Noah Berger

In New York on Wednesday, the Marlins recovered from a pummeling in game one with a rally in the ninth inning of game two to split a crucial doubleheader and take control of the third NL Wild Card spot. How we got hereIn an act that can only be described as negligent, the New York Mets grounds crew left the tarp off the field over a weekend that featured torrential downpours from a tropical storm. They then covered the already-saturated infield dirt at some point, either late Sunday or early Monday, expecting the rain to clear out of the area and the sun to shine long enough to dry the infield before the first game of the series on Tuesday. The rain did not stop until around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and the tarp was removed to reveal a completely unplayable infield. After attempting to dry the field with brute force for hours, the game was officially postponed at around 8:30. This was a worst-case scenario for the Marlins, who were one game out of the NL Wild Card entering Tuesday and without most of their starting pitching length. Marlins officials were furious, as reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, and they had every right to be. Mets owner Steven Cohen issued an apology over Twitter X. Game 1: MIA 2, NYM 11: It's So Over.Braxton Garrett was supposed to pitch Tuesday night, but got pushed back because of the aforementioned unplayable field conditions. Unfortunately, that delay seemed to throw off his mechanics and timing completely. He gave up two two-run home runs, one in the first and one in the third, and was not able to give the Marlins what they needed most: length. He left the game after four innings. Braxton Garrett's final line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 1 WP, 77/46 P/S. It's not ideal for what might end up being the last start of the season for Braxton Garrett. He may pitch on short rest on Sunday to close out the season if the Marlins haven't yet clinched or been eliminated. Steven Okert pitched a scoreless inning, and then JT Chargois and Enmanuel De Jesus combined for three innings, allowing a combined seven earned runs. On the offensive side, the Marlins only managed to plate two runs on nine hits and a New York error, which was not enough to overcome the eleven runs that the Mets had scored. (See? I can do math!) Final Score: Marlins 2, Mets 11. Time of game: 2 hours, 49 minutes Now, onto game two... Game 2: MIA 4, NYM 2: We Are So Back.After a break that lasted 41 minutes and nine seconds, Kodai Senga delivered a first-pitch ball to Jon Berti to begin the nightcap of today's twin bill. Three pitches later, the Marlins had a 1-0 lead because Jon Berti is apparently a power hitter now. 104.2 MPH, 31 deg, 406 ft. The first home run hit off of Senga's "Ghost Fork." Johnny Cueto came out with guns blazing in the first inning but then allowed a game-tying homer to Francisco Lindor to lead off the second inning. Two innings later, Jesus Sanchez would give the Marlins another lead with a solo home run of his own off of Senga. 102.2 MPH, 25 deg, 382 ft. 2-1 Miami. And then Francisco Lindor happened...again. His 30th HR of the season, putting him in the 30/30 club. Cueto got an out in the fourth, allowed a single, and handed the ball off to A.J. Puk, who came in and got five humongous outs to keep the game tied at two. Cueto's final line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 73/47 P/S. It was a massive outing from Cueto, given the circumstances. The game remained tied all the way until the top of the ninth inning, with David Robertson striking out the side against his former team in the seventh and Matt Moore working around a double by Pete Alonso that was short of being a home run by less than a foot. The Marlins had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning with Jake Burger at the plate and two outs. With a 1-2 count, Phil Bickford threw a fastball that missed the zone by at least a full ball width, and home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus called it strike three. Jake Burger threw his helmet down in frustration and was immediately ejected. Skip sprinted out of the dugout and was livid that one of his best hitters had just been ejected without having said a word in the umpire's direction. Skip was subsequently ejected as well. "It's a very intense game," Skip said afterwards. "It was a big high-level moment in our season, in the game. He threw his helmet down, gets tossed, didn't 'mother f' anybody, didn't do anything, didn't say anything, and gets tossed. By the way, he was right. It was a ball. So you know, that's frustrating. Every pitch matters. Get it right. And if you get it wrong, it's okay. But don't don't toss out one of our best players." Xavier Edwards continued causing havoc on the bases as he hit a leadoff single to begin the top of the ninth inning, stole second, went to third on an infield single by Jon Berti, and scored the eventual winning run on a fielding error by Brett Baty. Bryan De La Cruz then drove in some insurance with an RBI single and to the shock of many, a loud "Let's Go Marlins" chant erupted at Citi Field. Mets fans tried to boo it away, but the Fish fans persisted and won the battle and cheered until the night was over. Andrew Nardi came on to pitch the ninth inning with Tanner Scott back home in Miami, welcoming his first child to the world. With the news that the Cubs had just lost to the Braves, Nardi slammed the door, and the Marlins took control of the third NL Wild Card spot. Final Score: Marlins 4, Mets 2. Time of game: 2 hours, 51 minutes. Total time of play today (1st pitch of game 1 to final out of game 2): 6 hours, 21 minutes. Attendance: 24,966 Noah's Notes and What's NextJorge Soler did not play in the second game due to "right side discomfort."Josh Bell was removed from the game with "fastball-to-the-knee syndrome." That's not an official diagnosis, obviously. Skip said they took him out cause he was hobbling out there on the bases. He also mentioned how much of a warrior he was to stay in the game as long as he did.For the first time since 2009, the Marlins are assured of finishing a full-length season with a winning record.Rubber match on deck Thursday. Jesús Luzardo vs. David Peterson.'Til Tmrw!Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Following a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss on Monday night, Miami got back in the win column behind a robust Braxton Garrett performance and some late-game heroics from Jake Burger on Tuesday night. It was a wild and wacky affair, with errors from both clubs leading directly to runs and bloop hits galore. Nevertheless, Miami walked off the Mets to a 4-3 win. Brax worked himself into and out of trouble early on, allowing the first two Mets hitters to get to second and third with no outs in the first inning. He bounced back and got a strikeout and a couple of groundouts to end the inning without allowing a run. The first of the ground outs was a fielder's choice hit to Garrett Hampson, who made an outstanding play to cut down the runner at the plate. https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/942a9081-4571-48c4-82d3-cef026088893.mp4With two outs in the top of the third inning, some more wackiness occurred as Pete Alonso singled and went to second on a fielding error by Jon Berti, then went to third on a single by Francisco Lindor, and scored on a throwing error by Braxton Garrett on Lindor's single. Lindor then stole third base and, with a 2-2 count of Francisco Alvarez, broke for the plate, causing Brax to panic and throw a quick pitch to the plate that looked like it should've been called a balk. The Mets dugout erupted, asking for a balk to be called and a run to be scored, but the umpires ruled that Braxton had properly disengaged the rubber before throwing home, and it was a "no pitch." Then, in the bottom of the third inning, the bats finally decided to wake up as Jorge Soler and Josh Bell hit back-to-back doubles with two outs to tie the game at one. https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/32ac0757-852a-4377-a970-f4fe8313e857.mp4The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning when all hell broke loose. Jon Berti led off the inning with a double, and Nick Fortes got on base with his first of two hit-by-pitches of the game. Then Xavier Edwards laid down one of the prettiest bunts I've seen all year to move the runners up... Oh my goodness, Joey Lucchesi threw the ball to third, and there was nobody there! Jon Berti came home to score, Nick Fortes lost sight of the ball and got thrown out at third base, and Xavier Edwards trotted into second, wondering what on earth just happened. The @Marlins take their first lead of the series in the weirdest of ways...@Marlins lead 2-1. pic.twitter.com/OvXLijfkYY — Marlins Radio (@MarlinsRadio) September 20, 2023 Braxton Garrett pitched a scoreless sixth inning and left with a 2-1 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth inning. The Marlins scored another run in the bottom of the sixth, putting Brax in line for the win as A.J. Puk took the mound for the top of the seventh. Final line for Brax: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 91/56 P/S. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/19/97144de2-a140a888-631fc36e-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/a46574e2-58fc-48fe-891b-e834a3765cbd.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/554583c2-b7b8-4db5-8fbd-10f9495736a8.mp4A.J. Puk loaded the bases on three hits, one of which deflected off his back, in the seventh. He handed the ball to... Is that Andrew Nardi??? WITH CORNROWS!?!? A different hairstyle, same stranded runners; he got a groundout to leave them loaded. He went on to pitch a scoreless eighth inning before giving way to Tanner Scott for the ninth inning. That's when it all came crashing down. Tanner gave up a double and a single to put runners on the corners, got two ground balls to put runners at second and third with two outs, then hung a slider to Brandon Nimmo that was sent to the gap in right-center to tie the game at three. A blown save for Tanner. From the depths of despair to the height of excitement. Nick Fortes continued to get absolutely destroyed physically as he took a pitch off his right hand to begin the bottom of the ninth and was in significant pain. Skip likened his season to the famous YouTube skit of a soccer player continuously getting hurt no matter where he went. (Look up "Scott Sterling" on YT if you don't get that reference.) Xavier Edwards laid down another gorgeous bunt to move Nick to second base. The Mets intentionally walked Jorge Soler, and Skip sent Joey Wendle out to pinch run for Nick Fortes. Yuli Gurriel grounded out to move the runners to second and third, and then Jake Burger delivered the knockout blow. A base hit to shallow center sent the ballpark into a frenzy. Marlins win 4-3. Time of game: 2 hours, 45 minutes. JAKE BURGER WALKS IT OFF FOR THE @MARLINS!!!! Miami wins 4-3!!!!! pic.twitter.com/s00xizEefK — Marlins Radio (@MarlinsRadio) September 20, 2023 Noah's Notes and What's NextLuis Arraez injured himself pregame on Tuesday fielding a ground ball during infield drills. He suffered a sprained left ankle and is day-to-day. Bryan De La Cruz returned to Miami's lineup after missing the team's last three games with right ankle discomfort. The Marlins tied a franchise record by grounding into their 145nd double-play of the season. The Marlins claimed left-handed reliever Matt Moore off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians before Tuesday's game. He's expected to join the team on Wednesday.

Noah Berger interviews Miami Marlins left-hander Devin Smeltzer about surviving pediatric cancer and connecting with kids who are going through the same battle. Smeltzer also reflects on the recent no-hitter he threw for Triple-A Jacksonville and the vibes around the Marlins in the midst of their 2023 playoff race. Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every What a Relief episode. At nine years old, Smeltzer was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. He developed a tumor that required surgery and chemotherapy to treat. The cancer went into full remission in 2012, though he continues to experience occasional side effects ("it's a lifelong battle"). "I've been able to touch some lives and just give some light at the end of the tunnel for kids going through it and their families, just a little bit of hope that there is normalcy on the other side," Smeltzer says. Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, Smeltzer made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019. He pitched 140 innings for them across parts of four seasons, plus a scoreless relief appearance in Game 2 of the 2019 ALDS. Smeltzer signed with the Marlins as a free agent this past offseason. He's had four separate stints on their active roster, posting a 6.45 ERA and 6.97 FIP in nine appearances (22.1 IP). In his most recent Triple-A start on September 1, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter, the first no-no of his professional career and the first in Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp history. Follow Devin (@alka_SMELTZer), Noah (@Trainboy100) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Fishology, State of the Fish, Swimming Upstream and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.

Braxton Garrett delivered one of his most dominant performances of the season, Garrett Hampson and Xavier Edwards provided much-needed run support, and the Marlins stopped the bleeding and gave themselves a chance to split a crucial series. Scoring Runs The Marlins smelled blood in the water early against Brewers opener Trevor Megill as Luis Arraez hit a leadoff single and went to second on a Josh Bell groundout in the first inning. He was stranded there, and it seemed that it would be more of the same when it came to runners left in scoring position. Former Marlin Colin Rea entered the game in the second inning to pitch the bulk of the innings and was lights out, retiring the first nine Marlins in order, with a double play mixed in. Jesús Sánchez then led off the fifth inning with a single, and Bryan De La Cruz popped out into foul territory. Strangely, it turned into a productive out—Carlos Santana fell into the Brewers dugout after making catch, and the umpire immediately signaled for Sánchez to go to second base. It's officiated the same as when an errant throw leaves the field of play. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/13/45ec2646-12f997cf-5904ce6d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Xavier Edwards stepped up with two outs and lined a ball into left field to drive home Sanchez to score the Marlins' first run of the game. He was thrown out trying to extend the single into a double to end the inning, but the Marlins had already taken a 1-0 lead. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/801ff259-485a-4e73-9ad3-70cdd241a2f3.mp4Bryan De La Cruz hit a booming one-out double in the seventh inning and came home to score one batter later as Garrett Hampson hit a double of his own to extend the Marlins lead to 2-0. https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/4751a3a8-b5a0-4073-b9f1-41d11c452bf4.mp4Throwing StrikesBraxton Garrett had his two-seam fastball working with pinpoint accuracy from the jump on Wednesday. Buckling hitters as he normally does, he tallied seven strikeouts, five of them looking. He dealt with baserunners in every inning except the sixth and made up for it by inducing two double plays. His final line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 91/55 P/S. After the game, wearing his favorite bowling shirt, he said, "It was one of those days I could kind of feel it in the bullpen." David Robertson pitched in and out of trouble with three strikeouts in a scoreless seventh. Andrew Nardi gave up two singles, rolled a double play, and struck out Josh Donaldson in a scoreless eighth. And Tanner Scott locked it down, working around a leadoff E3 with a strikeout, a flyout, and a groundout. The Marlins took home the 2-0 win in a crisp 2 hours and 35 minutes in front of a crowd of 24,251, gaining ground on the Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card race. Noah's Notes and What's NextThe Marlins are now 18-4 when Braxton Garrett pitches at least five innings and 20-8 in his starts overall this season. Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the game in the fourth inning with right knee discomfort. He later informed us that he was not concerned and it was mostly precautionary. It was the same knee that had a torn meniscus last season, but Jazz said it felt nothing like that, and they did the tests to check for that. He expects to be available on Thursday. It'll be Eury Perez on the mound against RHP Adrian Houser as the Marlins look to salvage a split at 1:10 PM CT. It's more of me at the ballpark to cover it before rushing home for Rosh Hashanah.'Til Tmrw!Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Milwaukee—Wednesday afternoon, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker informed the media at American Family Field that Sandy Alcantara has been diagnosed with a right UCL sprain. Alcantara felt pain in his throwing arm on September 3 and was subsequently placed on the 15-day IL with what was originally described as a forearm flexor strain. However, after meeting with a specialist in Los Angeles, he underwent an MRI which revealed the UCL sprain. Alcantara was seen playing catch in the outfield prior to Wednesday's game. He met with the media in the dugout prior to the game and said he's currently pain-free: "Everything feels good today. Happy to be back." Alcantara was highly non-committal regarding the possibility of returning in 2023. "I can't say yes, I can't say no," he said. Skip echoed Sandy's sentiments that they will be taking this "day by day." When a pitcher suffers a tear to the UCL in their throwing arm, it often leads to surgery. For the time being, Alcantara seems to have avoided that scenario. It is unclear what the next steps will be for Sandy. His IL stint is retroactive to September 4, so he'd be eligible for reinstatement beginning on September 19. Unfortunately for the Marlins, it doesn't seem like he'll be ready by then—he is still very early in his throwing progression. The Marlins rotation temporarily consists of Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Eury Pérez, Johnny Cueto, an Edward Cabrera-led bullpen day and an all-hands-on-deck bullpen day. It goes without saying, Alcantara is dearly missed. Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins

For the second night in a row, Marlins hitters were kept quiet as a mouse after threatening early on. The only difference Tuesday night was that they scored a single run off Freddy Peralta. It was more of the same regarding the lack of strikes for Edward Cabrera. Let's break it down. Can't Score RunsThe game got off to a great start as Luis Arraez tucked a leadoff home run inside the right field foul pole to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. It was his second leadoff homer of the season, the fourth of his career. 104.0 MPH off the bat, 30° LA, 391 FT, HR in 30/30 ballparks. That exit velocity is the fastest registered on any Arraez batted ball this season. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/12/2f5457fd-3dc6923c-876fdf86-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/8de36f23-2c5c-4540-b883-61dc3a6835d2.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/94677c97-800c-4153-8b57-3d237f01157d.mp4Xavier Edwards singled with two outs in the second inning, and the Marlins did not put another man on base until Jon Berti walked in the eighth inning. They failed to register a third hit as Freddy Peralta carved them up for nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings. That walk came courtesy of Abner Uribe, who came on in relief of Hoby Milner with two outs in the 8th and then handed the ball to Devin "The Airbender" Williams for the ninth inning. Can't Throw StrikesFollowing a scoreless first inning from opener JT Chargois, Edward Cabrera trotted out from the bullpen to pitch the second, and hopefully to stick around for the bulk, of the remaining innings. It didn't look promising early on as he walked the first three batters he faced, struck out the fourth, and walked the fifth to tie the game at one. He threw 32 pitches in the first inning, only 13 for strikes. After the game, manager Skip Schumaker said they were nervous they would have to bring in another reliever from their exhausted bullpen that soon. Luckily, Edward bounced back and only allowed one hit over the next 12 batters before walking two more in the sixth and being replaced by Andrew Nardi. That one hit, however, was a home run off the bat of Josh Donaldson. His final line: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 86/48 P/S. After the game, the emphasis from Edward, Skip, Luis Arraez, and Jacob Stallings was clear: find the strike zone. They've tried multiple strategies to get Edward to settle in better when entering games, from using an opener to sending him down to the minors. But in the end, it all comes down to him not attacking the zone with every pitch. He starts to pitch around guys, and it snowballs out of control. He must figure this out if he wants to be an effective big-league pitcher, and the Marlins need him to do it soon. A.J. Puk stranded the two walks with a strikeout in the sixth, then handed the ball to George Soriano after giving up a double, a single, and striking out one batter in the seventh. Soriano limited the damage to only one run on a sac fly and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. All told, the Marlins dropped the game by the score of 3-1 in a crisp 2 hours and 28 minutes. Noah's Notes and What's NextThe Marlins have scored only three runs in their last 26 offensive innings.Christian Yelich missed his fourth straight game due to back stiffness.Though still only 1.5 games back of a playoff spot, the Marlins were leapfrogged by the Reds in the NL Wild Card race.Braxton Garrett will toe the rubber against RHP Trevor Megill on Wednesday at 6:40 PM CT as the Marlins will try to right the ship. 'Til Tmrw!Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

A night that began with a leadoff home run by Mark Canha ended with the Marlins licking their wounds and wishing the game would end. Jesús Luzardo had one of his worst starts of the season, and the Marlins bats had nothing against Brandon Woodruff. From the jump, it was evident that Luzardo was off his game. His velocity was down, he wasn't locating, and nothing was going his way. Besides the leadoff home run by Canha, Luzardo allowed a season-high ten hits and tied a season-high in walks allowed with four while also allowing one shy of his season-high in earned runs with six. His average velo was down by at least 0.9 mph on all four pitches. Luzardo was able to buckle down and grit through five innings to at least preserve some of the exhausted bullpen, but with 95 pitches under his belt, that would be it. His final line: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 95/55 P/S. After the game, he was adamant that this had nothing to do with his health or fatigue, although he did mention the irregularity of being part of a six-man rotation. Daniel Castano came on in relief to give the bullpen a rest. Appearing in his first big league game since April 7, he allowed four runs before recording a single out. He went on to work two innings, giving up five runs (four earned), walking two, and striking out two. Jacob Stallings pitched the ninth inning and allowed a single run. All told the Brewers scored 12 runs on 17 hits and six walks off Marlins pitching. On the offensive side, there was...nothing. Brandon Woodruff worked in and out of trouble throughout the night, and the Marlins hit themselves into yet another wacky double play. This time it was 8-6-4. Josh Bell on his baserunning blunder, "I was hoping to maybe spark something, but down that many runs, just dumb on my part." Skip after the game: "We got our butts kicked." https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/11/0f703320-3aa62270-d7fc134f-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Noah's Notes and What's NextThis was the first shutout of Brandon Woodruff's career (his second complete game).Old friend Brian Anderson, who had been riding the Brewers bench for nearly three straight weeks, finally got into the action as a pinch-hitter once the game was essentially decided.Joey Wendle said he's doing just fine after an awkward slide on a steal in the beginning of the game. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/7fd8a5da-0589-4b17-b67a-48446e97c0ec.mp4JT Chargois will open Tuesday's game with Edward Cabrera expected to get the bulk of the innings.J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS'Til Tmrw!

It looked promising early on, but in the end, the Marlins did themselves no favors Tuesday evening, dropping the first of a two-game series against their cross-state rivals. Not encouraging to go 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base, while also allowing eleven runs. Here's how it went down. Sandy Alcantara started the game by allowing a leadoff infield single to Yandy Díaz and getting Brandon Lowe to fly out for the first out. Randy Arozarena then drove a ball towards the gap in LCF, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a leaping catch in front of the wall to rod Randy of extra bases. Jazz then lost control of the ball as he tried to transfer it to his hand, allowing Yandy to tag up from first to second and advance to third base on the E8. Isaac Paredes struck out to end the threat. In the bottom half of the inning, the Marlins plated just one run on four hits by way of an RBI single from Chisholm that drove home Luis Arraez. They then left the bases loaded, a sign of things to come. The Rays tied the game in the top of the second as Josh Lowe singled, advanced to second on another single, to third on a flyout, and scored on a sac fly. The Marlins stranded Jacob Stallings at second after his leadoff double in the bottom of the second. And Stallings responded by gunning down Randy Arozarena, trying to steal second base to end the top of the third. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/eb58325a-4416-4ba9-93a3-17fa5b9b005f.mp4The Marlins took the lead back in the bottom of the third as Chisholm slugged his 13th home run of the season. 104.2 MPH, 29° LA, 412 ft, HR in 29/30 ballparks. The score would remain 2-1 in favor of the Marlins until the top of the sixth inning when everything came crashing down. An in-between fly ball to right field got down amidst a near-collision between Jorge Soler and Luis Arraez for a leadoff double. Isaac Paredes hit a game-tying single to drive home that runner, then Vidal Bruján was hit by a pitch to put two men on for José Siri. After a chat with Mel, Sandy threw a first-pitch slider that Siri crushed off the left field wall for a two-run double. 4-2 Rays. Steven Okert came on to get the final out of the inning and close the book on what went from a really good outing for Sandy, to a really bad one, in just one pitch. Sandy's final line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HB, 110/80 P/S. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/29/4d036889-d5e6dd81-329e0f87-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/5a8f3664-f569-4fec-8c6f-3f6cb6ec7132.mp4The Rays never looked back and took some Marlins down in the process. After new dad George Soriano gave up two home runs in the top of the seventh to make it an 8-2 ballgame, Jorge Soler took an awkward swing on a 1-1 pitch and had to leave the game with what was later described as, "right hip tightness." Jorge López pitched a scoreless eighth and then allowed a three-run home run to Isaac Paredes in the top of the ninth to make it 11-2, and Garrett Hampson decided that this game wasn't going to end quickly as he worked a TWELVE-pitch walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Jesús Sánchez put us out of our misery and grounded out to put a bow on the 11-2 loss for the Marlins. Noah's Notes and What's NextTime of game: 3 hours, 12 minutes.The Marlins record is now a terrifying 66-66. Skip Schumaker called the lack of hits with runners in scoring position "not ideal."Jorge Soler said that he should be back on the field as soon as Thursday, if not Wednesday. Keep an eye on the waiver wire after the Los Angeles Angels have officially rage-quit the season. Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral will have your coverage at the ballpark for the homestand finale.Luzardo on the bump.'Til Tmrw! Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Noah talks to a little-known but integral member of the Miami Marlins coaching staff.Nearly two seasons' worth of What a Relief episodes have been leading up to this! Noah Berger interviews Marlins bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda. Cepeda takes us through his baseball journey, what his job entails, his relationships with Marlins relievers and more. Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every What a Relief episode. The Dominican right-hander pitched for four seasons in Minor League Baseball (1997-2000) before entering the coaching ranks. Cepeda joined the Marlins major league coaching staff in 2020. He is the second-longest-tenured member of the staff behind only pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. Cepeda served as the Dominican Republic's pitching coach during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He'll be managing Gigantes del Cibao for the 2023-24 Dominican Winter League season. Follow Noah (@Trainboy100) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Fishology, State of the Fish, Swimming Upstream and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from. Photo courtesy of Jordan McPherson/Miami Herald

Just minutes before Sandy Alcantara took the mound on Tuesday night, Miami had to make some lineup changes. Around 6:27 p.m., it was reported that Garrett Cooper was dealt to the San Diego Padres along with Sean Reynolds for LHP Ryan Weathers. A couple of minutes later, Jean Segura was dealt to the Cleveland Guardians along with top shortstop prospect Kahlil Watson in exchange for first baseman Josh Bell. /video/garrett-cooper-trade-reaction-marlins-padres//news/josh-bell-jean-segura-kahlil-watson-trade/Behind their ace, the Marlins’ last-minute assembled lineup secured the much-needed win on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, who are now looking up at the Fish in the standings...or so they thought. With Sandy at 101 pitches through eight innings and the Marlins leading 1-0, Skip turned to his newly acquired closer, David Robertson. That's when all hell broke loose. But how did we get here? Sandy began with a rough and tumble first inning, allowed back-to-back singles to start, then bounced back with a double play and a groundout to end the threat on just 13 pitches. The offense got a bit of a rally going as they loaded the bases with singles from Jorge Soler, Bryan De La Cruz, and Jesús Sánchez. But it was for naught as Jon Berti would ground out to end the inning and strand all three. It was a sign of things to come. A leadoff single from Yuli Gurriel in the second was erased as Jacob Stallings grounded into a 2-4-3 double play on a ball that didn't even make it to the infield grass. Yuli would then make a spectacular diving play to rob Garrett Stubbs of extra bases to lead off the third. He went on to make at least three diving plays at first base. Luis Arraez hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the third, moved to second on a single by DLC, and scored on a double by Avisaíl García to score the Marlins lone run. Both DLC and Avi were stranded in scoring position to end the inning. For the second time tonight, a leadoff single by Yuli Gurriel was erased by a double play, this time by Joey Wendle in the fourth. They stranded Avi on third and Yuli on first in the sixth inning after Avi singled and advanced on a sac bunt and a groundout. Jacob Stallings worked a full-count walk to begin the seventh inning and was given the green light around third base when Arraez slapped a double into the right-field corner. The throw came home with enough time for Garrett Stubbs to swipe around and tag Jacob, who didn't slide into home plate. Jacob thought he was never tagged, and after a lengthy review, the call on the field stood. He was out. Soler and De La Cruz both walked to load the bases and on the first pitch of his at-bat, Avi García popped out to short and was all but kicking himself because he knew he should've driven that ball out. Sánchez then drove a ball to deep left field, but it hung up just long enough for Brandon Marsh to track it down and end the inning. Bases loaded with one out and nothing to show for it. And that brings us to the top of the ninth inning. David Robertson trots out to the mound with a light show to accompany his song, "Sweet Home Alabama." Kyle Schwarber steps to the plate. And suddenly, all the attention turns to right field. Avi Garcia is trying to get the attention of security because there is a fan on the field. The fan runs across the outfield while being chased by security, leaps and scales the wall in dead center field, climbs into the AutoNation Alley, scurries up onto the concourse, and sprints out of the building without stopping. I was later informed that the fan was apprehended by security before being able to escape. Oh yeah, there's still a game going on. The Marlins would've rather the game end at that point because what happened afterward was not pretty. Kyle Schwarber worked a full-count walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Jake Cave, who came around to score the tying run when Bryce Harper doubled off the wall in left. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Nick Castellanos crushed a two-run home run. 3-1 Phillies. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/01/692b2193-bc35c08d-0f95af08-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4A blown save and eventual loss for Robertson, and a crushing loss on a wild and wacky day. Noah's Notes and What's NextYikes.Too many LOBsters.Avi is back.So is Sandy. His final line: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 101/74 P/S. That's on the heels of a complete game in his previous start.TRADES, TRADES AND MORE TRADES.Braxton Garrett vs. Zack Wheeler on Wednesday night. Jake Burger and Josh Bell are expected to be at the ballpark. More importantly, Kevin Barral and I will be representing team Caliente Red Wednesday morning in the Marlins Media Softball Game.'Til Tmrw!

Still without a win after the All-Star break, the Marlins needed one in the worst way. But it was more of the same from Sandy Alcantara and an offensive performance that gave many flashbacks of the majority of the 2022 season. I don't want to discuss it any more than you do. Either way, let's break it down. As has been the case with Sandy pitching this season, the game got dicey early on as the Cardinals tagged Sandy for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single by Nolan Arenado and a three-run homer by Nolan Gorman. That would be all the Cardinals would get off of Sandy as he buckled down and found his groove for five subsequent scoreless innings. The offenses continued to leave runners on base at an otherworldly rate, pushing only two of their 11 baserunners in the first seven innings. The two runs were scored in the top of the third inning on an RBI single to right field by Jesus Sanchez to drive in Jacob Stallings and Jorge Soler. https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/de229fe4-dd31-42cc-a1f3-a5f1bb62eed6.mp4Having thrown 103 pitches through six innings and the Marlins still trailing 4-2, Skip had no choice but to hand the ball over to an extremely exhausted bullpen. Huascar Brazoban entered to pitch the seventh and close the book on Sandy Alcantara. Sandy's final line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 103/69 P/S. https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/40ee7e38-6ffe-4829-a77f-dec5b70ff582.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/26e8c6bf-75cd-427d-ac2a-ad64c3e408b4.mp4Brazoban gave up a leadoff double to Brendan Donovan, who then stole second base and came around to score easily on a groundball by Lars Nootbaar that was fielded by Jon Berti next to the mound and thrown wide of first base. An infield single for Nootbaar and a two-base, run-scoring error for Jon Berti. Nolan Gorman then singled home Nootbaar to make it a 6-2 game. The two runs allowed by Brazoban would prove to be crucial. Bryan De La Cruz made it a 6-3 game with a leadoff homer to left in the top of the eighth. He's been swinging a hot bat as of late. 101.2 MPH, 26° LA, 369 FT, HR in 28/30 ballparks. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/19/bbbd26ed-973db002-ba3bffc0-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/06c22819-25c6-44fa-aabd-1cd6d6335102.mp4And in the ninth inning, as we've come to expect, the Marlins made some noise and didn't go down without a fight. Garrett Hampson singled to lead off the inning and came around to score on a two-out double by Luis Arraez. But the game would end as Jorge Soler lined out to right six pitches later. https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/cbd9cfed-9a0a-4424-9fa4-f478ed70f27c.mp4The Marlins dropped their sixth game in a row after the All-Star break by the score of 6-4. Time of game: 2 hours, 44 minutes. Skip Schumaker postgame, "That was a frustrating road trip. No doubt about it... Some guys are frustrated in there. I'm frustrated. I made mistakes... I don't think there's any panic in there.” Noah's Notes and What's NextPanic level: Moderate (maybe not inside the locker room, but definitely outside of it).Notable performances:Luis Arraez: 2-for-5, 2B, RBIBryan De La Cruz: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBIJesus Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2 RBIJon Berti: 3-for-4Jacob Stallings: 2-for-3, BBBryan Hoeing: 1.0 IP, 5/5 P/SThe Marlins have already lost as many Sandy starts this season (13) as they did all of last season.Day off tomorrow to lick your wounds and find your guts before the Rockies come to town.'Til Tmrw!

So...that happened! Marlins walk off against Cardinals on chaotic final play. This one might go down as one of the wildest wins in franchise history. Joey Wendle said it best as he used one word to describe the ending, "chaos." Let's try and break it down. It was a back-and-forth affair from the beginning as the Marlins jumped out to and then surrendered a five-run lead before retaking the lead in the bottom of the third. Jacob *checks notes* STALLINGS(!?!) hit his first-ever home run at loanDepot park (102.3 MPH, 35° LA, 388 FT) to make it 6-5 Marlins. His teammates gave him the silent treatment when he returned to the dugout. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/05/38f7e4b0-63c19c58-09d127b2-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/4adfcc0b-1a9d-4bc9-b5fe-8a4a5954b8e2.mp4The Cardinals tied the game again in the top of the fourth off George Soriano—who came on in relief of Bryan Hoeing—and almost took the lead were it not for Dane Myers, who made an incredible catch in center field. The score remained tied until the sixth inning when Jorge Soler drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a double by Bryan De La Cruz to break the tie, the third hit of the game for DLC. Garrett Cooper followed up with an RBI single to score DLC and give the Marlins a 8-6 lead. The Cardinals brought the game back to within one run off Huascar Brazoban in the seventh, and Tanner Scott worked around a couple of baserunners in the eighth to preserve the lead. And then, all hell broke loose. A.J. Puk entered for the ninth inning and struck out Nolan Arenado looking to begin the frame. Willson Contreras reached on a ground ball just past the mound when Puk couldn't get to the bag in time. He then struck out pinch-hitter Luken Baker, and with a 3-2 count, Jordan Walker crushed a ball onto the Budweiser Balcony to take the lead for the Cardinals. Blown save for Puk. But the Marlins didn't hear the bell. Jordan Hicks walked De La Cruz on four pitches to begin the bottom of the ninth, struck out Garrett Cooper, then gave up a single to right by Yuli Gurriel. With the tying run at second and the winning run at first, Skip elected to send Garrett Hampson out to pinch-run for De La Cruz. With Joey Wendle at the plate after replacing Jean Segura, who had been ejected earlier in the game for arguing balls and strikes, Hampson took off for third on the 1-2 pitch. Joey hit a weak ground ball back to the mound, and Jordan Hicks fielded it as Hampson rounded third base. He double-clutched and airmailed the first baseman. Hampson scored easily to tie the game, and Gurriel turned on the jets and came around to score the winning run from first on the error. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/05/72461d97-b6f6114f-95c55d0b-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Pandemonium. Wendle gets mobbed by his teammates, and the Marlins take this one by a score of 10-9. Noah's Notes and What's NextOh boy, is this team fun to watch.Skip: "We got the win, so I'll take the win."Dane Myers: "The last 48 hours have been pretty insane."Joey Wendle: "Big heart teams get big heart wins."The Marlins won their 51st game of the season, the most wins before the All-Star break in franchise history. A.J. Puk recorded a blown save and a win. Bittersweet?JACOB STALLINGS HIT A HOME RUN IN THIS GAME.After the game, Marlins PR informed us that Jonathan Davis's MRI revealed a meniscus injury. No tear. He will undergo surgery on Thursday. Unclear what the timetable for return is. It's Eury Pérez on the mound in the series finale as the Marlins look to a four-game sweep.Kevin Barral and I will have your coverage, and Kevin will have the recap. To sweep or not to sweep, that is the question. 'Til Tmrw! Photo by Tony Capobianco/Five Reasons Sports