going to be the coldest game of the Marlins' season thus far, with the temperature potentially dipping below 50 degrees by the later innings. Starting Lineup RF Austin Slater C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Connor Norby 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Leo Jiménez 3B Javier Sanoja P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

NEW YORK — The Miami Marlins didn't need Eury Pérez to do too much on Friday. A complete game by his friend and mentor Sandy Alcantara combined with a scheduled off-day left Miami's lights-out bullpen as fresh as possible. Against a high-powered New York Yankees lineup, it was more important to avoid the big mistake than to provide length. Pérez ultimately did neither. The 22-year-old right-hander issued six walks to the Yankees in their sold-out home opener after previously never topping four in a major league start. He held them to only two hits, but the first of which was an Aaron Judge two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Yankees a lead they would never relinquish. With a final score of 8-2, it was the Marlins' largest margin of defeat of the young 2026 season. This was not a "cold weather" game, per se, but it was much colder than what Marlins players are accustomed to. The first-pitch temperature of 58 degrees was lower than any other that Pérez has experienced in the big leagues. "A little bit of cold out there," Pérez admitted via interpreter after the game. "Not an excuse—want to say that." Manager Clayton McCullough attributed Pérez's struggles primarily to his inability to land his secondary pitches for strikes. However, fastball command was similarly (and uncharacteristically) poor. Five of the six pitches that culminated in walks were four-seam fastballs, as was Judge's based-loaded hit-by-pitch, which drove in the final run off the Marlins starter. The next start for Pérez will come against the Cincinnati Reds, who entered Friday with MLB's second-highest walk rate, so that outing could follow the same script if he doesn't make mechanical adjustments. More notes and takeaways - The strike zone was also elusive for Marlins relievers. Tyler Phillips walked two batters and spiked a curveball for a run-scoring wild pitch. Michael Petersen walked another and Lake Bachar contributed two of his own. The club's 11 total walks exceeded their total from the first six games of the season combined. - The Marlins' only runs came courtesy of solo homers. Unlikely power source Xavier Edwards hit his in the first inning. Although he's a switch-hitter, all five of Edwards' home runs in the big leagues have been blasted from the left side of the plate. Owen Caissie homered in the fifth inning. Both of them came off of Will Warren four-seamers. - Facing his former team, Jazz Chisholm Jr. enjoyed his best offensive game of 2026. He went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two stolen bases. - Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee collided when pursuing a fly ball in the bottom of the first. Conine lost his sunglasses, but made the catch and both players stayed in for the entire game. - With the Marlins' chances of rallying practically zero in the ninth inning, Agustín Ramírez took second base on defensive indifference, then made the penultimate out of the game in embarrassing fashion. "Tough place to lose an out," McCullough said tersely. The series continues Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET. The probable starters are Max Meyer for the Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers, who was dealt from the Fish to New York in January. It'll be Weathers' first time pitching in pinstripes, though he has prior experience in this ballpark from 2024, when he went five scoreless innings in a Marlins victory. 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 first game of Miami's road series against the New York Yankees. It's the Yankees' 2026 home opener. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Connor Norby LF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins announced on Thursday that right-handed reliever Garrett Acton has been traded to the Minnesota Twins. In return, they received right-handed reliever Logan Whitaker. The Marlins claimed Acton off waivers from the Colorado Rockies in February and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville last month. Prior to being designated for assignment, he made two scoreless relief appearances for the Jumbo Shrimp, leaning almost entirely on his mid-90s four-seam fastball and high-80s slider. He spent the vast majority of 2025 (his age-27 season) with Triple-A Durham, where he performed solidly (3.68 ERA and 4.01 FIP in 58.2 IP). Acton has also made seven major league appearances (all as a reliever), posting a 10.80 ERA and 11.19 FIP in those 6 ⅔ innings pitched. Turning 25 next month, Whitaker split last season between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita. He spent nearly two months on the injured list, which limited him to 38 ⅓ innings pitched (25 G/0 GS), but he was highly effective when available, posting a 2.11 ERA and 2.90 FIP. That includes a 1.21 ERA if you ignore his season debut. He also worked three scoreless innings in Grapefruit League games this spring. Selected in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of North Carolina State University, Whitaker is listed at 6'6", but only gets approximately six feet of extension during his delivery. He attacks hitters using his four-seamer and changeup, with occasional sliders and cutters mixed in. Whitaker should be joining Double-A Pensacola's roster this weekend. Through six games in 2026, the Marlins bullpen has been phenomenal. It's unclear who would be first in line for a call-up in the event of injury or overuse. Left-hander Cade Gibson has looked shaky for the Jumbo Shrimp through one week of action. Right-hander Josh White has fully proven himself in the minors, but lacks MLB experience. View full rumor

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) Recent history tells us that the Miami Marlins are difficult to predict, but that won't stop us from trying. Welcome to a new season of Prediction Time. Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring the prognostications 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) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. There is currently an eight-way tie atop the 2026 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) and RHP Will Warren (NYY) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) and LHP Ryan Weathers (NYY) on Saturday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) and LHP Max Fried (NYY) on Sunday The Marlins rank second in MLB with a 140 wRC+ and second in MLB with a 2.58 FIP. They haven't played on the road yet this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Maximo Acosta (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Christopher Morel (10-day IL), Esteury Ruiz (10-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Yankees rank 20th in MLB with a 91 wRC+ and first in MLB with a 1.89 FIP. They haven't played at home yet this season. In addition to Weathers, their roster includes former Fish Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. The following Yankees players are on the injured list: Gerrit Cole (15-day IL), Carlos Rodón (15-day IL), Clarke Schmidt (60-day IL) and Anthony Volpe (10-day IL). View full article

Members of the 2025 Miami Marlins MLB Draft class are on the cusp of an important career milestone, as they'll be experiencing their first Opening Day as minor leaguers. Because this draft class was comprised only of college players, the vast majority of them have unsurprisingly progressed to full-season MiLB affiliates. None of them are on an especially fast track, though—do not expect to see them on the Marlins major league roster until 2027 at the earliest. INF Aiva Arquette (Round 1): assigned to High-A Beloit (injured list) OF Cam Cannarella (Competitive Balance Round A): assigned to High-A Beloit OF Brandon Compton (Round 2): assigned to High-A Beloit OF Max Williams (Round 3): assigned to Low-A Jupiter (injured list) INF Drew Faurot (Round 4): assigned to High-A Beloit 1B/OF Chris Arroyo (Round 5): assigned to Low-A Jupiter LHP Joey Volini (Round 6): assigned to High-A Beloit RHP Jake Clemente (Round 7): assigned to Low-A Jupiter INF Emilio Barreras (Round 8): assigned to Low-A Jupiter LHP Kaiden Wilson (Round 9): assigned to FCL Marlins (injured list) UTIL Jake McCutcheon (Round 10): assigned to Low-A Jupiter RHP Jadon Williamson (Round 11): assigned to Low-A Jupiter C Wilson Weber (Round 12): assigned to High-A Beloit RHP Chase Renner (Round 13): assigned to FCL Marlins RHP Carson Laws (Round 14): assigned to High-A Beloit UTIL Josh Hogue (Round 15): assigned to Low-A Jupiter (injured list) LHP RJ Shunck (Round 16): assigned to Low-A Jupiter RHP Xavier Cardenas (Round 17): assigned to High-A Beloit LHP Hayden Cuthbertson (Round 18): assigned to High-A Beloit RHP Peyton Fosher (Round 19): assigned to High-A Beloit RHP Cannon Pickell (Round 20): assigned to High-A Beloit The Beloit Sky Carp's season opener, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed due to inclement weather. The Jupiter Hammerheads will play their opener in Daytona at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Florida Complex League season doesn't begin until May 2. View full article

Sandy Alcantara barely broke a sweat during his masterful start in Miami on Wednesday. Watch for yourself. 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 third and final game of Miami's home series against the Chicago White Sox. Something to monitor: Griffin Conine is "under the weather," per manager Clayton McCullough, which is why he isn't in the starting lineup. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) DH Connor Norby RF Owen Caissie (L) LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Graham Pauley (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Whatever expectations you had for the Miami Marlins entering the 2026 season should not change in any way based on a five-game sample against soft competition. However, those expectations may have been influenced by incomplete information if you didn't account for the switch that this team flipped during the middle of the previous year. Across nearly 900 innings, the Fish have excelled. For the sake of round numbers, let's look at the last 100 games. Dating back to June 14, 2025, the Marlins have a 57-43 record—that is tied for sixth-best in Major League Baseball, according to Stathead. The team they're tied with? The World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Every team with a superior record qualified for the 2025 postseason. Rk Team Span Started Span Ended ▼ WL% G W L 1 MIL 2025-06-10 2026-03-31 .660 100 66 34 2 TOR 2025-06-11 2026-03-31 .610 100 61 39 3 PHI 2025-06-11 2026-03-31 .600 100 60 40 4 SEA 2025-06-14 2026-03-31 .590 100 59 41 5 BOS 2025-06-09 2026-03-31 .580 100 58 42 6 MIA 2025-06-14 2026-03-31 .570 100 57 43 7 LAD 2025-06-10 2026-03-31 .570 100 57 43 This is the winningest 100-game stretch for the Marlins since the very end of 2022 (final eight games) and 2023 pre-All-Star break (92 games), when they went 58-42. Why this might be legit Consistency has been key for the resurgent Marlins. They've played in 32 series over this span, getting swept only once (9/1/25-9/3/25 against the Washington Nationals). Their record is comfortably above .500 both at home and on the road—they actually established an all-time franchise record for consecutive road wins at the beginning of these 100 games. What's been causing problems for the opposition? The Marlins offense constantly applies pressure. Their 19.5% strikeout rate over the last 100 games is fifth-lowest in MLB and they've stolen 91 bases, which is the fifth-highest total. The Marlins have won despite never being able to utilize a full-strength lineup. For the first 40 games, dynamic center fielder Jakob Marsee was still in the minor leagues. For the last 45 games, All-Star Kyle Stowers has been sidelined due to various injuries. During their brief overlap in availability, Griffin Conine and Connor Norby were both out. Knock on wood, all of those bats should be taking the field together later this month as Stowers (hamstring strain) gradually increases baseball activities. To the disdain of baseball traditionalists, Miami's coaching staff began calling every pitch from the dugout on September 19. The early returns have been awesome, with 21 different pitchers combining for a 3.21 ERA (eighth in MLB). Why this might be a mirage Tuesday's game was uncharacteristically comfortable for the Marlins. They won at a .566 clip over their previous 99 games despite an overall run differential of zero. That's the underlying performance of a .500 team. Offensively, the 2025 Marlins leaned heavily on rookies and other pre-arbitration-eligible hitters playing their first full-length MLB seasons. While some of them may continue getting better as they accrue additional experience, it's more common to see regression as the rest of the league interprets their data and learns their tendencies. Marlins relievers have been extraordinarily clutch since last summer. Is that because of manager Clayton McCullough pushing all of the right buttons, or are they beneficiaries of random variance? They will attempt to continue overachieving in this department without the services of electric right-hander Ronny Henriquez, who'll miss all of 2026 while recovering from elbow surgery. Sandy Alcantara is a stabilizing force for the franchise, on the mound and in the clubhouse. Only Cristopher Sánchez and Garrett Crochet have averaged more innings pitched per start among MLB qualifiers during this span. The Marlins were open to trading him in the past; now in the final guaranteed season of his contract (and due a pay raise if his 2027 option is exercised), those conversations are highly likely to resume. Can youngsters sufficiently fill his shoes if the front office gets an offer they can't refuse? View full article

In 4 of the previous 5 years, he was injured before the season even began. It's a minor miracle that he actually made his first scheduled start for a change haha.

Good observation. Looking back at most of the game, I saw that by default, Hicks sets an initial target around waist high, but then drops his glove down and reacts to the pitch. This applied to most pitch types. The grand slam was an example of his default position. With a lot of fastballs, he would show an even higher target around the letters. I believe this was just terrible execution, but the pitch they wanted. Paddack likes throwing his changeup to both LHB and RHB.

Cutting down on the grounders will be important, but in his defense, weak contact isn't worrying me. His one from last night, for example, was 110 mph off the bat. He also has the hardest-hit ball of the entire Marlins season so far (113.5 mph, recorded on Saturday). The power has been in him the whole time even when the results aren't there.

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 Chicago White Sox. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez 1B Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Owen Caissie (L) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The two biggest transactions of the 2025-26 Miami Marlins offseason both subtracted major league starting pitchers to fortify the organization's position player pipeline. The Marlins insisted that this was not punting on their current team, that the quality of their rotation depth will be strong enough to make up for the absences of Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers. I was dubious of that argument, but we're still several months away from being able to render a verdict. If you are in the Marlins front office, Monday's performances were unsettling. Signed to a one-year free agent deal in the aftermath of the Cabrera and Weathers trades, Chris Paddack took the mound at loanDepot park. He began his night with two sharp innings against the Chicago White Sox, following by two catastrophic innings. Paddack had been susceptible to home runs throughout the second half of last season, and that was his undoing here, as Austin Hays (three-run homer) and Miguel Vargas (grand slam) combined to give the visitors an insurmountable lead. The veteran right-hander individually allowed more runs than the entire Marlins pitching staff did during their previous series sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Meanwhile, Chicago's other MLB club also won comfortably, led by Cabrera. He tossed six scoreless, efficient innings at Wrigley Field, extracting 18 outs from the 19 Los Angeles Angels batters he faced. Cabrera "might be as important as anyone to the team's pursuit of its first full-season division title in almost a decade—and he showed why on Monday," explains Northside Baseball's Matthew Trueblood. Matched up against a Seattle Mariners offense that projects to be among MLB's elite, Weathers did pretty well in his debut, too. Although removed after just 4 ⅓ innings, he struck out seven. Seattle's lone run off of him came via a broken-bat blooper. The 26-year-old lefty received a no-decision as the Mariners ultimately won in walk-off fashion. I'd be remiss not to mention that rookie outfielder Owen Caissie was acquired in exchange for Cabrera. He has made an immediate positive impact, doing his best Kyle Stowers impression through four Marlins games with a 231 wRC+ and a walk-off homer. Perhaps even if the back end of Miami's rotation proves to be a weakness, Caissie could add enough pop to their lineup to compensate for it. Conveniently, Weathers is lined up to face the Fish at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. 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 first game of Miami's home series against the Chicago White Sox. Chris Paddack will be making his Marlins debut. Newly acquired infielder Leo Jiménez might as well—he's available off the bench. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Connor Norby LF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Chris Paddack Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)