Louis Addeo-Weiss

Each loss for the 2026 Miami Marlins is a dagger in their playoff aspirations, with Wednesday being no exception. Following their 4-1 loss to the division rival Atlanta Braves, Miami's season record now sits at 58-57, 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot in the Senior Circuit, a tough cross to bear following a trade deadline that saw the departures of Liam Hicks and Lake Bachar. With this defeat, the Marlins now own a lifetime 23-57 (.288) record since Truist Park's opening in 2017. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates own a worse winning percentage in that span (.258). Making his 20th start of the season—matching a career-high set last season—Eury Pérez ran into trouble in the second, throwing 34 pitches and allowing a trio of runs. Atlanta would tag on a fourth run in the following inning courtesy of a Mauricio Dubón single. Gutting through an otherwise mediocre outing, Pérez struck out nine in his five innings of work, falling to 5-9 on the year. Reflecting on Pérez's outing postgame, manager Clayton McCullough took the glass half-full approach. "If his clunkers look like this, we'll be very encouraged with it," noted McCullough. "There's a lot I can feel proud of. The ground balls I was able to induce and the fact that I was able to make it through five innings. It's a growing process...", said Pérez through interpreter Luis Durante. Looking under the hood, Pérez had more than the five innings of work to be proud of, as he induced 18 swings-and-misses, aided in part by a near-unanimous bump in pitch velocities. While his start ERA of 7.20 would lead one to call his outing less than savory, the underlying metrics tell a completely different story, as evidenced by minuscule 0.70 and 1.92 FIP and xFIP. Miami's lone run came via Joe Mack on a fifth inning ground out that plated Owen Caissie . Now with 34 RBI since arriving in the big leagues, Mack's total ranks third best amongst Marlins rookie catchers who started a minimum of 60 percent of their games behind the plate, trailing only 1995 Charles Johnson (39) and 2015 J.T. Realmuto (47). Through the series' first two games, Miami has gone 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Bryce Elder, making his 12th career start against Miami, shut them down to the tune of 7 innings of 1-run, 1-hit ball, lowering his career ERA to 3.31 opposing the Marlins. As they did in Tuesday's loss, the Marlins had late-inning comeback attempts thwarted by the Atlanta bullpen. After collecting a pair of hits against the conservative hit surrenderer Dylan Dodd, Miami would ultimately see this one end on an Otto Lopez first-pitch ground out to Austin Riley. Thanks to an 0-for-4 evening, Lopez's season batting average fell to .320, putting him .005 points behind former Marlin and three-time batting champion Luis Arraez in the NL batting title race. Looking Ahead Miami will conclude their trip to Atlanta on Thursday in a rare game three nightcap. Janson Junk (5-6, 4.58 ERA) will square off against veteran left-hander Martín Pérez (7-6, 3.24 ERA). First pitch from Truist Park is slated for 7:15 pm EST. View full article

Each ensuing game for the Miami Marlins from here on out has compounded importance, ever more so true as the club opens up their final series against the New York Mets in advance of Monday's trade deadline. Fresh off the heels of a franchise record 12-game losing streak, Miami responded by sweeping the Phillies at home, entering the Big Apple one game over .500 at 55-54. On the other end of the spectrum, the New York Mets, a team which entered 2026 with a payroll estimated north of $360M and playoff aspirations after the previous season's collapse. The club traded for Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien, signed Bo Bichette to pair with Francisco Lindor in the infield, and shored up the bullpen with the addition of Luke Weaver. However, the disaster that was the second half of 2025 for the Metropolitans returned tenfold, as New York entered play Thursday 46-63 and last in the National League East. Unfortunately, the game went as forecasted at the outset of the 2026 season and the Mets found themselves on the right side of victory, besting Miami 4-2. Repeating what they did in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Philadelphia, the Marlins were aided early by a solo home run off the bat of Kyle Stowers . After sporting an OPS near .900 in June, Stowers has continued to see his season trend in the right direction, boasting an .812 mark in July. His 15 home runs trail only Heriberto Hernández 's 16. On the mound, it was more of what has been the case with Eury Pérez of late, as the flame-throwing 23-year-old held New York hitless into the fifth inning. Entering the bottom of the sixth on just 69 pitches, Pérez ran into trouble following a leadoff walk to Francisco Alvarez, as Francisco Lindor promptly singled him home. Then, 24 pitches into the sixth, Pérez surrendered a slow-moving chopper off the bat of the aforementioned Robert Jr. that caromed off the glove of third baseman Graham Pauley to put the Mets out front 2-1. In his six innings of work, Pérez allowed merely a trio of hits, striking out six. In seven starts since returning from injury, Pérez owns a sterling 1.71 ERA. As great as Pérez was, so too was Nolan McLean in his 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball. The only mistakes made by McLean would end in the longball. Looking to respond following the coughing up of the lead, Jakob Marsee —the touted outfielder that has struggled mightily in 2026—came through with his sixth home run of the season. Miami then called upon the man who had arguably been the club's most reliable reliever this season, Michael Petersen. In his first game since taking a comebacker off his forearm on Monday, Miami would see the 2-2 tie go by the wayside, with three consecutive hits courtesy of Bichette, Carson Benge, and Robert plating a pair of runs. Now 55-55, the Marlins currently find themselves 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Looking Ahead Miami will continue to steer the ship towards the postseason in the sequel Friday night. Janson Junk (4-6, 4.89 ERA) will square off against two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta (5-9, 4.99 ERA). The reigning NL wins leader, Peralta owns a 4.47 ERA across 13 appearances (10 starts) against the Fish. First pitch from Citi Field is slated for 7:10 pm EST. View full article

The Marlins of two weeks ago were riding a high that had eluded them for the better part of two decades. Fast-forward to July 19 and they have done a complete 180, dropping their season-worst sixth consecutive game in their 3-1 loss to the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. As has been the case amid a resurgent season for the franchise, Pete Fairbanks played the role of the heel. The embattled Marlins closer allowed a leadoff single to Jackson Chourio, then a walk to Brice Turang before catching Andrew Vaughn looking for the first out. Fairbanks went ahead in the count 0-2 against William Contreras, but couldn't put him away. He hung a cutter to Contreras on the sixth pitch of the plate appearance, resulting in a walk-off, three-run home run. "Losses hurt, but going through a season, stretches like this happen," noted Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. The Marlins were defeated only twice in walk-off fashion prior to the All-Star break. The Brewers doubled that total this weekend—Garrett Mitchell delivered the game-winner on Friday in the bottom of the 10th inning. Amid this losing streak, the Marlins have hit just .199. They bookended the Milwaukee series by scoring one run apiece in the opener and the finale. All of the offense for the Marlins on Sunday came courtesy of a third-inning solo home run off the bat of Esteury Ruiz. Outside of the perpetual rain clouds currently hanging over the club, Sunday saw continued signs of growth from Eury Pérez, who allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings. In seven starts dating back to May 22, the 23-year-old has allowed just five earned runs over his last 39 ⅓ innings pitched (1.14 ERA). The Marlins have tumbled to just four games over .500 at 52-48. They're in a virtual three-way tie with the St. Louis Cardinals (51-47) and Pittsburgh Pirates (52-48) for the NL's final wild-card spot. Looking Ahead The Marlins will travel to the Lone Star State, where they'll open up a series on Monday against the Houston Astros. Janson Junk (4-5, 4.57 ERA) will make his second start since returning from injury. Ronel Blanco (3-4, 4.10 ERA in 2025) will take the ball for the first time in 14 months following Tommy John surgery, First pitch from Daikin Park is slated for 8:10 EST/7:10 CDT. View full article

Not all good things last forever. Pitching in the cavernous Coors Field, Max Meyer put his perfect record on the line against the forces of altitude and dry air, ultimately suffering a loss for the first time in 2026. The former third overall draft pick had been off to a 9-0 start to the season. His 17 starts without a loss were the most to begin a season in franchise history. The Coors effect infected Meyer early, when Mickey Moniak, for the second time in as many nights, sent a ball over the center field wall to give the Rockies an early 1-0 lead. Falling a mere single short of the cycle, Moniak has been Colorado's best hitter this season, sporting a 135 wRC+. As was the case in their 10-run and 14-run barrages in the series' first two games, Miami would take the lead on Javier Sanoja's two-run triple. Kyle Freeland, the owner of a 3.80 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Fish, would work five otherwise carefree innings, striking out seven in the Rockies' victory. Carrying that 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth, Meyer would fall victim to some tough luck when an error by the aforementioned Sanoja misplayed a ground ball off the bat of Kyle Karros. Two batters later, it was Moniak's two-run triple that gave the Rockies a lead they would never relinquish. The salt in the wound would come in short order, as Hunter Goodman, the team's presumed representative at this year's All-Star game, launched his 27th home run of the season. Among catchers to start at least 150 games behind the plate since the start of last season, only Cal Raleigh (55) has more home runs in games caught than Goodman's 50. Over his last six games played, Goodman has hit six home runs. On the whole, Meyer would power through six innings, allowing five runs, though only being charged with one in collecting his first loss of the season. Despite the defeat, Meyer lowered his season ERA to 2.53. "I thought Max was good tonight...It's the conditions here that take a toll on your body, though," noted manager Clayton McCullough. The night would not be without its moments of elation for Miami, though, as Joe Mack, pinch-hitting in the top of the seventh, sent a ball over the head of center fielder Jake McCarthy in what would turn out to be an inside-the-park home run. The long ball would represent the first of the inside-the-park variety since Yuli Gurriel in 2023. Colorado pitchers retired nine consecutive Marlins after that to seal the 6-3 win. Looking Ahead The Marlins will conclude the four-game set and their West Coast road trip in Thursday's series finale. Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.83 ERA) will take the ball for Colorado. While the first half of the season has been unkind to him, Lorenzen has a track record of success against Miami, posting a 2.62 ERA - his lowest mark against any NL opponent - across 18 games pitched (7 GS). First pitch from Coors Field is scheduled for 3:10 EST/1:10 MDT. View full article

In the role of Marlins starting pitcher, Tyler Phillips has been a mixed bag to this point. Through his first five starts, Phillips posted a 4.94 ERA, with a lot of that damage concentrated in a June 16 clunker against the Phillies, where he allowed eight runs over four innings. On Sunday, the Marlins saw the good upside of that mixed bag, as Phillips, doing his best Sandy Alcantara, struck out just one over a season-high 7 ⅓ innings of one-run ball. Phillips became the first Marlin since Henderson Alvarez back on 7/31/13 to record an out in the eighth inning in a start with one or fewer strikeouts. The 28-year-old's lone strikeout came at the expense of NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner JJ Wetherholt. "He was outstanding today...was able to economically get through innings," noted manager Clayton McCullough. Unfortunately, Phillips' great effort would be all for nothing, as the Marlins only scratched across one run in their 2-1 loss to the Cardinals. Snapping their current 4-game winning streak, the Marlins still find themselves 44-40 and vying for a playoff spot. The lone blunder on Phillips' day came early courtesy of a two-run homer from rookie left fielder Bryan Torres. Held hitless by Kyle Leahy through the first four, the Marlins broke through in the fifth when Owen Caissie launched a leadoff double. The recently recalled Grant Pauley authored his second double in as many days to bring home Caissie, though Cardinal pitching would allow just two more Marlins to reach base. In keeping with a prevailing theme for the 2026 club, Clayton McCullough made a pair of changes that had some scratching their head. Prioritizing the platoon advantage, McCullough removed the aforementioned Caissie and Pauley for pinch-hitters Esteury Ruiz and Leo Jiménez, respectively. That was part of a sequence which saw the Fish use four consecutive pinch-hitters, who combined to go 1-for-4. The lone hit—Jiménez's seeing-eye single in the seventh—would prove inconsequential. Although a road series win is nothing to scoff at, the Marlins ought to be leaving town feeling unfulfilled having limited the opposition to three total runs this weekend, yet falling short of completing the sweep. Looking Ahead Miami will hope to find its Rocky Mountain High as they begin a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Sandy Alcantara (8-4, 4.01 ERA), now the Marlins' all-time strikeout leader, will toe the rubber in Monday's series opener. Sean Sullivan (0-2, 8.25 ERA) will oppose him as he makes just his fourth career big league appearance. First pitch from Coors Field is slated for 8:40 EST/6:40 MDT. View full article

In an organization largely devoid of tenured players, Sandy Alcantara is an anomaly. The 2026 season is his ninth season in Miami, making him just the second player to reach that many years as a Marlins big leaguer, joining Marlins Legends Hall of Fame inductee Luis Castillo. The main reason why Alcantara hasn't changed teams already is the club conveniently inked him to a contract extension right before his 2022 NL Cy Young Award campaign. Now that he's in the midst of the final guaranteed year of that deal, the Marlins find themselves at a crossroads with one of their franchise's greatest hurlers. There are several reasons that support trading Alcantara this summer, as there are compelling ones to hold onto him. Here, we consider both sides of the debate. Case for Trading If there is one thing playoff contenders will seek out come deadline time, durable starting pitching would be near the top of that list. Alcantara is the epitome of this archetype. Despite missing all of 2024 due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, Alcantara's 939 innings in the 2020s rank as the 12th-most in MLB. The only scheduled start he has failed to make post-Tommy John was when he went on the paternity list in April 2025 for the birth of his daughter. Beyond the workhorse mentality, there's the performance on the whole, as Alcantara is one of just 12 pitchers in the decade to throw at least 900 innings and post a sub-4 ERA. Consider it quality volume, if you will. Alcantara's previous playoff experience is another feather in his cap. The right-hander made two starts in Miami's surprise 2020 playoff season, posting a 4.26 ERA over 12 ⅔ innings pitched. Conveniently for the Marlins, there are prospective Alcantara suitors with immensely talented farm systems. The Milwaukee Brewers were ranked No. 1 by ESPN entering 2026. Though they enter Monday fifth in fWAR among starters and fourth in ERA, Milwaukee needs to fill the 157-inning gap left by the void of Quinn Priester, who is set to undergo season-ending thoracic outlet surgery. The Cleveland Guardians have the second-ranked system. They have relied on the same five starters all season thus far, which will not be sustainable considering that three of them have never shouldered a full season's major league workload before. Alcantara is earning $17.3M this season, but the acquiring team would only be on the hook for about $5.4M of that cost if a trade waits until the August 3 deadline. His $21M club option for 2027 reads as a bargain. Should he flop down the stretch for whatever reason, that option could be bought out for a modest $2M. Case for Not Trading Alcantara may be more valuable to the Marlins roster than he would be as a trade chip. Holding steady at 40-38 through their first 78 games played, the Marlins find themselves merely half a game out of an NL Wild Card spot entering Monday. They have shown no signs of slowing down, going a league-best 14-4 in June. Even with Alcantara in the fold, their starting rotation is thin. The club's top-ranked prospect, Thomas White, is questionable to pitch again this season due to a shoulder injury. Second-ranked Robby Snelling has already been ruled out for the rest of 2026 after undergoing UCL surgery. Eury Pérez is nearing his return from a leg injury, but he was posting career-worst numbers through 12 starts, so expectations for him ought to be tempered accordingly. Filling out the rotation alongside Alcantara, Pérez and Max Meyer, Miami has resorted to Ryan Gusto and Tyler Phillips, who have posted a combined 5.51 ERA across 32 ⅔ innings pitched in that role. Alcantara was very much on the trade block in 2025, but stayed put due to reportedly underwhelming offers. Although another year removed from Tommy John, he still has his fair share of red flags that may prevent the Marlins from extracting a massive prospect haul. Alcantara's overall results have been underwhelming with a 4.92 ERA over the past two seasons, nearly 50 percent higher than his 3.32 career mark prior to TJ. The decreased effectiveness of his arsenal is undeniable. While still averaging north of 97 mph on his four-seam and sinking fastballs, hitters largely have not been fooled by the former, hitting .316 with a .526 slugging percentage, and registering a minus-3 run value. Teams pay a premium for swing-and-miss stuff, which does not apply to Alcantara even when he's performing well. Among 187 pitchers with at least 50 plate appearances ending on a four-seamer, his 17.8 percent whiff rate ranks 133rd. The Marlins bullpen has been a bright spot throughout this season. A key to maintaining that will be providing adequate rest for those relievers. For whatever flaws he has, Alcantara can be trusted to help in that department, as he ranks second in MLB in both total innings pitched and quality starts. He's still a valuable complementary piece of this pitching staff. If this is indeed farewell, Alcantara's impact on the Miami Marlins cannot be overstated. The lone Cy Young winner in franchise history, only Josh Johnson accrued more pitching bWAR with the club than Alcantara's 21.7. With at least four strikeouts in his next start, he will take sole possession of the franchise's career strikeout record. By FanGraphs' accounting, his on-field production through the years has been worth nearly three times as much as his contract. The next month and change of Marlins baseball will signal further the direction the ship is sailing in. View full article

The version of Max Meyer we have seen in 2026 has been automatic. After toiling for a handful of years at the big league level, Meyer has finally ascended to what was once promised upon his drafting, now six years ago. On Sunday, the prospective All-Star had his grandest test to date, squaring off against reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. In keeping with the 2026 Meyer narrative to this point, the 27-year-old came out on top, firing six innings of one-run ball in Miami's 4-2 win over the Pirates. Meyer registered eight of his nine strikeouts with his lethal sweeper-slider tandem, including a 54% whiff rate on the latter. Now 7-0, Meyer's 15-start stretch without recording a loss represents a new franchise record. Back to .500 for the second time in three days at 36-36, Miami owns the majors' best record in June, improving to 10-2. What Skenes (2.85 ERA) did should not be without mention, though, as the two-time All-Star tied a season-high with 10 strikeouts over his six innings of work. After trading zeroes in the first, Miami would ambush Skenes with a pair of solo home runs, starting with Heriberto Hernández, the owner of a robust 1.062 OPS in the month of June. Joe Mack, who has neutralized the running game since his arrival, continued to show added promise at the plate, depositing his second home run over the center field wall of PNC Park. Himself a slow starter, Mack owns a .902 OPS in June after OPS'ing just .500 in his inaugural big league month of May. After getting to Meyer for a run in the fourth, Pittsburgh would load the bases for Jake Mangum in the bottom of the fifth. Sending a hanging sweeper into the right-center gap, Jakob Marsee made a five-star catch in every sense of the word, diving to his right to save a trio of runs. "Max had a couple of balls not go his way, but he's been shoving all year, so I just tried to make a catch for him...he's fun to play behind," noted Marsee. Miami pitching held the Pirates 1-4 hitters to a .118 (2-for-17) clip on Sunday, with the top of the order not breaking through until Bryan Reynolds, currently riding a 21-game on-base streak, launched a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. Looking Ahead The Marlins will continue their trek through the Northeast when they travel to the City of Brotherly Love to commence a three- game series against the surging Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. Ryan Gusto (0-1, 6.00 ERA), off his best start of the season, where he tossed four scoreless innings against Arizona. Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.22 ERA) will look to continue his brilliance against Miami (career 2.68 ERA against), as he opposes Gusto. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

Bad news seems to follow the Miami Marlins of late. Less than 24 hours after learning that left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi was headed to the injured list, joining him was another hurler, this one a starter in Janson Junk. "I was still able to do my job, I feel like," Junk explained prior to Sunday's game regarding his right shin bone inflammation, "but maybe subconsciously I was compensating for it a little bit...Being able to get checked out is, I think, the right thing to do, and ultimately was the right thing." However, it posed a major challenge for Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, who had to resort to a bullpen game against the cellar-dwelling New York Mets. The end result was allowing double-digit runs to one of the sport's feeblest lineups. One week after completing a sweep of the Mets at loanDepot park, the Marlins found themselves on the other end of the equation, dropping the series finale, 10-1. Now 26-34, the Marlins fall to last place in the National League East amid a season-worst five-game losing streak and losers in five of their last six. "This was tough," said a sighing McCullough, who reflected on Miami's numerous missed opportunities this series. For the weekend, Marlin hitters went a combined 5-for-30 in at-bats with runners in scoring position. Making his first career start in 241 appearances at the major league level, John King would be gotten to from the get-go when Carson Benge sent his fourth home run of the season and career over the center field wall. The home run also marked the first leadoff blast of Benge's career. Things would not get any easier from there, as Anthony Bender, entering late in the second inning for King, would serve up a home run to his first batter faced, veteran second baseman Marcus Semien, to increase New York's lead to three. Miami's lone run would come in the top of the fourth on an Owen Caissie double. After hitting just over .200 with a .565 OPS through April, Caissie hit .281 with an .835 OPS in May, his best month as a big leaguer to date. The only positive to come from Sunday's series blowout was that the Marlins didn't have to face the ascendant Nolan McLean more than they did, as the right-hander worked around five walks in five innings of one-run ball. After tacking on a pair in the fourth, the Mets would all but end the game when Juan Soto, facing Josh White in the latter's major league debut hit a grand slam, his 19th home run in 107 games against Miami. The Marlins will conclude the month of May going 11-18, and falling to 8-19 in games away from loanDepot park. Looking Ahead The Marlins will travel to the nation's capital, where they are slated to commence the month of June with a three-game series against the surprisingly competitive Washington Nationals. Sandy Alcantara (3-4, 4.66 ERA) will be tasked with eating as many innings as possible on Monday for a fatigued Marlins pitching staff. Cade Cavalli (3-3, 3.62 ERA) will start the series opener for Washington. Cavalli's 3.00 FIP is easily the best in the Nats rotation and he's riding a streak of three consecutive quality starts. First pitch from Nationals Park is slated for 6:45 EST. View full article

Max Meyer entered the 2026 season with a chip on his shoulder, and then some. A former third overall draft pick in 2020, Meyer's career to that point had largely been one of unrealized expectations and disappointment. Among a sample of 479 pitchers to throw at least 125 innings from 2022 through 2025, Meyer's 82 ERA+ kept company with the likes of Kyle Gibson and Meyer's recently released former teammate, Chris Paddack. So, as the 2026 season dawned, it was time for Meyer to put up or shut up and accept a long-term role as a reliever. Ten starts into the season, Meyer is doing the former, posting a 2.85 ERA and averaging north of 10 K/9. But what's the reason for the Max Meyer breakout? One good place to start is Meyer's pitch mix, more specifically, the redistribution of his arsenal. In his first extended period at the Major League level in 2024, Meyer was essentially a two-pitch pitcher, throwing his four-seam fastball and slider a combined 80.2 percent of the time. This predictability explains why Meyer's early career was riddled with inconsistency. Come 2025, Meyer ramped up the usage of his sweeper (+11.4 percent) and sinker (+11.8 percent), throwing his lead fastball just north of 22 percent of the time. The results, while still underwhelming a la a 4.73 ERA, marked an improvement over the 5.68 he posted the previous calendar year. Sensing a trend here? By diversifying his arsenal, Meyer has gradually become far less predictable to big-league hitters, with the 2026 Max Meyer model the best example to date. Meyer is throwing his slider and sweeper 28.5 and 24.6 percent of the time, respectively, while his four-seam fastball usage has held steady year-over-year at 23 percent. The theoretical modus operandi for Meyer here: lean into your strengths, and Meyer's strengths are his ability to spin the baseball. Through 10 starts, the 27-year-old's breaking ball duo ranks in the 98th percentile in run value, per Savant. Collectively, the league is 22 for 114 (.192) against said offerings against Meyer, with his slider garnering whiffs in nearly half of the swings against (44.5 percent). The year-over-year changes in Meyer's sweeper, though, may be the most startling. Among pitchers to throw at least 100 sweepers in 2025, Meyer's .368 opponent's batting average against ranked seventh-worst among 170 qualifiers. Fast forward to 2026, and Meyer's .217 average against said offering is now 36th best, with Meyer being one of just 11 pitchers with at least 25 plate appearances this season to fan at least 40 percent of hitters ending on a sweeper. Below, you'll see Meyer inducing one of those strikeouts while facing another 2026 breakout player, St. Louis' Jordan Walker. The continued backing off of his four-seamer—a pitch that scouts were skeptical of while Meyer was still a prospect— has too yielded better output against. There have been decreases of 126 points in batting average and 225 points in slugging percentage against from 2025. Because of this, Meyer's four-seamer has graded out as an above-average pitch (plus-1 run value) for the first time in his big league career. And while the version of Meyer we have seen thus far is the best yet, he is not completely out of the woods of speculation. While we noted Meyer as sporting a sub-3.00 ERA to this point, his xERA (Expected Earned Run Average) of 4.08 suggests there may be luck at play via exit velocity and launch angle. That being said, the 90.1 mph average exit velocity against Meyer is his best in any of the three seasons where he's made at least 10 starts. Batter launch angle, however, currently sits at a career-high 13.7 degrees, as does his 35 LA-Sweet Spot % (Launch Angle-Sweet Spot), while also allowing soft contact at the lowest clip of his career (2.1%). At the very least, it's fair to say that Meyer has shown himself worthy of a spot in a big league starting rotation. That alone constitutes a win for the organization given what the dreary outlook for him was mere months ago. View full article

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Eury Pérez is an enigma on the mound. At 23 years old, Pérez has some of the best pure stuff in the sport, boasting a fastball that routinely touches triple digits and secondary stuff that, when working, looks almost impossible to square up. The problem, however, is that Pérez is much more of a thrower than a pitcher at this stage of his career. Sunday's latest outing against the Tampa Bay Rays echoed the same sentiments. Topping out at 100.5 mph with his four-seam fastball, Pérez threw first-pitch strikes to 74 percent of hitters faced. And yet, when he needed said command the most, it abandoned him like a thief at the sound of sirens. He walked four across five innings in the Marlins' 6-3 loss. In four starts to begin the month of May, Pérez has walked a total of 14 batters. Overall, his 28 free passes this season nearly match last season's total of 32 even though he's only made half as many starts. When asked about these control issues, Pérez—speaking through interpreter Luis Dorante—seems unable to find a reason for said crux. "I think it's a mix of things—good at-bats that they've been taking, a lot of foul balls...and sitting down in a long inning, getting a little cold." "Inconsistency with the strike-throwing. He worked hard for 15 outs today...Right now, it's the start where there is one inning that gets going a bit, and a crooked number goes up," stated Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. Another bug in the Dominican's game has been limiting the long ball. Pérez seemingly got Junior Caminero to loose his balance swinging at a 2-2 sweeper in the bottom of the first, but the All-Star third baseman was strong enough to convert it into his twelfth home run of the season. The Marlins evened the score and eventually took the lead in a two-run second inning, thanks to run-scoring hits from Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez. With another multi-hit performance on Sunday, Lopez extends his MLB lead with 64 hits. Four innings later, and now facing Yandy Díaz, Pérez left a changeup low and inside that wound up 426 feet from home plate for Díaz's seventh home run. In 239 career innings, Pérez owns a HR/9 of 1.4. Beyond the pair of long balls surrendered, the most crushing blow to Pérez and the Marlins' fortunes came when Taylor Walls, the light-hitting, slick-fielding shortstop, put the Rays up for good with a bases-clearing, three-run triple. Miami's bats did attempt a comeback, highlighted by an eighth-inning rally that saw the team have bases loaded with one out. Leo Jiménez would strike out for out number two. Heriberto Hernández, whose pinch-hit, solo home run started a 10-run outburst for the Marlins on Saturday, lined out to the aforementioned Walls for the third out. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 21-26. They have not won a series in Tampa since 2018 despite visiting there annually. The New York Mets are only half a game behind Miami for last place in the NL East. Looking Ahead The Marlins return home, where they are set to begin a four-game series against the division-leading Atlanta Braves. Max Meyer (3-0, 3.21 ERA) will make his second career start versus Atlanta in Monday's series opener. Opposing Meyer, JR Ritchie (1-0, 3.32), will make his first career start against Miami, and just the fifth of his major league career. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

The Miami Marlins' big-ticket free agent signing from this past offseason has been one of their biggest liabilities thus far. Right-hander Pete Fairbanks inked a one-year, $13M pact in December, the most lucrative deal for any player during Peter Bendix's tenure as Marlins president of baseball operations. Fairbanks performed exactly as advertised on the club's season-opening homestand, posting goose eggs in the run column in his first three outings. His entrance from the bullpen has been a harbinger of suffering since then. Across those last seven innings, Fairbanks has allowed 11 runs, ballooning his season ERA to 9.00. He blew a save opportunity for the second time on Saturday against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, though Miami's offense bailed him out in extra innings. By win probability added, Fairbanks (-1.06 WPA) has been more detrimental to the Marlins' pursuit of relevance than any other player, even edging out the since-released Chris Paddack (-1.01 WPA). However, Fairbanks' peripherals tell us he's no worse a pitcher than he was in 2025. So much of the 32-year-old's uncharacteristic outcomes can be explained by bad luck. Fairbanks enters Sunday with a 3.20 FIP in 2026. That figure was 3.63 the year before and 3.50 the year before that. His career mark is 3.11. His strikeout minus walk rate is better than his overall career rate and he has surrendered only one home run, which came off the bat of early-season American League MVP candidate Ben Rice. Fairbanks has underachieved his expected earned run average by 5.85 runs, according to Baseball Savant. That is the 15th-largest margin out of the 480 MLB pitchers to face at least 25 hitters this season, putting him in the 97th percentile of "unluckiness." This is not comparable to the notoriously regrettable acquisition of Heath Bell 14 years earlier. Fairbanks, for the first time in his career, has a feel for three reliable putaway pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. And he has all the motivation that he needs to get back on track with another trip through free agency looming following the 2026 campaign. If there is one area Fairbanks ought to emphasize, it's generating more ground balls. Although that backfired on him Saturday with Nick Fortes' game-tying RBI single, grounders are far easier overall for defenses to convert into outs. He currently possesses the lowest GB% in MLB (min. 25 BF). Expectations for Fairbanks should not be lowered despite the lowlights he has produced. With regular usage moving forward—his season has been interrupted previously by the birth of a child and a bout of nerve irritation—he's capable of resuming his usual high-caliber ways. View full article

Pete Fairbanks ' tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays was one deserving of praise. Seven seasons, 256 plus innings pitched, 90 saves, an ERA below 3, and an American League pennant. So, when he returned to the place affectionately known as "The Trop," now a member of the Miami Marlins, a wave of emotion had to have hit him like a Mack truck. However, when tasked with securing the save in a one-run game headed into the bottom of the 9th, that emotion was substituted for pure adrenaline. Making his first appearance since sustaining nerve irritation in his right thumb on April 27th, Fairbanks recorded the first out by setting Richie Palacios down on strikes. What would follow only added to an already topsy-turvy game on both sides. Cedric Mullins worked a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on an errant Joe Mack throw. With two outs and Mullins now 90 feet from tying the score at two, Nick Fortes , a former Marlin, came to the plate against the former Ray in Fairbanks. In keeping with the proverbial nature that comes with baseball, Fortes would hit a ground ball to third baseman Javier Sanoja that had more spin than your average grounder, ultimately escaping the grasp of Sanoja and allowing Mullins to score and saddling Fairbanks with a blown save. "It's been hard to put together because of the uneven time and being away..but I thought the stuff was great," noted Clayton McCullough, who picked up his 100th managerial win. Just a half inning prior, Sanoja put Miami ahead with an RBI double, a much-needed break for someone who entered play Saturday batting .080 in May. While most blown leads for the Marlins suggest the inevitability of an eventual loss, the bats had other plans come the top of the 10th. Batting around, the Marlins scored eight unanswered runs on six hits, including another run-scoring double courtesy of Sanoja. Liam Hicks reclaimed sole possession of first place in runs batted in, now with 40 entering play Sunday. And though Lake Bachar would cough up a three-spot in the bottom half, Miami held on to take the second game, 10-5. "We hung in there, and certainly didn't have some of our finest moments, but we just have to find a way to win," uttered McCullough. Now 21-25, the Marlins trail the Phillies and Nationals by two games for second place in the National League East. In what would end up being a no-decision, his fourth in as many outings, Sandy Alcantara stymied the Rays' bats to the tune of six innings of one-run ball, striking out six. Alcantara will enter his next start 24 strikeouts shy of 1,000 for his career. In 10 starts this season, Alcantara owns a 3.53 ERA, all while trailing only Christopher Sanchez (who twirled a six-hit, 13 strikeout shutout on Saturday) for the MLB lead in innings pitched. Alcantara has thrown 63.2 innings to Sanchez's 64.1. In four career starts at Tropicana Field, Alcantara owns a sterling 1.67 ERA. "It was one of those games where we never gave up," noted Alcantara postgame. Tampa's lone run off Alcantara came in the bottom of the third when Chandler Simpson singled in Taylor Walls. Overcoming the adversity of a season-high four errors, Miami's offense was held scoreless for the first six innings at the mercy of Nick Martinez , who lowered his season ERA to 1.51. Among qualified pitchers this season, only Cam Schlittler (1.35) has a lower ERA than the aforementioned Martinez. Of the four Miami errors on the day, two came in a fifth inning that could have very easily gotten away from Alcantara and Co. With two outs and the light-hitting Walls batting, Xavier Edwards uncorked an errant throw for his second error of the day. Immediately following him, Chandler Simpson hit a ground ball that Sanoja was unable to corral, turning what looked to be a 1-2-3 inning into one where Alcantara threw 22 pitches. Trailing entering the seventh, Heriberto Hernández, facing the team he spent parts of three seasons with in the minor leagues, blasted a game-tying home run deep into the left field stands. Looking Ahead The Marlins and Rays will close out the series on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match. Eury Pérez (2-5, 4.94 ERA) will look to solve his road woes as he takes the ball for Miami. In 26 career starts away from loanDepot Park, Pérez owns a 5.14 ERA, averaging fewer than five innings per outing, though he has posted a 2.81 ERA in games pitched on artificial turf. Sunday will mark Pérez's first career start against Tampa Bay. Opposing Pérez, Drew Rasmussen (3-1, 3.16 ERA), will make his seventh career appearance against Miami. In 26 career innings against, Rasmussen has pitched to a 2.08 ERA. First pitch from Tropicana Field is slated for 12:15 EST. View full article