Louis Addeo-Weiss

Ryan Weathers pitched the game of his life, but it took the Miami bats 10 innings to break through and take Game 2 in the Motor City. The last time a Marlins pitcher had a potential date with history involving the Detroit Tigers, the performance was accompanied by a feeble offense. On the final day of the 2013 season, September 29, a 100-loss Marlins team rang in the offseason by celebrating Henderson Álvarez as he no-hit Detroit in a 1-0 Marlins win. Miami's lone run would come in the bottom of the ninth when an errant slider from reliever Luke Putkonen got away from then-Tigers catcher (and now-Marlins analyst) Alex Avila to allow Giancarlo Stanton to score the winning run, securing Álvarez's career crowning achievement. On Tuesday, 3,880 days later, another Marlins hurler—Ryan Weathers—found himself in an eerily similar predicament. Utilizing a pitch-to-contact approach, Weathers breezed early, needing just 56 pitches to complete the first 5 innings in what would see him go 15 up-15 down. Though a Wenceel Pérez single in the bottom of the sixth would end his bid at perfection, Weathers still found a way to make his own history, not only recording an out in the seventh inning for the first time in his career but finishing the seventh. And then, an encore; he started and completed the 8th. In his 8 shutout innings, Weathers would strike out 4 against just 3 hits allowed. Coming two pitches short of his career-high 99 (5/3/23 v. OAK), the left-hander also walked no one. "It felt good to be in the zone, and the defense played great behind me," noted a smiling Weathers. "He did amazing," manager Skip Schumaker said. "Best start of his career...He wants to prove so badly that he's a Major League quality starter." That defense played perfectly into Weathers' aggressive approach Tuesday, fielding all 13 of the groundballs he induced. Weathers, who now owns the longest start by a Miami pitcher this season, has completed 6 or more innings four times this season. Unfortunately, for his and Marlins' sake, and just as Justin Verlander did that day in 2013, Reese Olson made it every bit the pitcher's duel, authoring 8 scoreless frames of his own, not walking a batter, and punching out 6. Despite being 0-4 on the season, Olson now owns a 2.08 ERA in 8 starts. Handing the ball of Tanner Scott in the bottom of the ninth, the left-hander pitched around a single and a walk to hold Detroit scoreless. Over his last 10 appearances dating back to April 16, Scott has not allowed an earned run, seeing his ERA dip from 4.15 to 2.15 over that stretch. Though not the sexiest of run-scoring plays, Miami would finally break through in the top of the 10th when a Jesús Sánchez force-out brought home inherited runner Bryan De La Cruz. Making his second appearance in as many days and since returning from the injured list, A.J. Puk, resuming his role as a member of the Marlins bullpen, would retire the Tigers in order to secure the 1-0 Marlins victory. Puk netted his first save since July 8, 2023, in the process. Of Note - With his 8 scoreless innings Tuesday, Ryan Weathers became the first Marlins' pitcher to do so since Sandy Alcantara on 8/1/2023. Alcantara owns 10 of the last 12 occurrences by Marlins starters dating back to 2019. - Full-circle family history: Weathers' father and longtime big leaguer, David, completed 8 innings 3 different times in his career. His first time doing so came as a member of the then-Florida Marlins against the San Diego Padres on 9/6/93. Like his son, Weathers allowed just 3 hits in his 8 scoreless frames. Ryan would make his big league debut with San Diego during the 2020 postseason. Looking Ahead The Marlins return to Comerica Wednesday as they'll look to secure their first road series victory this season. Trevor Rogers (0-6, 6.57) will look to avoid making it 10 consecutive winless starts as he squares off against Casey Mize (1-1. 3.58 ERA). First pitch is slated for 1:10 EST. View full article

Braxton Garrett shows sign of old self in return, Marlins get to Wheeler before walking it off in the 10th. Mother's Day at loanDepot park would mark the season debut for Braxton Garrett. Though, without context, his final line—5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 8 K—would suggest an unremarkable return to action, Garrett's effort proved a boon for the Marlins in their eventual 7-6, walk-off victory over the Phillies. With the win, Miami improved to 11-31 on the season, snapping a six-game skid in the process. Facing Nick Castellanos and having already allowed the Phillies' No. 2 and No. 3 hitters to reach in the top of the first, Garrett threw a hanging curveball—a pitch the league hit .515 on in 2023—perfectly catered to Castellanos' long swing, as the longtime right fielder drilled a three-run home run into AutoNation Alley. "I would rather have not thrown it," said Garrett referencing the curveball thrown to Castellanos. "If I throw it with more aggression, he probably swings over it." Getting out to an early 3-0 lead is nice, but doing so when your starting pitcher, Zack Wheeler, has historically held the Marlins in check—his 2.48 ERA being the lowest of any pitcher with a minimum of 120 innings pitched against Miami—only makes that early cushion evermore sweeter. Miami would have none of it, though, as Jesús Sánchez's second-inning, RBI double would prove a sign of things to come against the Phillies ace. Soon resembling the Braxton Garrett who posted a 120 ERA+ between 2022 and 2023, the former first-round pick would retire each of the next eight hitters following the Bryson Stott single that proceeded the Castellanos homer. In the bottom of the third and with Josh Bell at the plate, himself a terrific performer against Wheeler (1.009 OPS in 33 PA), the Marlins would get a three-run blast of their own when Bell went dead-center for his fifth home run of the season. As we would soon be reminded, though, nothing comes easy for the 2024 Marlins. Entering the top of the sixth with the prospect of a quality start still in reach, Garrett would exit after allowing a Bryce Harper single and four-pitch walk to the aforementioned Stott, leaving Andrew Nardi responsible to keep the lead at 3. Unfortunately, the crux of Nardi in 2024 has been his inability to strand runners, as evidenced by 11 of the 15 inherited runners scoring to this point. In a span of just 8 pitches, Nardi would up that total to 13 as an Edmundo Sosa triple and Brandon Marsh sacrifice fly evened the score at 6-6. "I know what the line was, but he (Garrett) pitched a lot better than it suggested," noted Skip Schumaker. Miami and Philadelphia's bullpen would trade zeroes between the seventh and ninth, highlighted by a pair of scoreless innings from Tanner Scott in the eighth and ninth. In the bottom of the 10th, Emmanuel Rivera would deliver the final blow, a pinch-hit, walk-off single in what was Miami's first walk-off from a pinch-hitter since 2018. Of Note - In drawing his 115 career BB against the Marlins, Bryce Harper moved into sole possession of second-place all-time in walks drawn against Miami. Only Chipper Jones (148) drew more. - Sunday marked the eighth time in Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s career where he has reached base safely at least 4 times. - Tim Anderson was out of the lineup a second consecutive day due to lingering back tightness. Looking Ahead Miami will resume play Monday when they open up a three-game series against the Tigers. Sixto Sánchez (0-1, 7.50 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Detroit as he squares off against Matt Manning (0-1. 4.24 ERA) in the series opener. First pitch from Comerica Park is slated for 6:40 EST. View full article

Two solo home runs proved to be merely blips over Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 8 innings, as Cabrera again struggles to find the strike zone in loss. After the Marlins' first taste of the 2024 superteam Dodgers resulted in a four-home run barrage in Monday's 6-3 defeat, Jazz Chisholm Jr. only needed one pitch to get the ball rolling for Miami. Facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto—the Dodgers' $325M arm—newly anointed leadoff man Chisholm vaulted the opening salvo 96 mph fastball 404 feet over the right-center wall to give the Marlins an early 1-0 lead. Despite an offense polling near or at the bottom of most offensive categories, Miami's 32 first-inning runs rank tied for third-highest in the big leagues. But oh, how misleading can a game's early going be. For these Marlins, no lead is ever safe, even more so when depending on Edward Cabrera to protect that lead against a Dodger team 12-2 in its previous 14 games. As inundated are we with the 95 mph changeups that best many pitchers' fastballs, too are we with Cabrera's clinical lack of command of the strike zone, and on Tuesday, we were present to more of the same. After loading the bases via a sequence of walk-hit-by-pitch-walk, Max Muncy—the owner of a three-homer game on May 4—took one of the few Cabrera offerings to grace strike zone over the left field wall for his sixth career grand slam. Following a two-walk bottom of the second, manager Skip Schumaker had seen enough from his right-hander, Cabrera's final line indicative of a pitcher seemingly still unable to harness his raw stuff: 2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K Though a sound decision to remove a pitcher whose strike zone mirrored that of a chemically altered-Doc Ellis, the recently recalled George Soriano would not fare much better. Allowing a hit-by-pitch, double, and walk before Andy Pages plated the fifth L.A. run on a sacrifice fly, an errant throw from catcher Christian Bethancourt rolled down the third base line, allowing Muncy to score from second. Three pitches later, Gavin Lux would conclude the eventual plate appearance with his first home run of the season, the Dodgers now holding an 8-1 stranglehold over Miami. While Bryan De La Cruz would tag him for his team-leading seventh home run of the season with a solo shot in the 6th, the aforementioned Yamamoto further proved exceptional, striking out 5 over 8 innings of 2-run ball in the Dodgers 8-2 win. Excluding his 1-inning, 5-run drumming he suffered in his big league debut against the Padres in Seoul back on March 22, Yamamoto owns a 1.76 ERA In 41 innings since coming stateside. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 10-28, their worst 38-game start to a season in franchise history. Miami are currently playing at a 42-win pace, a mark that would be the second-fewest for a full-length MLB season since the start of the expansion era in 1961, trailing only the 1962 New York Mets, who won just 40 games in their inaugural season. Of Note - Unenviable record: Tuesday marked Edward Cabrera's fourth career start with at least 4 walks and 1 or fewer hits allowed, the most of any pitcher in franchise history. - With the loss, Miami falls to 99-124 all-time against the Dodgers. Since the start of the 2021 season, the Marlins are 8-14 against L.A. - Yamamoto becomes the fourth pitcher this season with a start of at least 8 innings pitched and 0 walks allowed against the Marlins. The feat was only accomplished four times between 2022-2023. Looking Ahead Miami will conclude their west coast road trip Wednesday when they close out their series against the Dodgers at 3:10 EST. Ryan Weathers (2-3, 4.54 ERA)—the owner of a career 4.66 ERA in 5 games against L.A.—squares off against Gavin Stone (2-1, 4.06 ERA) in the series finale. The Marlins will have Thursday off as they travel home to commence a brief 3-game, weekend homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies. View full article

A day after having a 20-spot hung on them, Miami give the A's their comeuppance, as the bats break out for 12 runs to salvage their final game in Oakland. To say the Marlins had a wild weekend would be a criminal understatement. Inside of ten minutes before first pitch of the club's three-game series against the Athletics on Friday, news broke that Luis Arraez—the reigning NL batting champion—was being traded to the San Diego Padres for a package of four players. Saturday's slated 4:07 EST start was delayed some three-and-a-half hours due to rare California rains. When play finally commenced just shy of 5 p.m. on the West Coast, the A's laid waste to Miami pitching to the tune of 20 runs on the strength of 6 home runs, highlighted by a 10-run third inning. Less than 24 hours after soon-to-be-former-Oakland A's put up double-digits in the R-column, the Marlins returned to the Coliseum for the fourteenth and final time hoping to exit with a regained sense of confidence. On Sunday, however, in the words of Bally's play-by-play voice Paul Severino, "what a difference a day makes," as it would be the Miami bats laying waste to opposing pitching in their 12-3 victory, their first in the post-Luis Arraez era. "We stayed back last night, watched some film, and just decided to go out there and have fun," said protagonist Nick Gordon. "We got our butt kicked last night," noted Skip Schumaker. "Up-and-down the order it was really good today, especially against the right-handers...taking our walks and staying in the strike zone." Miami's .650 OPS against right-handed pitching ranks 25th through play Sunday. Facing rookie Joe Boyle—owner of the second-worst BB/9 (6.8) among the 121 pitchers to throw at least 25 innings entering play Sunday—the Marlins fed off the power righties suspect command, drawing back-to-back-to-back walks to open the festivities. Leadoff hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr. continued the early Miami momentum, stealing second and third base. After a Jesús Sánchez forceout put Miami on the board, the aforementioned-Gordon's fourth home run of the year, a two-out, three-run blast to deep right-center, made it a 4-0 Marlins affair. Gordon would finish the day 4-for-4, falling just a triple shy of the second cycle in club history (Arraez, 4/11/23). Boyle would last just the one inning before being relieved by Mitch Spence. Though not throwing with the increased fastball velocity he showed in his previous 2 starts, Sixto Sánchez limited the Oakland lineup to a pair of runs over his 4 innings of work, walking 3 and punching out 2. Should Miami continue to run him out there, the hope is he can limit the traffic, as opposing offenses are hitting .366 (15-for-41) against him in his 3 starts this season. In relief of Sánchez, the Marlins bullpen, after coughing up 13 runs the night before, worked 5 innings of 1-run ball. Leading 8-3 in the top of the ninth, the Marlins touched up longtime reliever T.J. McFarland for a 4-spot—their second-such inning of the day—to increase their lead to 9. In the victory, Miami saw contributions from Christian Bethancourt, who collected a pair of hits and an RBI after beginning his Marlins tenure 1-for-38. Recently recalled and former A's draft pick Jonah Bride pitched in with a pair of RBI against his former club. Of Note - With his first-inning home run, Nick Gordon surpassed his brother and former Marlin Dee with career home run number 19. - Miami improves to 6-1 in games following ones in which they've allowed at least 20 runs. - Sunday saw the Major League debut of Eli Villalobos, who worked a scoreless bottom of the ninth, striking out Abraham Toro to secure his first career strikeout and win for Miami. Looking Ahead Miami will continue this west coast road trip on Monday when they head south to Chavez Ravine to begin a series against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Roddery Muñoz (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will look to keep the good times rolling in what will be his third career start. Monday's series opener will mark the return of Walker Buehler (115 G, 3.02 ERA) in what will be his first appearance since June 10, 2022 after undergoing both Tommy John and flexor tendon surgeries. First pitch from Dodger Stadium is slated for 10:10 EST. View full article

Even after holding a 7-0 lead through the first third of the game, Miami finds yet another way to lose. Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel was once asked his thoughts on leading the expansion New York Mets in their existence's infancy. Stengel, responding in his now-famous Stengelese, quipped, ""I've been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose I never knew existed before." Fast forward some sixty-odd years, and you know the site: Sunday. LoanDepot Park. Patrick Corbin has been the consensus worst pitcher in the baseball going on half-a-decade now, and Miami capitalized on the fallen ace's ineptitude. An early Jazz Chisholm Jr. grand slam puts the Marlins out in front early. Dane Myers, recently recalled with the news of Avisaíl García being placed on the 10-day IL, wasted no time pitching into Miami's first-inning outburst, walloping a triple in his first plate appearance of the season. Ultimately, the Fish tagged Corbin for 6 runs in that opening frame. Miami ought to have held on to see the win through, right? Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers made quick of Washington in the top half of the first, retiring the side on 9 pitches, striking out 2. Weathers entered the afternoon on the heels of a 2.70 ERA over his last three starts. But a misleading honeymoon phase it would be, as Weathers' command would quickly regress to its early-season norms. Though managing to hold the Nats scoreless in the second, he was forced to throw 29 pitches in the inning, including a 12-pitch plate appearance for Alex Call that ended in a walk. In the top of the fourth and with Miami now holding a commanding 7-0 lead, Weathers allowed five of the first six hitters to reach base safely. CJ Abrams' two-run double cut the then-7-1 deficit down to four before Nick Senzel's fourth home run of the season made it a 7-5 ballgame. The prevailing thought no longer centered on whether Weathers would complete 5 innings to qualify for the win, but on whether the Marlins could simply hold on to win this game. 05261b13-9d2b5fd9-9d28cc2d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Fans here at LoanDepot would not have to wait long for that prophecy to reveal itself. One inning later, Senzel, again at the plate with men on, launched a three-run homer into the AutoNation Alley in left field. What was once a 7-0 Marlins lead that was shaping up to be a feel-good Sunday win had done a complete 180, now a 9-7 Nationals lead. Washington would add another run in the sixth in the eventual 12-9 victory. "I'm the manager who has to figure this out, and all of the blame is on me," noted manager Skip Schumaker. "It's frustrating," said Chisholm. "You have a good game, and you give it away, finding new ways to lose. I feel like we've been doing that a lot." Chisholm's intuition was correct, as the Marlins have an MLB-worst eight losses in games in which they led after the fifth inning. Hypotheticals aside, having those eight additional wins and sitting 14-15 would make for an entirely different conversation surrounding the club's fortunes. With the loss and the White Sox's 4-2 win over the Rays, at 6-23, the Marlins now own the worst record in baseball. Miami has been outscored 161-102 through the first 29 games played (negative-59 run differential). Weathers, whose season ERA ballooned from 3.16 to 4.55, finished the day with 6 runs allowed (all earned) over 4-plus innings, walking three and hitting three batters. In his first 6 starts to begin 2024, Weathers has walked at least 3 batters in 4 of those outings. Miami would make it interesting, nonetheless. With his club trailing 10-7 in the bottom of the seventh and having already struck out 3 times on the day, Tim Anderson poked a double down the right-field line to score Chisholm, who added two walks to his aforementioned grand slam. The owner of a career 7.2 percent walk rate entering 2024, Chisholm has shown a better understanding of the strike zone early, walking in 14.7 percent of his plate appearances. Run number 9 would follow two batters later courtesy of a pinch-hit RBI single off the bat of Jesús Sánchez before the Nationals tagged Bryan Hoeing for a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Looking Ahead Miami will close out this current four-game set against Washington on Monday. Trevor Rogers (0-3, 4.10 ERA) will look to continue his run as a quality innings-eater as he starts for the Fish, having completed 5 innings in each of his first 5 starts to begin 2024. Opposing him, Jake Irvin (1-2, 4.55 ERA) will make his fourth career start against Miami. In three prior starts against the Marlins, Irvin owns a 2.81 ERA across 16 innings pitched. First pitch from LoanDepot Park is slated for 6:40 EST. Of Note - With his first-inning grand slam Sunday, Jazz Chisholm Jr. joined Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton in a three-way tie for second in franchise history with 5 grand slams. Only Jeff Conine (6) has hit more. - Sunday saw Weathers become the first Marlins pitcher to hit 3 batters in a game since Pablo López back on 7/3/22, also against Washington. - Weathers now finds himself in a seven-way tie for most starts this season of 3 or more walks, authoring his fourth such game this season. View full article

Making his first start in nearly 4 years, Sixto Sánchez flashed brief glimpses of his old self, jitters, and expected rust, as Marlins rally late but falter in extras. 1,309. That is how many days elapsed between MLB starts made by Sixto Sánchez (or 1,294 if you succumb to pedantic behavior and count his postseason start in Game 3 of the 2020 NLDS). However you have been keeping score, the team Sánchez went up against in that final regular season start, playoff start and on Wednesday night remained a constant: the Atlanta Braves. Expectations were not particularly high for Sánchez in this challenging matchup. He entered with a 6.14 ERA this season and as many walks as strikeouts. Even with that in mind, his first inning as a starter in a presidential term was deeply uncomfortable to observe. The sequence of events: - Ronald Acuña Jr. 4-pitch walk - Acuña steals second - Michael Harris II singles, Acuña to third - Acuña scores on balk by Sánchez - Austin Riley called out on strikes - Matt Olson hit by pitch in a 1-2 count - Marcell Ozuna singles, Harris scores The aforementioned balk by Sánchez proved another microcosm into what has been a historically terrible start for the Marlins. Noticeably flustered, Sánchez motioned as if he were throwing to second in an attempt to pickoff Acuña. The only problem: Acuña was already on third base. "The game sped up on him," noted manager Skip Schumaker. "The next few innings, though, I thought he looked his best in the third inning." And while Sánchez was relatively ineffective—being charged with 3 runs and 5 hits over his 2 ⅔ innings pitched—impressive was the quality of his stuff. Averaging 94.1 mph on his fastball over his first 7 games pitched, Sánchez's four-seamer averaged 96.5 and he eclipsed 97 four times, including twice in that noted third inning. A minor controversy ensued when a Matt Olson ball hit to right fielder Jesús Sánchez skipped past him to the wall, allowing Olson to reach second and was ruled a double. Olson would eventually come around to score the third and final run tagged to the former Sánchez. The latter Sánchez redeemed himself with a home run off Reynaldo López in the top of the second that put Miami on the board and snapped a 21-inning scoreless streak dating back to the eighth inning of Sunday's 6-3 win over the Cubs. For Atlanta's and López's sake, that would be all the Marlins would write against him, as he continued his early-season dissection of the league, allowing just 3 hits and scattering 2 walks over 7 innings. His 0.72 ERA through 4 starts leads all qualified major league starters. The Marlins bullpen in relief of Sánchez did their part, working 5 ⅓ scoreless frames as the Braves took a 3-1 lead into the top of the ninth. Facing Raisel Iglesias—a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities to begin 2024—the trio of Luis Arraez, Bryan De La Cruz, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled in consecutive order before a rare error at the hands of the 2-time Gold Glove first baseman Olson on a Josh Bell ground ball led to two runs, tying the score at 3-3. As has been the case more often than not, the Marlins would not wind up on the right side of the scorebook. Unable to capitalize any further, Schumaker managed to coax another scoreless inning out of Calvin Faucher, still sporting a perfect 0.00 ERA through 5 appearances and 7 ⅔ innings pitched. Miami would threaten in the top of the 10th after an Emmanuel Rivera groundout advanced inherited runner Nick Gordon to third. However, newly reinstated Christian Bethancourt—now 0-for-26 to begin his Marlins career—grounded to third baseman Austin Riley, whose accurate throw home nabbed the prospective go-ahead run in Gordon. On the night, Miami went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and their .670 OPS this season in said situations ranks 19th in the majors. The Marlins would again turn to Tanner Scott in an attempt to thwart defeat at the hands of the Braves. Before thoughts of Miami avoiding a sweep could further crystalize in the minds of fans and viewers alike, Michael Harris II capped off a 3-for-3 day with a single to score Acuña to seal the Atlanta victory. The Marlins fell to 6-20 on the season. With the loss, Miami ties the 1995 and 1999 clubs for the worst 26-game start in franchise history. Looking Ahead In what will make for a much-needed off day Thursday, the Marlins will travel home as they prepare to begin a four-game series against the Washington Nationals. Jesús Luzardo (0-2, 6.58 ERA), fresh off his first quality start of the season on 4/20 against the Cubs, will look to continue getting his season on track as he starts Friday's series opener. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 7:10 EST. Of Note - With his 10th-inning single, Luis Arraez registered his 24th game since the start of 2023 of at least 3 hits, tied with the Dodgers Freddie Freeman for most in baseball over that stretch. - The Marlins' minus-47 run differential through 26 games ranks third-worst in the majors. Only the Rockies (-57) and the White Sox (-82) have been outscored more than Miami. - Manager Skip Schumaker noted that upon his return and as Braxton Garrett works his way back from his own injury, A.J. Puk (shoulder) will revert to pitching out of the bullpen. In 4 starts this season, the left-hander owns a 9.22 ERA. View full article

Edward Cabrera worked around some command issues and bad luck, but Marlins bats had his back as the Fish secured the win and series split. In his season debut against the Giants on April 15, Edward Cabrera looked as good as he ever had in his brief big league career, striking out 10 over 6 innings of 1-run ball. The Marlins' second trip aboard the E-Cab in 2024, though coming with a bit more turbulence, proved effective enough with how the Miami hitters responded in their 6-3 victory over the Cubs. While the wind further confirmed the city of Chicago's reputation in the series' first three games, Sunday brought with it a "sun game" where fly ball after fly ball was accompanied by outfielders shielding their eyes from the blaring sun. Featuring his mix of low-90s changeups, high-90s fastballs, and the at times suspect command we have become accustomed to, Cabrera worked in the most literal sense of the word, allowing 3 runs and scattering 7 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings. Through two starts and 11 innings pitched this season, Cabrera has punched out 17 hitters. Cabrera's most laborious inning, a 2-run bottom of the fourth, featured a string of weak hits off the bats of Cubs hitters that saw the right-hander at 85 pitches at the inning's end. Fortunately, a breezy, 11-pitch fifth inning put him in line for his eventual first win of the season. "Old Cabby would have given up 6 or 7 runs," said manager Skip Schumaker. "It just shows the maturity in him, and that's the guy we're looking for...He's got real stuff, and that's something we've needed in our rotation." Good fortunes awaited Miami, though, as the bullpen followed Cabrera with 4 scoreless innings, as the tandem of Bryan Hoeing, Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher, and Tanner Scott each authored a goose egg frame of their own in the victory. Most encouraging of the bunch was the 1-2-3 ninth inning put forth by Scott, who has now worked 3 consecutive scoreless outings a week after allowing a game-winning home run to Marcell Ozuna. After both teams posted zeroes in their respective halves of the first, Miami broke open the scoring when Jesús Sánchez—still without an extra-base hit through his first 50 plate appearances to begin the season—in the words of TV play-by-play man Paul Severino, got every last bit of an 88-mph Kyle Hendricks fastball, depositing it 460 feet over the center field fence. As a whole, Sunday against Hendricks proved a reckoning for a Miami club historically offensively oppressed by the crafty right-hander. In 7 career starts entering play, Hendricks owned a 1.28 ERA and .524 opponent OPS against the Marlins. Sánchez and his teammates would have none of it, touching up the former ERA-champ for 4 runs over his 4 innings. Akin to the Marlins on Sunday, the league has largely had its way with Hendricks, hitting a collective .378 against him through his first 5 starts. Tied at one apiece heading into the fourth, back-to-back singles from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Josh Bell would materialize into two of Miami's three runs that inning, the first of which coming on the aforementioned Sánchez's second run-scoring hit of the day, a single to drive in Chisholm. Though the 3-run fourth would prove sufficient enough for the Marlins bullpen, Miami would tack on runs 5 and 6 in the fifth and seventh, the final coming on Chisholm's second hit of the day and fifth of the weekend series. Of Note - Edward Cabrera becomes the first Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara (2021) and just the sixth in franchise history to strike out at least 17 in his first 2 starts of the season. - The 113.6 mph tracked on Sánchez's home run made it the hardest-hit ball by a Marlins hitter early in 2024. - Calvin Faucher's 8 strikeouts make him the first Marlins reliever to accomplish this feat through his first 4 outings with the club since Huascar Brazoban (7/24-8/2/22). Looking Ahead From the Midwest to the Deep South, the Marlins will continue their slate of road games when they travel to Cobb County to begin a three-game series against their division rival Atlanta Braves. Ryan Weathers (2-1, 2.70 ERA) will look to keep with his effective ways—having allowed just 1 run over his last 11 innings pitched over his past two starts—as he starts Monday's series opener. Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.81 ERA in 2023) makes his season debut for Atlanta on the opener. First pitch from Truist Park is slated for 7:20 EST. View full article

The Marlins are bound to be sellers at this year's deadline, but are their best assets going to garner much return if they keep performing the way they are? In 2024, the Miami Marlins are enduring what has the makings to be a franchise-worst season. The real games began just three weeks ago and Miami's playoff odds have cratered to the low single digits. I'll do my best to abstain from harping on the team's collective incompetence. The next phase of the discourse ought to be how the Marlins can revamp their organization to eventually contend consistently. In speaking to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix was blunt about using the rest of this season to observe young players "step up and show that they can be a part of our future." Regular playing time for those young players could be created via trades. Jesús Luzardo, Luis Arraez, and Tanner Scott—all marquee contributors to an 84-win club that secured an NL Wild Card berth in 2023—could potentially find themselves playing meaningful games for competitive clubs as the season trudges along. Bendix will aim to exchange them for talented assets who have lower salaries and more years of club control remaining. The problem present here is that the poor early-season performance of those players may greatly affect the potential return coming Miami's way. A selling spree can't transform one of the sport's worst farm systems into a rich pipeline unless aspiring playoff clubs are fully convinced that these acquisitions would change their fortunes for the better. The aforementioned Luzardo, a power left-handed starter who won't hit free agency until after the 2026 season, presents arguably the best bite at the apple of a prospect haul come trade season. Among the 69 pitchers to throw at least 250 innings between 2022 and 2023, Luzardo posted the 6th-best K/9 (10.58) thanks to a fastball that averaged 96.7 mph over that stretch. He was no slouch in the run-prevention game either, as evidenced by his 3.48 ERA (125 ERA+). Here in 2024, Luzardo has been far from the steady force he was the previous two seasons, amassing a 7.65 ERA, ranking 82nd among 83 qualified pitchers through April 17. While FIP (5.85) and xFIP (4.44) propose that positive regression is pending, the similarities between Luzardo's pre-breakout 2021 and 2024 Statcast data are worrisome. For those unfamiliar, upon being acquired from Oakland in the Starling Marte trade, Luzardo—the owner of a 6.87 ERA in 13 appearances with the A's—initially failed for his boyhood club, posting a 6.44 ERA in 12 starts, with the latter being the worst among MLB pitchers from August onward (min. 55 IP). If Luzardo keeps on the path he has carved out for himself in the early going, the Marlins could find themselves in a situation mirroring the one faced by the 2011 Colorado Rockies when trying to trade staff ace Ubaldo Jiménez. Pitching to a 3.47 ERA and 3.36 FIP in what seems like a now-unfathomable 218 innings in 2009, Jiménez kicked it into third gear in 2010, riding his 100-mph fastball to a 19-win, 2.88 ERA season. He tossed a no-hitter, started for the NL in the All-Star Game, and ultimately finished third in Cy Young voting. His 161 ERA+ still ranks third all-time among Rockies pitchers to qualify for the ERA title. Jiménez dropped up considerably in 2011, sporting a 4.46 ERA through his first 21 starts. Seeing as his peripherals suggested some bad luck on his part (3.58 FIP, 8.6 K/9), Colorado still found a buyer at that year's trade deadline. The Cleveland Guardians acquired him for a package of players that included Joe Gardner, Matt McBride, Alex White, and a PTBNL who would turn out to be Drew Pomeranz. That foursome would combine for -2.1 bWAR, with Gardner never making it past Double-A. Likewise, the case for trading Luis Arraez is a murky one. While the reigning NL batting champ was recently on record as saying he was open to an extension with the club, after a 4-15 start to 2024, who is to say whether Arraez's feelings have shifted? Beyond personal feelings, what kind of player are you getting at this stage? Through 19 games this season, Arraez has hit .276/.353/.342/.695 with a lack of power by way of slug, hard-hit rates, and barrels that make for a limited though still singular offensive profile. While retaining his preternatural knack for not striking out—his outstanding 10.5 K% through April 17 actually being a career-worst—his once serviceable glove at second base has regressed to the suspect status that plagued it upon his trade to Miami. Arraez's minus-7 defensive runs saved currently rank worst among all position players, and his -7 Outs Above Average place him in the first percentile. Arraez, 27, is eligible for free agency after the 2025 campaign. After toiling for years as a high-strikeout and high-traffic reliever, Tanner Scott put it all together as a Marlin in 2023, posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 78 innings. Scott even retained his status as a FIP-friendly reliever, as his mark of 2.17 suggested even the slightest of bad luck still came his way thanks, in large part, to cutting his walk rate from 15.9 to 7.8%. Come 2024, though, and it seems more of the old Tanner Scott has been of service to the Marlins. Through 8 ⅔ innings pitched and 44 batters faced, Scott has already walked 12 to the tune of a 27.3% walk rate. If he pitched like the sound of a Revolver-era Beatles cut in 2023, then 2024 has played out like his own Revolution 9 to this point. And while there is such thing as the concept of small sample size and eventual regression to career means, given Scott's rather erratic track record, we have a case of the bad outweighing the good. Of note, too, is Scott's impending free agency, as he will hit the open market after the 2024 season. Trading him at this year's deadline will likely be for cents on the dollar of what Miami could have fetched had they decided to unload their roster in the previous offseason. And while other Marlins relievers like Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi have shown upside in their own right, Scott appeals more to teams given what the short-term commitment will cost them in prospect capital. This trade deadline is shaping up to be a seller's market with many clubs willing to part with minor leaguers for immediate upgrades who can aid them in tight postseason races. However, for the Marlins to come out of it feeling enthusiastic about the future, these star-caliber veterans will have to recapture their past greatness, boosting their market value accordingly. View full article

Luzardo labors again, bats fight back, but Ozuna has last laugh to take the series. It's the Marlins' fifth consecutive series loss. MIAMI, FL—If the 2024 Marlins were to write the first page of their resiliency arc, loanDepot park on Sunday would have made a great backdrop for the opening scene. Having overcome a four-run deficit earlier in the contest against arguably the most well-rounded team in the majors, the Atlanta Braves, the mood for Marlins fans, who were so often dealt losing blows early on in 2024, had to have been a cocktail of rare excitement and anxiety. Andrew Nardi, victim to an ERA north of 14 through his first 8 games pitched, looked more like last year's model, striking out the side in the top of the eighth, bridging the gap to Tanner Scott and his 1.35 ERA. As we have learned, trust in the small sample size and be doomed to fail. Scott, while one of the best relievers in baseball last season, had writing on the wall suggesting regression by way of a 5.50 FIP thanks to a bloated 27.3% BB rate entering the game Sunday. Clinging to a 7-6 lead, and after allowing a leadoff single to Ronald Acuña Jr., Scott buckled down to retire the next two hitters before issuing a 4-pitch walk to Matt Olson. The only person standing between Scott and the Marlins first series win of the season: arguably the sport's hottest hitter at the moment, Marcell Ozuna. Having hits in each of his previous 12 games entering play, and with two already on the afternoon, Ozuna worked the count 1-2 before a Scott slider that crossed below the knees was crushed some 409 feet into the AutoNation Alley in left-center field. With the Marlins on the brink of victory, what was once a small lead had evaporated into the ammonia of an eventual 9-7 loss. "(Ozuna) can hit it with the best of him," noted Scott. "I got two strikes on him and couldn't execute my pitch...I threw it in his honey hole." Still plagued by early-season inconsistencies, Jesús Luzardo gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings, leaving him with an ERA of 7.65 through 4 starts. After retiring the Braves in order in the top of the first, back-to-back hits by Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna materialized into Atlanta's first run of the day after an Adam Duvall sacrifice fly in the second. Contrary to the fruits bore in the first 15 games of the season, the fight and comeback spirit of the 2023 club seemed alive and well Sunday. In the bottom of the second, Bryan De La Cruz tied the score at 1-1 on the strength of his second home run of the young season. Two-spots from Atlanta in both the third and fourth gave them a commanding 5-1 lead, with one of those runs coming at the hands of the aforementioned Duvall, who hit his 11th career home run against Miami. While Luzardo was anything but sharp in his latest effort, the same could be said for Charlie Morton, who Miami tagged for 6 runs in his 5 ⅔ innings of work. Trailing 5-1 in the bottom half of the 4th, Miami inched closer on the heels of run-scoring hits from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and De La Cruz. In the following inning, Vidal Bruján, a non-factor at the plate by way of his .056 batting average, delivered his first extra-base hit as a Marlin that turned into the fourth Miami run, though he would later depart the game after he appeared to limp upon reaching second base. Bruján would be evaluated for a right knee injury upon leaving the game. The coup-de-gras of the Marlins' comeback, though, came in the bottom of the sixth when, after a Jesús Sánchez game-tying RBI single knocked Morton from the game, Nick Gordon continued his flare for the Sunday dramatic, hitting his third home run of the year to put the Fish ahead 7-5. In keeping with the back-and-forth nature of this contest, Atlanta would scratch across another run in the seventh to cut the deficit to one, where it would stay until Ozuna's blast in the top of the ninth. Miami, now 3-13, have been outscored 95 to 60 (-35 run differential) as they enter mid-April. Looking Ahead The Marlins will celebrate the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut on Monday when they host Robinson's old rival, the San Francisco Giants. Since 2021, the Fish are 9-11 against San Francisco, falling 7-5 in their last meeting on 5/21/23. A.J. Puk (0-3, 5.91 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener for Miami. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. Of Note - Jake Burger exited Sunday's game with left oblique discomfort. Burger spent time on the IL in 2023 for the same issue while a member of the White Sox. - Sunday marked Miami's third loss of the season in a game in which they hit 2 or more home runs, tied for the most in the majors. View full article

The question of Edward Cabrera has never been one of whether his stuff will hold up, but if he can harness it. This could be his final chance to change the narrative and establish himself as a major league starter. Now more than ever, the quality of stuff across baseball is mesmerizing. The sport is rife with young hurlers whose blazing fastballs and wipeout secondary pitches seemingly give them the potential to become future stars on big league mounds. Alas, so few of them distinguish themselves as such, and from there, it's difficult to sustain excellence from one year to the next. For every Justin Verlander, there are another fifty hard-throwing MLB pitchers who wind up with unremarkable careers due to a combination of injuries and inability to hone their craft (both mechanically and tactically). For years, it's been easy to imagine Edward Cabrera ascending to an elite level. The 6'5" Marlins right-hander possesses the necessary stuff, a deep pitch mix with complementary weapons. In spurts, it has looked he is putting it all together, if not in the mold of Verlander 2.0, then maybe Sandy Alcantara lite? In 21 starts between 2021-22, Cabrera proved adept at preventing runs relative to his peers, boasting a 110 ERA+ (3.77 ERA) over those accompanying 98 innings pitched while also striking more than a batter an inning (9.5 K/9). It was, however, the command that failed him, as evidenced by a 4.8 BB/9. Of the 330 pitchers to throw at least 90 innings in this span, Cabrera ranked in the 4th percentile in that department. Reliever Tanner Scott, who became Cabrera's teammate in 2022, boasted the worst such rate at 6.4 BB/9. Thanks to this and a 1.5 HR/9, Cabrera had a 5.14 FIP in this span. The wide gap between that and his ERA suggested his good outcomes were rooted in luck and potential regression awaited him should these kinks not be ironed out. In 2023, Cabrera gave the Marlins 99 ⅔ innings. He set career bests in K's (118), HR/9 (1.0), and K/9 (10.7). His 4.43 FIP closely aligned with his 4.24 ERA (106 ERA+). However, his 6.0 BB/9 ranked 140th among the 141 pitchers to throw at least 90 innings, trailing only Michael Kopech of the White Sox (6.3). For this, Cabrera ranked in the 1st percentile in BB rate and was demoted to Triple-A for a brief period. What makes Cabrera's scant control particularly frustrating is that when he is throwing strikes, offensive output against him has been anemic, as evidenced by a .215 opponent batting average last season. This intersection of wildness and sparse batted ball damage puts Cabrera in the strangest of elite company. Only 18 times has a pitcher faced at least 400 hitters in a season while allowing a BB/9 of at least 6.0 and an opponent average of .215 or lower. Some of the names to do so include Nolan Ryan (3x), Randy Johnson (2x), Bob Turley (2x), Sam McDowell (1x), Herb Score (2x) and Mitch Williams (2x). A few days shy of his 26th birthday, the right-hander's body of work to this point suggests he can still eventually make that above-noted climb to elite starter status. Cabrera's encore performance has been delayed by a right shoulder impingement, but his 2024 Marlins debut is fast approaching. In his most recent rehab start on Wednesday, he authored 5 ⅔ strong innings against Triple-A competition. Control continues to be the critical question, though, as he issued eight free passes in 12 ⅔ total frames of rehab work (5.7 BB/9). A silver lining to the Marlins' abysmal 1-11 start to the season is they can afford to be patient with Cabrera. With Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez both on the shelf this year, there are fewer internal candidates to squeeze him out of the starting rotation. The pressure on the organization to stay in the postseason hunt is not as intense as it was a year ago. The conditions are apt for a Cabrera breakout. View full article

Ten games, ten runs and one rain delay later, the Marlins finally held on to collect their first win of the 2024 season. The last time the Miami Marlins won a regular season game, they celebrated on the infield of PNC Park after clinching an NL Wild Card spot on September 30, 2023. That was 190 days ago. Even after storming out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first on the strength of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon three-run home runs, any suspicion felt by fans and followers of a club off to a franchise-worst 0-9 start was understandably merited. Fortunately, for Miami's sake, Max Meyer did everything to quell the doubters. En route to his first career Major League win, and making just his fourth career appearance, Meyer held the Cardinals to just 1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings, also collecting his first quality start in the process as the Marlins finally secured their first win of the season, beating the Cardinals, 10-3. Meyer opened the afternoon retiring the first 13 hitters in order before a Nolan Gorman home run that fell out of the glove of center fielder Chisholm snapped the skid. Meyer also became the club's first starter to reach the 6-inning mark in 2024. In two starts for the team this season, the 25-year-old boasts a 2.45 ERA, limiting opponents to a measly .132 batting average. "Max was the real story today," noted manager Skip Schumaker. "He just has a ninth-inning mentality for a starter...and he has a real bright future with this ballclub." Speaking on the team finally snapping the season-opening skid, Schumaker, visibly relieved, noted it "nice to finally give those guys in there something to smile about." Though he allowed 7 runs through his first two innings of work, St. Louis' Kyle Gibson still managed to deliver 6 innings to his hometown club. Since debuting in 2013, Gibson's 8 outings of at least 5 innings pitched and 7 runs allowed are tied with teammate Lance Lynn for the most among active pitchers. After setting a new-season high with their 8th run of the day in the seventh, Miami added a two-spot in the top of the 8th to secure their first double-digit scoring game of the season, with the club's tenth run scoring on a Jake Burger sacrifice fly that wrapped up a two-home run, four-RBI welcome home weekend for the St. Louis native. Holding a commanding 9-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth, the rain that had commenced the inning prior intensified to the point that tarps were drawn, resulting in a one-hour rain delay. Miami's first win which had so long eluded them, would have to wait. Once the tarp came off and the field was deemed suitable for play at 5:20 ET, Matt Andriese—working in his first big league game since 9/27/21—worked around Gorman's second home run of the day as Miami wrapped up a 10-3 victory to exit St. Louis winless no more. 1.mp4 Looking Ahead From the Midwest to the Big Apple, Miami will travel to the Bronx to begin a series against the AL East-leading New York Yankees (8-2). In what was originally set to be a 2:05 EST start, the game was pushed back to 6:05 in response to Monday's solar eclipse. Game 1 will see a matchup of southpaws, as Jesús Luzardo (0-1, 4.35 ERA) will look for redemption against a Yankees team that accounted for Luzardo's worst outing of the 2023 season. In just 3.1 innings on August 11, the Bronx Bombers tagged Luzardo for 9 hits and 7 runs, resulting in a season-worst 15 game score. New York will counter with 2022 AL All-Star Nestor Cortes (0-1, 6.30 ERA). Of Note - Meyer's 64 game score Sunday registered as the best such mark from a Marlins starter thus far in 2024, beating out Luzardo's mark of 61 set back on Opening Day. - With his 4-hit day in the victory, Luis Arraez's 14 such games since debuting in 2019 are fourth-most in baseball in baseball in that span. - News broke midgame of the Marlins' decision this past offseason to void the 2025 club option for Skip Schumaker. The reigning NL Manager of the Year, Schumaker is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. View full article

Here's how the newest Miami Marlin could potentially fit into their short-term plans. Tuesday saw the Miami Marlins already in transaction mode, as the club acquired INF Emmanuel Rivera from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations, designating FOF #7 prospect Jacob Amaya for assignment in the process. With infield prospect Blaze Alexander making the club out of spring training, Christian Walker entrenched at first base and offseason acquisition Eugenio Suárez assuming primary duties at third base, Rivera became expendable for the defending National League champions, so he was recently being DFA'd himself ahead of Opening Day. In 217 games across parts of three seasons, Rivera owns a .247/.304/.380/.684 slash line (89 OPS+), with his best stretch of offensive play coming in his 39-game audition upon being traded to Arizona from Kansas City in 2022. In that time, Rivera hit just .227, but his 6 home runs and 8 doubles made up for what his batting average would suggest, as evidenced by a 104 OPS+. A major thorn in Rivera's cap thus far in his big league career is his noticeably superior numbers against left-handed pitching. In 249 career plate appearances against southpaws, Rivera owns a .739 OPS, 83 points higher than his .656 mark against righties. Through their first 6 games of play, the Marlins have a collective .545 OPS against lefties (ranking 25th among MLB teams). 1.mp4 And though Miami would welcome the prospect of more offensive production in line with 2022 Rivera, where he appears best equipped to help the club is with the leather. While he has 94 big league innings under his belt at first base, the vast majority of Rivera’s defensive experience—and, for that matter, acumen— comes from his time spent at third. In 1,394 innings logged at the hot corner, Rivera has graded out as plus-nine defensive runs saved (DRS) and plus-eight total zone runs (Rtot). Possessing the ability to man both infield corners, Rivera looks to potentially occupy a role similar of the recently traded Jon Berti. Berti—who put up 7.7 bWAR in parts of 5 seasons with Miami—saw time at six defensive positions, leading the NL with 41 stolen bases in 2022. On March 27, the eve of Opening Day, the Marlins traded their utilityman to the New York Yankees in exchange for OF John Cruz in a three-team deal with Tampa Bay that also saw Miami acquire OF Shane Sasaki. Rivera's presence will help to provide some defensive stability to a starting infield that features four suspect defenders: first baseman Josh Bell has amassed minus-33 defensive runs saved at the position and has graded out as below-average in each of his 8 seasons played; Luis Arraez is generally viewed as a bat-first player at second base; newly-minted shortstop Tim Anderson posted the worst DRS among infielders in 2023 (minus-16); and Jake Burger, like Bell, has consistently graded out as below-average. Rivera would allot Burger the opportunity to see more time at first base, a position he's already appeared in 3 games at in 2024, and relegate Bell to the lion's share of DH duties. Speaking to the media before Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Angels—which saw the team fall to 0-6 for the first time in franchise history—manager Skip Schumaker said he expects Rivera to see time across the infield upon joining the club. Not yet eligible for arbitration, Rivera is inexpensive for the Fish in 2024 and potentially under club control through the 2027 season if his production continues to merit an active roster spot. View full article