Louis Addeo-Weiss

MIAMI—Eury Pérez and Jakob Marsee. Two names, who, if they continue doing what they've done to this point in their young major league careers, could eventually find themselves receiving the honor that longtime second baseman Luis Castillo did on Sunday when the Marlins inducted him into their team's Hall of Fame. Pérez and Marsee topped the bill in Miami's series finale against the Blue Jays, with the former carrying a shutout into the seventh inning of a 5-3 win to avoid the sweep. The Fish claimed their 61st victory of the season a month earlier than the 2024 team did. Striking out four over his six-plus innings of work on a career-high 94 pitches, 12 of Pérez's 18 whiffs on the day came on the four-seam fastball, a pitch that entered play with a plus-14 run value. In 14 starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, the 22-year-old owns a 3.44 ERA. Miami would get out to an early lead when Eric Wagaman tagged Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (6 IP, 4 R) for a solo home run in the top of the third. After an abysmal July that saw him OPS a mere .424, Wagaman has responded with a .928 OPS in August, with home runs in each of the club's last two Sunday contests. Fast-forward to the fifth inning, Marsee—already the owner of 15 extra-base hits and 20 runs batted in to that point—lined a three-run triple into the left-center gap of loanDepot park. Marsee's 23 RBI are the most through a player's first 23 games to begin their career in franchise history, besting his teammate, Liam Hicks, who had 17. Looking to complete the seventh inning for the second time in his career, Pérez allowed a Bo Bichette ground ball to sneak by Wagaman at first base. He then walked Ty France after getting ahead 0-2. Upon entering and inheriting the two runners to face Daulton Varsho, Lake Bachar would be tagged for a three-run home run which cut the Marlins' lead to 4-3. Needing insurance in the bottom of the seventh following the Varsho home run, Agustín Ramírez's single up the middle did just that, increasing the Miami lead to two. Ramírez also became just the fourth catcher in franchise history to steal 10-plus bases in a single season. He has done it with impressive efficiency (only 2 CS). The tension reached a climax in the top of the eighth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., playing in his first game in six days, stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter representing the go-ahead run. Ronny Henriquez got him to pop up. The day after firing 32 pitches, Tyler Phillips entered in the top of the ninth, ultimately locking down a 1-2-3 save, needing just six pitches to do so. Looking Ahead The Marlins will continue their nine-game homestand on Monday when they welcome the Atlanta Braves. Monday's starter for Miami, Edward Cabrera (6-7, 3.52 ERA), will hope for more of the same against Atlanta after having struck out 11 and allowed just a pair of hits over eight innings against them back on August 8. Spencer Strider (5-11, 5.24 ERA) will oppose him for Miami. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

"Baseball is a game of inches." "The baseball will always find you." For Dane Myers and Jakob Marsee on Sunday, these two classic lines couldn't have been any truer. With the Marlins leading 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Wilyer Abreu drove a ball into the right-center gap of Fenway Park. Myers, making just his 13th start of the season in right, tracked the ball into his mitt. However, his impact with the wall jarred the ball loose and into the Marlins bullpen. What could have been an inning-ending, highlight-reel catch turned into Abreu's 22nd home run of the season. Fast-forward four and a half innings later to the top of the ninth, and Myers, already 0-for-3 on the day, sent a sweeper from Greg Weissert over the Red Sox bullpen to tie it at three apiece. Miami had previously inched closer when Liam Hicks punched a pinch-hit RBI single past Alex Bregman. Marsee entered the game in the eighth, facing newly acquired Red Sox reliever Steven Matz. Already off to the hottest start that any player has ever had to their Marlins career, he had arguably his most impactful moment yet, sending a two-run home run into the right field stands. Three outs shy of dropping their ninth game in 11 tries, Miami wouldn't relinquish that 5-3 lead, fending off the Red Sox to avoid a sweep and snapping a three-game losing streak. Ironically enough, it ended via a fly out to none other than Dane Myers. "It took a lot of contributions from the whole group today," noted Clayton McCullough. "I think I blacked out for a second...When you win, especially with a packed crowd here (at Fenway), it's pretty special," noted Marsee. Through his first 62 plate appearances, Marsee is hitting .377 with a 1.242 OPS. Before all of the late-inning heroics, the Marlins got off to a hot start, with Eric Wagaman taking Boston's ace, Garrett Crochet, deep in the top of the third. At 453 feet, Wagaman's blast was the longest by a Marlin thus far this season, per Statcast. As he has done all season, Crochet would settle down to hold Miami to just the one run over his seven innings of work. Among all qualified AL pitchers, only Tarik Skubal (2.42) has a lower ERA than Crochet's 2.43. Fortunately for the Marlins, Janson Junk nearly matched Crochet, pitch-for-pitch, striking out six and matching a career-high with seven innings pitched. A noted control artist, Junk has allowed just nine free passes in his 82 ⅓ innings pitched. "The velocity was back, the breaking stuff was crisp, and he was efficient," said McCullough. At 96.6 mph, Junk's fastball to strike out Masataka Yoshida matched his hardest-thrown pitch of the season. Though only generating nine whiffs on the day, Junk averaged just 12.4 pitches per inning. The tandem of Tyler Phillips and Anthony Bender followed suit with scoreless eighth and ninth innings of their own, highlighted by Bender's fourth save of the season. Looking Ahead The Marlins return to Miami, where they'll open up a nine-game homestand starting with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Eury Pérez (5-3, 3.58 ERA) will start the opener for Miami. In his lone start versus St. Louis back on July 6, 2023, Pérez struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball. Matthew Liberatore (6-10, 4.08 ERA) will oppose him. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

A core philosophical tenet of mine is that we're all capable of change. It does a disservice to the willpower and intellectual capacity of human beings to assume their present flaws will continue to define them. That applies to baseball as well and specifically my views on Xavier Edwards, the ballplayer. As recently as late May, I was under the impression that Edwards was an overall liability to Miami's competitive aspirations. Over his first 42 games played this season before a mid-back injury sent him to the injured list, Edwards' 79 wRC+ and .292 SLG ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively, among the 24 MLB hitters with at least 190 plate appearances to that point. The latter figure was not particularly surprisingly considering his minor league track record—the short switch-hitter had homered in only .68% of his MiLB plate appearances. One could look past Edwards' lack of power when he was running better-than-average strikeout and walk rates with 70-grade speed. Where I really took umbrage with Edwards' game was on defense. While primarily a second baseman in the minors, Edwards began auditioning at shortstop during Miami's 100-loss 2024. With the presumption that the 2025 season would also prioritize development over competitiveness, he was basically awarded the job entering the new year. The idea of Edwards at SS looked doomed from the start. With frequent weak, inaccurate throws and awkward footwork, there were no indications that he would convert enough plays there to stick there. The comparison between Edwards and Otto Lopez, even in a brief sample, was night and day. The numbers were just as unflattering as the viewing experience. In 69 games to end the 2024 season, Edwards graded out at minus-14 total zone runs and minus-8 defensive runs saved. His minus-10 outs above average (OAA) placed him 33rd among the 34 players with at least 200 chances at shortstop that season. Despite the narrative that an offseason throwing program would address his main deficiency, the first quarter of 2025 was a continuation of what we had previously seen (-7 OAA). In a vacuum, the next step seemed obvious: move Edwards back to his natural second base position. However, why would the Marlins tinker with Lopez, who had amassed 14 defensive runs saved there between 2024 and 2025? Thankfully, Lopez had versatility in his background, including 52 innings of commendable play at shortstop the previous year. Upon returning from the injured list on May 31, Edwards would pinch-hit and finish the game at second, while Lopez became the club's primary shortstop. From there on out, Edwards took off. There have been 26 qualified MLB second basemen since that final May day. Edwards ranks fourth among them in wRC+ (132) and third in fWAR (2.3 fWAR). He's simply performing at an elite level. Edwards' elusive first home run of the year came on July 12. Specifically during the span of games from that point forward, he has recorded more extra-base hits (13) than strikeouts (12). While the Marlins' batting order has been in constant flux, he has entrenched himself in the leadoff spot. The shift in Edwards' defensive quality was apparent instantaneously. He could one day threaten for a Gold Glove on the right side of the diamond. At 2B in 2025, Edwards has been plus-4 total zone runs, plus-seven OAA and plus-seven DRS. The position swap was mutually beneficial. Lopez's play improved as well, as his elite defensive metrics transitioned seamlessly to shortstop (5 DRS), along with a modest uptick in his production at the plate. As for the Marlins collectively, since May 31, they're 35-31, an 86-win pace over a full season. Improved play in multiple aspects only forces us to ponder the question of where Miami would be if it had gone with such a defensive alignment all along. Regardless of where their future fortunes may lie, if he keeps up this type of play, Xavier Edwards is who I want manning second base for the Miami Marlins moving forward. View full article

MIAMI—Following one of the most exciting games in franchise history on Friday, the Miami Marlins shut out the New York Yankees on Saturday thanks to six dominant innings from Eury Pérez and a pair of Agustín Ramírez home runs. On Sunday, a day when the club inducted Jack McKeon—who managed the club that usurped those Yankees in the 2003 World Series—into the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame, Edward Cabrera picked up where the aforementioned Pérez left off, twirling six brilliant frames of his own. A 7-3 victory completed a sweep of the Yankees for the first time in the Marlins' existence. Less than two months ago, the Marlins had plummeted as far as 16 games under .500. Remarkably, they've just reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 15. After allowing a home run to Trent Grisham to lead off the contest, Cabrera retired 18 of the last 20 hitters faced, striking out seven to pick up his fifth win of the season. Since the start of May, Cabrera's 2.32 ERA is ninth among the 72 pitchers to throw at least 80 innings in that span. "I truly believe a home run early doesn't completely define the game," noted Cabrera through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. Wryly joking that "everything" was working on the day, particularly impressive was Cabrera's curveball, which generated eight of the 15 total whiffs he had on the day. Cabrera held the Yankees at bay. Meanwhile, for Luis Gil—the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, who was making his season debut—outs would be anything but easy to come by. After escaping a 24-pitch first inning without any damage, Gil was tagged for three runs in a 28-pitch bottom of the second. In the outburst, recently recalled Troy Johnston, making his first career start at home, laced an RBI double into the gap to tie the score at 1-1. Xavier Edwards and Kyle Stowers would join in on the fun with run-scoring plate appearances of their own. Miami's patience paid off, forcing Gil to concede favorable counts and free passes. The right-hander would be charged with five runs over 3 ⅓ innings of work, walking four and striking out three. Taking that 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth, it would be Stowers, the team's lone All-Star, who broke the floodgates open when he sent his 25th home run of the season over the right field wall. Facing Brett Headrick, the home run marked Stowers first all season to come against a left-handed pitcher (and just the second of his career). "I think Kyle should be in that conversation," said McCullough when asked about Stowers as a potential NL MVP candidate. Through 406 plate appearances this season, Stowers owns a .948 OPS and 158 wRC+. The Yankees' most legitimate comeback attempt came when former Marlin Jazz Chisholm Jr., launched a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to cut the score to 6-3. In typical Marlins do-not-quit fashion, they would tack on an insurance run in the bottom half when Jakob Marsee hit a ball over the head of Grisham for an RBI triple. Selected from Triple-A at the beginning of this series in the aftermath of the Jesús Sánchez trade, Marsee is the first player in franchise history to draw at least four walks and have four extra-base hits through his first three career games. "Very impressive start," noted McCullough. "The number of pitches he's seen, the control of the zone, the discipline, and he's getting off some good swings as well." Looking Ahead The Marlins homestand continues on Monday when they welcome the Houston Astros for the first of a three-game series. Sandy Alcantara (6-9, 6.36 ERA) will continue a Marlins tenure most assumed would end at the trade deadline. Jason Alexander (1-1, 7.36 ERA) will oppose him for Houston. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

The Miami Marlins have been quiet ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline with the exception of shipping Nick Fortes to the Tampa Bay Rays, though their 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals should help facilitate additional moves. One potential trade chip in particular elevated his value to a contender. Making his 21st and potentially final start in a Marlins uniform, Cal Quantrill tossed five scoreless innings at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. Concluding July with a 2.92 ERA across his five starts, Quantrill lowered his season ERA to a more respectable 4.79, highlighted by a surge of just one total run allowed over his last three appearances. As Miami's lone pending free agent, the 30-year-old is certainly being made available to the highest bidder. "His stuff was as crisp as it's been all season," said manager Clayton McCullough. Each of Quantrill's seven hardest-thrown pitches of 2025 came on the evening. He topped out at 97.1 mph. In the batter's box, all the Fish would need came on Jesús Sánchez's 10th home run of the season in the third inning against Miles Mikolas (6 IP, 2 ER). At 439 feet, Sánchez's long ball was the second-farthest hit ball in Busch Stadium this season, trailing only Sean Murphy's 440-foot shot back on July 11. In 11 career plate appearances against Mikolas, Sánchez owns a .400/.455/1.200 slash line. "I was searching for a fastball middle-away, but reacted to the changeup," said Sánchez, who finished July with an .819 OPS. Miami's bullpen got some defensive help courtesy of a pair of plays from third baseman Graham Pauley and shortstop Otto Lopez. The speed-challenged Yohel Pozo was victimized in both instances. On the mound for the first of those two, Tyler Phillips threw 2 ⅓ scoreless innings in the combined shutout, finishing the month of July with a minuscule 0.59 ERA. With the win, Miami, now 52-55, clinched their fifth consecutive series win, their longest such streak since 2017, and concluded a 15-10 month of July. In a year most forecasted to be one where victories would be hard to come by, first-year manager McCullough's club is currently playing at a 79-win pace. Since the start of June, the club's 3.51 ERA is fifth in all of baseball. "This group has a lot of confidence in their abilities since they left spring training. We just didn't play well at the outset," continued McCullough. Looking Ahead It's an off-day for Marlins players and coaches on Thursday, but arguably the busiest day of the entire year for the front office. Fish On First will provide full coverage of whatever moves they make prior to the 6:00 p.m. trade deadline. The Marlins will fly home to begin a three-game series with the defending American League champion New York Yankees to open up the month of August. Friday's projected pitching matchup is Janson Junk (5-2, 3.28 ERA) squaring off against All-Star Carlos Rodón (11-7, 3.18 ERA), but neither team will be listing their pitchers until the dust settles after the deadline. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 7:10 EST. View full article

If the Marlins held on to their 2-1 lead against the Brewers on Sunday, they'd head to St. Louis two games under .500 at 51-53, clinging to a thread at the prospect of adding instead of subtracting at the upcoming July 31 trade deadline. However, a Blake Perkins walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth nudged them closer to being sellers. The 3-2 loss narrowly prevented the Fish from sweeping the Brew Crew for the first time since 2008. "They found a way to push across a couple of runs...but still a lot of great takeaways from this series," noted manager Clayton McCullough. Entering the day riding a four-game winning streak, the Marlins got off to a quick start, with Xavier Edwards drilling a first-pitch, leadoff double against Brandon Woodruff. He was driven in by Kyle Stowers three batters later. On the same mound that new Baseball Hall of Fame inductee CC Sabathia helped pitch the Brewers into the playoffs in 2008, Miami got another effective outing from their ascendant ace, Eury Pérez. Striking out six over five innings of one-run ball to lower his season ERA to just a hair over three, Pérez concluded the month of July with a 1.29 ERA over five starts, the lowest such mark of any pitcher to throw at least 25 innings in a single July in franchise history. Of the 12 whiffs he generated, six came on Pérez's fastball, a pitch that topped out at 99.7 mph on the day. "He has been on a nice run over this past month. The stuff is elite," noted McCullough. The lone bit of damage against Pérez on Sunday came off the bat of another young phenom, Jackson Chourio. His first of two doubles on the day drove in Milwaukee's first run in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. As they did so often in this series, though, Miami would immediately strike back, this time courtesy of Heriberto Hernandez, who hit his second home run in as many weeks against the aforementioned Woodruff to give Miami a lead they would hold heading into the bottom of the eighth. Hernandez, despite limited playing time, has made the most of it when out there, sporting a .323/.377/.531/.908 slash line in 106 PA this season. Following scoreless sixth and seventh innings from Valente Bellozo and Anthony Bender, McCullough turned to Ronny Henriquez in the eighth to hold Miami's slim lead. After allowing a leadoff double to Chourio, Henriquez would be helped out by his defense. Shortstop Otto Lopez took advantage of some aggressive baserunning on the part of Chourio, who attempted to advance to third on a Perkins ground ball. Former Marlin and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich would proceed to strike out before Andrew Vaughn, a midseason acquisition from the White Sox, doubled home Perkins to tie the game at two. Looking Ahead The Marlins' final series before the trade deadline will commence on Monday when they open up a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. Edward Cabrera (4-4, 3.48 ERA), a hot topic in deadline discussions, will start the opener. Andre Pallante (5-7, 4.91 ERA) will oppose him for St. Louis. First pitch from Busch Stadium is slated for 7:45 EST. View full article

MIAMI—Riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak that propelled them to within five games of .500 and six-and-a-half games out of an NL Wild Card spot, the Marlins turned to Janson Junk on Sunday to set the tone for a potential sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Alas, this did not come to pass. Junk entered the afternoon as the owner of a 0.95 ERA over three July starts. He seemed to be continuing that trend when quieting Kansas City for the first three innings. Then, along came the fourth. Following a leadoff pop-up by Jonathan India, the heart of the Royals lineup tagged Junk for three runs on four hits, three of which went for extra bases. The sequence was punctuated by a two-run double courtesy of Jac Caglianone, the recently graduated top prospect who entered play with a .466 OPS (324th among 325 MLB hitters with at least 140 plate appearances). “They were taking early swings," Junk said postgame when assessing the rally. "I think it was four first-pitch swings—they were attacking. I think it was just a lot of fastballs that just missed too much of the plate”. The Royals weren't done yet, putting up another three-spot on Junk in the top of the fifth in their 7-4 defeat over Miami. With the loss—their first since July 11—the Marlins fell to six games under .500 at 46-52. Generating only three whiffs against 37 swings, the aforementioned Junk allowed 11 hard-hit balls in the loss. Kris Bubic, a first-time All-Star and inarguably the Royals' most valuable pitcher this season, continued his run of dominance, stymying the Marlins' bats over five scoreless innings on just 66 pitches. Bubic ranks third in MLB this season with six outings of at least five innings pitched and no runs allowed. The Royals would tack on another run in the eighth when Salvador Pérez hit his second home run in as many days, tying Bobby Abreu for fifth-most among Venezuelan-born players at 288 in the process. Determined to avoid being shut out for the eighth time here in 2025, the Marlins would not go quietly, putting up a four-spot in the bottom of the ninth in an inning that saw the team bring nine men to the plate. In the comeback effort, Agustín Ramírez took sole possession of first place among rookies with his 21st double of the season. Miami's 44 ninth-inning runs are tied with the Dodgers for the fifth-most in baseball. Pinch-hitter Liam Hicks came to the plate representing the tying run, but flew out to left field. Looking Ahead The Marlins will face another challenge Monday when they open up a three-game series against the playoff-hopeful San Diego Padres. Eury Pérez (3-2, 3.18 ERA) will aim to keep up the momentum of what has been a brilliant start to July, allowing just one run over 18 innings pitched. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

Kyle Stowers had his doubters when the Baltimore Orioles traded him to Miami some 348 days ago. They were emboldened when he struggled in spring training, jeopardizing his chances of even making the Marlins roster. The 27-year-old has been silencing those doubters throughout the 2025 season and did so with authority on Sunday. Following an hour and 38-minute rain delay, playing against the same Orioles team that believed him to be expendable, Stowers hit three home runs, drove in six, and had a career-high five hits in an 11-1 Marlins victory. Miami will head into the All-Star break at 44-51, third in the NL East. Becoming the fourth player in franchise history with a three-homer game and first since Brian Anderson in September 2020 to do so, Stowers will head to Atlanta with a team-leading 19 home runs and 54 RBI. "Loved the last few days, especially leaving with a winning road trip," noted manager Clayton McCullough. "I was just very locked in and in the moment," said Stowers reflecting on his mindset amidst rounding the bases following his third long ball. Singling in his final two at-bats, Stowers set a new single-game franchise record with 14 total bases. "What a day, and for it to be here, it's a career day, especially right before he heads off to his first All-Star Game...Now, he gets to go to Atlanta, soak it in, and talk to some very special players," noted McCullough. In Miami's season-high 18-hit barrage on Sunday, Otto Lopez tacked on a pair of his own, including his 11th home run of the season in the top of the third. Eury (Quietly) Dominant While Stowers was the story of the afternoon, the Marlins received another brilliant performance on the day from a player they see as a pivotal part of their future, Eury Pérez. The 22-year-old Pérez had never previously exceeded six innings of work in any start of his professional career, yet he held the Orioles to three hits over seven scoreless frames, picking up his third win of the season in the process. He only reached a 2-0 count twice on the day, striking out six. In his three July starts, Pérez owns a microscopic 0.50 ERA. On the injury front, the Marlins placed third baseman Connor Norby on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation, while Edward Cabrera received encouraging MRI results on his right elbow and evaded the IL for the time being. Looking Ahead The Marlins will kick off their remaining 67-game schedule on Friday when they welcome the Kansas City Royals (47-50) to Miami. Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 7.22 ERA) would ordinarily be next in line to start, though the All-Star break grants flexibility for the Fish to rearrange their rotation however they see fit. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 7:10 EST. View full article

The image that adorns the header of this recap, although unremarkable to those unaware, is that of a man now a stranger on a surface he once dominated. For Sandy Alcantara, 2025 has already been an eventful year—a return from a Tommy John surgery that cost him 2024, the birth of a daughter, and having to drown out the barrage of trade rumors. Despite it all, the competitor in Alcantara would tell you he was fully capable of picking up right where he left off. After starting the season with an ERA well north of eight through 11 starts, Alcantara reeled off a four-start run in June where he appeared to be regaining the form that made him an "ace" in the first place. Alas, the nightmare narrative returned, with earned run totals of seven and five in his next two starts. It continued as such on Wednesday when the former Cy Young Award winner allowed six runs in five innings of work in the Marlins' 7-2 loss to the Reds. Falling to 4-9 on the season, Alcantara's 7.22 ERA is the worst among 76 MLB pitchers to throw at least 90 innings this season. It is also the worst such mark of any pitcher in franchise history with a season of at least 90 innings pitched. Alcantara's night got off to a less-than-ideal start with a three-run, 31-pitch first inning. Upon briefly settling in, retiring seven of the next eight hitters, a leadoff walk to Tyler Stephenson in the bottom of the fourth would quickly come back to bite him. Noelvi Marte sent a sweeping curveball 421-feet into the left field stands of Great American Ball Park to increase the Cincinnati lead to five. "The results aren't matching the work he's putting in, and that's the frustrating part," noted manager Clayton McCullough. Appearing dejected in an exchange with McCullough following his final inning, Alcantara's dour mood carried over into the postgame conference. Expressing discontent with his location, he generated just eight whiffs on 52 swings by Reds hitters (15%). "I need to take time and rest, think about what I was doing bad, and keep competing every fifth day," said Alcantara. The veteran right-hander will have at least eight days of rest before toeing the rubber again post-All-Star break. Marlins Mojo Thwarted Entering the evening winners of seven of their last 10, including taking the first two games in Cincinnati by a 17-3 margin, the Marlins loss Wednesday snapped an 11-game road winning streak. The Reds, who improved to a game over .500 at 47-46, snapped a four-game losing streak. Now, some three weeks away from the trade deadline, the Marlins (43-49) sport a minus-62 run differential. Of teams with such a total through their first 91 games, only one—the 2017 Twins (-65)—managed to make the playoffs. Miami entered the day with a 1.0% percent chance to make the playoffs, per Baseball-Reference. Other than Alcantara's latest wart of an outing, the Marlins offense had to deal with Andrew Abbott. A first-time All-Star this season, Abbott quieted Miami to the tune of one run over 7 ⅔ innings. Only Paul Skenes (1.96) has a lower ERA among qualified NL starting pitchers than Abbott's 2.07. Prior to his start on Wednesday, Abbott owned an 11.88 ERA in two prior starts against Miami, allowing 11 runs in just 8 ⅓ innings of work. Though too little, too late, Miami would break through against Abbott in the eighth a la a Heriberto Hernandez RBI single. Connor Norby's second home run of the month plated Miami's final run in the ninth. Looking Ahead The Marlins will look to resume their winning ways in Thursday's series and season finale versus Cincinnati. Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.40 ERA) will start for Miami, owner of a career 5.50 ERA in five games against the Reds. Opposing Quantrill, Nick Lodolo (5-6, 3.58 ERA) will make his fifth career start versus Miami, pitching to a 2.82 ERA in his previous four. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is slated for 5:10 EST. View full article

MIAMI—As has seemed to happen time and time again here in 2025, just when you thought Edward Cabrera couldn't get any better than he's already been, he delivers an outing that continues to distinguish himself from the maddening and inconsistent pitcher he used to be. Cabrera did just that on Sunday, authoring seven innings of two-run ball in the Marlins' 3-1 loss to the Brewers. Behind Cabrera, the Miami offense ran into Brandon Woodruff, who allowed one run over six innings of work in his first major league start since 2023. The Marlins fell to 40-48 with the loss and snapped their streak of four consecutive winning series. Cabrera completed seven innings for the fifth time in his career (and second time in as many starts). It was his first-ever seven-inning outing with no walks surrendered, though he did hit a pair of batters. The right-hander lowered his season ERA to 3.33. Among pitchers to throw at least 50 innings since the start of May, Cabrera's 2.11 ERA ranks ninth. "We just continue to see a more refined version of him as a pitcher," noted manager Clayton McCullough. That refinement McCullough referred to has manifested in what appears to be more trust in Cabrera across the entire coaching staff. Entering Sunday's contest, Cabrera's .981 OPS when facing hitters a third time in a contest ranked 105th among 117 pitchers with at least 50 such plate appearances this season. He bucked that trend in this instance as the Brew Crew went a combined 1-for-9 the third time through, including a stretch of eight straight batters retired. The only real damage done against Cabrera came in the top of the third. A Christian Yelich ground ball fielded by third baseman Connor Norby was initially called the third out of the inning, but the play was subsequently overturned upon review. Jackson Chourio capitalized by lasering an inside slider over the left field wall for his fifteenth home run of the season. "That's part of the game," said Cabrera through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. "If I throw 90 pitches and make one bad pitch, what can you do about it?" Heriberto Hernandez delivered Miami's lone salvo in the loss, hitting a solo home run in the sixth and accounting for the lone pair of hits surrendered by Woodruff on the day. 38m5eq_1.mp4 Looking Ahead Miami will continue their trek through the NL Central on Monday when they open up a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Janson Junk (2-1, 3.62 ERA) will square off against former first-round pick Brady Singer (7-6, 4.36 ERA) in the series opener. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is slated for 7:10 EST. View full article

Since defeating the Braves last Sunday, no team in Major League Baseball has been as successful as the Marlins. Fast-forward a week and the keys to victory remained the same: solid starting pitching and late-inning heroics. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the eighth, Otto Lopez stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and a nine-game hitting streak on the line. The Marlins collectively hadn't recorded a hit with runners in scoring position since way back in the first inning. Lopez understood the assignment, lining a go-ahead two-run single off Jalen Beeks into left field, scoring Dane Myers and Liam Hicks. Kyle Stowers, who struck out against Beeks in a similar situation on Saturday, would tack on one pitch later with a three-run double of his own to extend the Miami lead to four. After Calvin Faucher allowed a pair of runs in the bottom half, Ronny Henriquez worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to seal the Marlins' seventh consecutive win, a 6-4 triumph over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now 37-45, the Marlins clinched their first 6-0 road trip in franchise history, and their first seven-game winning streak since April 23-30, 2022. They finished June with a record of 14-12 despite spending most of the month away from Miami. "We're getting contributions everywhere," said manager Clayton McCullough in reference to the recent hot stretch. The aforementioned Lopez has hit .415 over his current career-best 10-game hitting streak. Lake Bachar, who worked two perfect frames on Sunday, pitched to a 0.68 ERA in June. Stowers has collected eight RBI over his last four games, reasserting himself as arguably the club's best all-around hitter. Setting the Tone Cal Quantrill gave the Marlins five strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five, which has more or less been the norm for the veteran right-hander this season. Quantrill owns a 3.91 ERA since the beginning of May, allowing three or fewer runs in each of his last 10 starts. Of the few blemishes against Quantrill on Sunday came when Ketel Marte (1.005 OPS) blasted a solo home run in the third to give Arizona the lead. "We needed what we got out of Cal today," noted McCullough. Close Call(s) A minor controversy went against the Marlins in the seventh. Javier Sanoja, after drawing a leadoff walk, was called out on an attempted steal of second. The aforementioned Marte appeared to lift Sanoja's off the bag. The Marlins challenged the play, but the original call stood. Lopez and Heriberto Hernandez—Wednesday's heroes against the Giants—proceed to draw walks before a Kyle Stowers strikeout and Eric Wagaman popout put the breaks on the Miami rally. Tensions nearly boiled over in the top of the ninth. The benches cleared after Jesús Sánchez exchanged some words with catcher Jose Herrera following a swing that appeared to make contact with Herrera's mitt. Looking Ahead The Marlins will head home for a scheduled off day on Monday before opening up the month of July with a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Edward Cabrera (2-2, 3.78 ERA) will square off against one of the American League's most formidable arms in Joe Ryan (8-3, 2.86 ERA), the latter making his first career start versus Miami. In his lone start against the Twins back on September 25 last season, Cabrera worked five innings of one-run ball in an eventual 8-3 loss. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

Entering the bottom of the ninth with a 4-2 lead Wednesday night at Oracle Park, Calvin Faucher quickly lost his month-long scoreless streak and suffered a blown save. He was fortunate to avoid an even worse outcome. Faucher started his outing with a hit-by-pitch, another hit-by-pitch and a walk. Willy Adames plated the third Giants run on a sacrifice fly that missed being a walk-off grand slam by no more than ten feet. Patrick Bailey, the defensive stalwart behind the plate with a career 76 OPS+, followed that up by lacing a single into left field to score the tying run. Jung Hoo Lee, the potential winning run, would be gunned down at the plate by left fielder Kyle Stowers. A 98 mph line drive off the bat of Christian Koss found Connor Norby's glove, sending the game into extra innings. Deflating as it must've been for the Marlins to squander what had been a commendable pitching effort prior to Faucher's appearance, they responded by putting up a four-spot in the top of the 10th. Otto Lopez and Heriberto Hernandez, who delivered clutch, run-scoring hits earlier in the ballgame, xeroxed that with an RBI single and double, respectively. Over his last six games, Lopez has hit .458, raising his season average from .230 to .253. Tyler Phillips shut the door from there to secure an 8-5 victory, the Marlins' fifth straight road win. Rewinding, though, it would be doing a disservice to gloss over the work done by Edward Cabrera. After several seasons of middling results, the 27-year-old has elevated his performance in 2025. Minus a first-inning, leadoff home run off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski and a trio of walks, Cabrera continued a run of excellent pitching that's now seen him allow three or fewer runs in nine consecutive starts. His stuff was particularly sharp against the Giants as he fired 5 ⅓ innings of two-run ball, lowering his season ERA to 3.78 in the process. Cabrera delivered first-pitch strikes to 68 percent of batters faced. Since the start of play on May 4, his 2.36 ERA ranks just below Tarik Skubal (2.35) for 18th-best among 106 pitchers to throw at least 40 innings in that span. Opposite Cabrera was Giants ace Logan Webb. Utilizing a sinker-changeup combination that has seen him become one of the sport's best arms for nearly half a decade now, he held the Marlins to two runs over six innings. In his 17 starts this season, Webb has completed six more innings in 13 of them, allowing no more than three runs in each of those starts. Only Paul Skenes (2.12) has a lower ERA among NL pitchers to throw at least 80 innings thus far this season. The only real bit of damage against Webb came when Otto Lopez hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the fourth. Facing Tyler Rogers, who had gone more than three years without allowing an earned run against Miami, Heriberto Hernandez continued to make his case for more playing time. In the top of the eighth, the rookie outfielder laced a go-ahead two-run single just out of the reach of the shortstop Adames. Through 17 major league games, Hernandez sports a .340/.377/.480 slash line. He's been nearly as productive against righties (.819 OPS) as lefties (.887 OPS). Now 33-45 and winners of three straight, the Marlins hold a 1.5-game lead over the Nationals for fourth place in the NL East. They've won consecutive series for the first time this season and eight of the last 12 games overall. Looking Ahead The Marlins will wrap up their series by the Bay on Thursday when they send Janson Junk (2-0, 2.60 ERA) to the mound to make his second start of the season. In his first start back on June 20, Junk held Atlanta to one run over five innings pitched. Hayden Birdsong (3-1, 3.25 ERA) will make his second appearance against Miami, having previously tossed 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball on June 1. First pitch from Oracle Park is slated for 3:45 EST. View full article