Kevin Barral

For the most part, September stats should be taken with a grain of salt. Miami Marlins fans will remember Peter O'Brien in 2018 and Jonah Bride in 2024 as cautionary tales—players who enjoyed surprising success at the end of non-competitive seasons, but quickly regressed the following year. With that being said, any additional information the Marlins front office can gather is valuable as they consider offseason moves and how current big leaguers compare to top prospects who are almost ready to be promoted. The following players in particular have something to fight for over the final 22 regular season games. Agustín Ramírez Ramírez has slumped as an all-around player to fall out of NL Rookie of the Year contention. Since last month's memorable sweep of the New York Yankees, he is slashing .191/.289/.282/.571 with only two home runs. However, there is still a lot of optimism about his bat moving forward. The "Gus Bus" leads off this article mainly because of his defensive struggles. Ramírez, who hasn't even spent the full season in MLB, leads all catchers with 15 passed balls. He has 76 stolen bases allowed with only six runners caught attempting to steal. He is also the worst-ranked backstop in terms of blocking, according to Baseball Savant. For Ramírez to catch in a part-time role in future seasons, he must show signs of progress this month. Otherwise, the Marlins will be planning for a future where he learns a new position or focuses fully on being a designated hitter. Connor Norby Expectations were high for Connor Norby entering this season, who was looking to prove himself as an everyday player. Injuries have limited Norby to 77 games and his results have been frustrating. He's slashing .247/.298/.373/.671 with six home runs, 31 RBI and an 85 wRC+. Norby has been extremely aggressive at the plate, swinging at 54.3% of pitches (MLB average is 47.3%). It just isn't working for him. His numbers have been especially bad against left-handers (.151/.279/.219/.498), so even if the Marlins used him in a platoon long term, it's hard to feel confident in how he'd do. Defensively, it isn't going any better. More than a full year since converting to third base, Norby still rates poorly (-6 OAA and -9 DRS this season). When Norby missed time this summer, Graham Pauley stepped up as a nice alternative for the Marlins at third, especially on defense. Now's the opportunity for Norby to re-establish himself as the team's best option. Since coming off the IL, Norby is slashing .333/.409/.500/.909 with five RBI. Victor Mesa Jr. Being under pressure is a blessing for Mesa, because at other points this season, it seemed as though he was not in the Marlins' plans at all. The rookie has been limited to eight MLB games, slashing .182/.357/.182/.539 with one RBI. Outfield injuries have piled up to open the door for him. Kyle Stowers is scheduled to return within the next week, but the timeline isn't as clear for Griffin Conine, Dane Myers and Derek Hill, who are also on the IL. In a tiny sample, the Marlins have already used Mesa at all three outfield spots. His speed and power don't blow you away, so the team might not be as patient with him as they would with players who have louder tools. This is an important stretch for Mesa to show he's more than a depth piece. Troy Johnston/Eric Wagaman First base has been arguably the biggest weakness for the 2025 Marlins, so expect that to be addressed this offseason. Johnston and Wagaman seem to be battling for a single spot on the 40-man roster moving forward. Johnston got off to a slow start when called up in late July, but his numbers now look more respectable. He's slashing .273/.314/.379/.693 with one home run, six RBI and a 92 wRC+ while splitting time between the outfield and first base. Wagaman is slashing .237/.288/.370/.658 with nine home runs, 45 RBI and an 80 wRC+. He ranks last among active Marlins players with -0.5 fWAR this year. But he is attempting to finish on a high note. Since the beginning of August, Wagaman has an .822 OPS. He also has the ability to fill in as a corner outfielder and third baseman in emergencies. Adam Mazur We are expecting Mazur to finish up 2025 in the Marlins rotation. Through three starts, he has posted a 5.74 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 6.89 K/9 and 2.87 BB/9. He is limiting hard contact, though that hasn't translated to overall success yet. The pressure is lower on Mazur than the other players above because he is a pitcher—the injury rate is higher, so more opportunities will present themselves in the future regardless. That being said, a great September could put him in the mix for a 2026 Opening Day rotation spot. View full article

After taking three of four against the New York Mets to begin their road trip, the Miami Marlins looked like a completely different team in DC. For the first time in three months, they were swept in a series, trailing the Washington Nationals from start to finish on Wednesday and falling by a final score of 10-5. Eury Pérez, the Marlins starting pitcher, had been unable to complete the first inning in New York. He did go further into his start this time, but surrendered a career-high seven earned runs. In four innings, Pérez allowed seven runs on eight hits, one walk and struck out two. Opposing hitters posted an average exit velocity of 98.1 mph off Pérez's four-seam fastball, which is normally his best pitch. In the bottom of the second inning, he gave up a home run to former Marlins prospect Nasim Nuñez, who had never homered in the big leagues before. Pérez also gave up an RBI double to Jorge Alfaro and RBI single to Daylen Lile. Despite its ineffectiveness, he used his fastball 50% of the time. "The command's not been great," said manager Clayton McCullough. "He's behind in too many counts and they took advantage of some pitches that probably weren't located as well and it's just part of it. Eury is going to just have to keep his head up, go back to work tomorrow. He's not the first starter that's had a couple starts that are tough. It's more about what you do about it. So fully anticipate that Eury will go right back to work when we get back to Miami and be ready for his next one." On the bright side, Joey Wiemer hit his first home run of the season, taking Nationals starter Mitchell Parker deep 403 feet to left field. The ball left the bat at 107.6 mph. It was his major league home run since 2023. "He's not too far removed from having a good start to his career in Milwaukee," McCullough said. "There's strength there. He's tough. He's a great teammate, plays good defense, so nice to see him get some regular at-bats and be able to come through offensively for us and have some nice games here on this road trip. Hopefully that just gives him confidence to take that as we get back home and get ready for the Phillies." Heriberto Hernández drove in two more runs in the same inning on a two-run RBI single, making it a 7-4 game. In the eighth inning, a passed ball from Jorge Alfaro allowed Hernández to score Miami's fifth run. Nuñez hit his second home run of the game to put the nail in the coffin, giving the Nationals a 10-5 lead, one that they wouldn't look back on. The Marlins were most recently swept by the Colorado Rockies from June 2-4, the only NL team with a worst record than the Nats. They've now dropped to 65-75 on the season. The Fish will have an off-day in Miami on Thursday before they welcome the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set. There has been no starter announced for what would have been Edward Cabrera's turn in the rotation. Valente Bellozo is the leading candidate to fill Cabrera's shoes. View full article

While most Americans were celebrating a national holiday on Monday, the Miami Marlins were stressed out. In the morning, they placed right-hander Edward Cabrera on the 15-day IL due to a right elbow sprain, likely ending his exciting 2025 season and putting 2026 in jeopardy as well. Things didn't get any better on the field as they were shut out by the Washington Nationals and limited to a season-low two hits, losing Xavier Edwards to an ejection mere minutes after first pitch and then removing Derek Hill due to right hamstring discomfort. Cabrera, who last started for the Marlins on Saturday, has posted a 3.57 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 9.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 through a career-high 128 ⅔ innings pitched. "He's had a remarkable season," said McCullough. "The stretch of starts that we got from him, it was over months of time that he put himself as arguably one of the best pitchers in the National League from a performance standpoint. We saw the consistency I think everyone had been hoping for out of Cabby. He proved to himself that he can go out and pitch at a really high level at the major leagues over a stretch of time. Great season for Cabby. We'll wait to get further information on what next steps will be, but it certainly won't put a damper on the productive season that he had for us." Frankly, it was a boring game. Edwards' ejection would have to be considered the top Marlins highlight because of how manager Clayton McCullough came to his defense. After grounding out in the top of the first inning, Miami's leadoff hitter continued to exchange words with home plate umpire Brennan Miller. "(Edwards) had something to say as he ran across the field," McCullough explained postgame. "Wasn't happy with his second strike call and said some more from the dugout. Brennan had heard enough." Despite loudly cursing out Miller, McCullough was allowed to remain in the game. The rookie skipper has been ejected two previous times this season. Ryan Gusto was originally lined up to work on Monday, but recently landed on the IL with an injury of his own, so it turned into a bullpen game for the Marlins. Serving as an opener, Lake Bachar lasted two innings and allowed the lone two runs of the day. Bachar surrendered an RBI triple to Washington Nationals rookie Daylen Lile, followed by a sac fly, which drove in Lile. After Bachar, the Marlins went with Cade Gibson, Seth Martinez, Michael Petersen and George Soriano, all of whom prevented the Nationals from extending their lead. Petersen was making his Marlins season debut. On the flip side, left-hander Andrew Alvarez impressed in his first-ever major league appearance. Alvarez's no-hitter was broken up by Victor Mesa Jr. in the fifth inning. Heriberto Hernández smacked his tenth double of the season in the seventh inning. That was it. Alvarez earned the win by going five shutout innings, allowing one hit, two walks and striking out four. "From the start, it really wasn't a good offensive approach," McCullough said. "We chased around—chased a lot of balls down out of the strike zone. Disappointing with what we felt were some pretty nice days offensively coming into this, and today, we just didn't. Weren't able to string any at-bats, create much traffic and any scoring opportunities." In the top of the third inning, Marlins center fielder Derek Hill was removed after running down the first base line on a grounder and beating out a throw from shortstop CJ Abrams. Hill has already made three trips to the IL in 2025. He's been limited to 53 games. "We'll just get that evaluated and have a better idea about it tomorrow," McCullough said. As announced on the FanDuel Sports Network game broadcast, Janson Junk, Ryan Weathers and Griffin Conine will all be rehabbing with Triple-A Jacksonville this upcoming week. Junk and Weathers are scheduled for rehab starts on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. They should be rejoining the Marlins rotation next week if those starts go smoothly. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 65-73 on the season. They will send out Adam Mazur on Tuesday night to make his third start of the season. Cade Cavalli will toe the rubber for Washington. First pitch from the nation's capital is at 6:45 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL—On Thursday, Miami Marlins starter Cal Quantrill was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves. With that rotation spot open for the first time all season, Ryan Gusto was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Gusto was overshadowed and out-pitched by Shane Bieber as the Miami Marlins fell by a final score of 5-2. Gusto struggled in the top of the first inning, allowing an RBI double to Daulton Varsho, driving in the game's first run. Ty France, who followed Varsho, drove in two more runs on a single, but was thrown out trying to get to second base, ending what was a 29-pitch top of the first for the recent trade acquisition. In his final inning of work, Gusto surrendered a 423-foot home run to Varsho, giving the Blue Jays a 5-1 lead. It marked Varsho's 14th home run of the season. However, he found "a nice groove" in between, in the words of Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Overall, his stuff was good and you saw a good fastball he used," said McCullough. "It's a deep mix with the cutter, sweeper, threw some changeups right-on-right, which is going to be a good pitch for him moving forward. Ryan came up, gave us six innings and unfortunately, in first and sixth, there was two-out base hits to cash in their runs. In totality, you look at it from a stuff perspective and and how well he got into a rhythm there in the middle part." Gusto posted a 70.8% first-pitch strike rate and a 54.5% ground ball rate. For the fourth time this season (including his time with the Houston Astros), the righty failed to record a single strikeout. He finished his outing going six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk. "Definitely love some strikeouts to be on that line as well," Gusto said. "I think that I was a little bit too uncompetitive with some of my two-strike offerings. I think that they're a good bat-to-ball team. They were seeing the ball well, sticking to their plan that we talked about and I think that I had a lot of weak contact in two strike counts and to me, that's still a win. It's not the strikeout, it's not the whiff that you want, but there's a lot of really weak contact into the infield and pop-ups, so I take that as a win." Seems like Gusto has done a lot of experimenting throughout his time at the big league level, throwing six pitches on Friday: four-seam fastball (33% usage), cutter (19%), changeup (14%), sinker (12%), sweeper (11%) and curveball (10%). "So far, I absolutely love it," Gusto said about the Marlins organization. "I think these guys are really smart. They have a lot of really good insight and they've been very helpful with a lot of things. I'm already seeing the fruit of some of that with a few of my pitches that have seen good improvement. It's just about working that into how I pitch and then getting the results. I'm looking forward to really seeing the the last month and a half go very well." The remainder of the season could be considered a trial period for Gusto, who will be competing for a rotation spot in 2026. Miami's more experienced MLB starters include Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Eury Pérez, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett and Max Meyer. Even if one or more of them are involved in offseason trades, prospects Adam Mazur, Robby Snelling and Thomas White are all on the brink of being called up at some point next season. Gusto will really need to perform to make his case to stick with the big league team moving forward. "They traded for me," Gusto told the media postgame. "They had some plans for my arsenal and some adjustments that I could make. I think finishing the season out is going to be, in large part, making those adjustments that they wanted to see and really trying to see some success with that and put me in a really good situation for next year." For the Blue Jays, Shane Bieber was pitching in the big leagues for the first time since April 2024 coming off Tommy John surgery. He gave the Blue Jays six innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out nine. "He got ahead, really good fastball command and then the ability to spin the ball down below," McCullough said. "Had his changeup going to some left-handed hitters. He can do enough work on the inside part of the plate to keep the outer lane open versus right. Going in, we needed to be aggressive against him because he's going to come in and fill up the strike zone. He did that tonight and we just weren't really ever able to string a whole lot. We did get in deep counts and he seemed to make some pitches when he needed to tonight." bfaa57c0-e4ef442e-3d940fdb-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 In the bottom of the second inning, Javier Sanoja took Bieber deep on the tenth pitch of the at-bat. It was Sanoja's fifth home run of the season. The Blue Jays still led, 3-1. "It was a great at-bat," McCullough said. "Bieber pitched a nice game. Had really been cruising at that point and Javi just kept spoiling pitches, kept fouling off and got something elevated and put a really good swing on it. We've seen that a lot from him this year—just the ability to stick his nose in there and spoil pitches battle." Maximo Acosta's first career hit was a home run on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. His second hit? Also a home run. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Acosta took Blue Jays reliever Yariel Rodríguez deep. With the loss, the Marlins fell to 60-68 on the season. Janson Junk will toe the rubber against José Berríos on Saturday with first pitch at 4:10 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Sandy Alcantara for the third time in 2025 completed seven innings of work. Alongside Maximo Acosta, who hit his first career home run, they propelled the Marlins to a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, salvaging the series finale. Alcantara threw what manager Clayton McCullough thought was his best overall game of the season on Friday night against the Red Sox. This performance was very similar, going seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, one walk and striking out a season-high nine batters. "It's been a difficult season overall," said McCullough. "To come off an incredible start in Boston and back that up tonight with seven very strong innings, get through that finish with a punchout. His stuff seemed to be at his best there at the end. Even as things have gone this year, Sandy hasn't forgotten how to compete. He knows moments and he knew that was a moment there and we saw him dig down and empty it out." What made this one different from his start against the Red Sox was a relatively low 33.3% ground ball rate, which is uncharacteristic of Alcantara. His changeup specifically was up 1.6 mph compared to his season average. He generated six whiffs with the changeup. Alcantara struck out three hitters with the changeup. "It's been great since last outing," said Alcantara. "We had that plan since yesterday. We got to use it more in the game and I think me and Agustín did a great job trying to be more aggressive with it." Alcantara's four-seam fastball also topped out at 100.0 mph for the second time this season. It generated five whiffs and struck out two hitters. The sinker, which was used 21% of the time, generated three strikeouts. In the fourth inning, Alcantara struck out Willson Contreras, moving him into sole possession of second place in franchise history with 1023 IP, surpassing Dontrelle Willis. On top of that, Alcantara became one of five pitchers to throw over 114 pitches in a start. Alcantara, who the St. Louis Cardinals traded to the Marlins in December 2017, now holds a 1.66 ERA in eight starts against his former team. He also went five shutout innings against the Cardinals in his final start before the trade deadline. "It's always a great fight from both sides," said Alcantara. "I think they've did a great job since the first at-bat all the way through the last at-bat. I just feel comfortable to be out there—not just with the Cardinals, with everyone. Sometimes you're gonna have better results with one team and sometimes you're gonna have better results with different team. I think everything just comes together well every time I face the Cardinals." Another big difference was the run support provided to Alcantara. In the bottom of the second inning, Javier Sanoja grounded into a double play, but the first run of the game scored. Heriberto Hernández knocked in two more runs, making it 3-0 in the third inning. Troy Johnston drove in the fourth run of the ballgame on an RBI single. "I think we saw someone that was really trying to make things happen," McCullough said regarding Johnston. "Very aggressive, not letting (pitches) come to him. I think we've seen the at-bats are not just in swing mode. He is shrinking the area which he's looking for the pitch. He's getting himself in much better counts. He's getting into at-bats and giving himself a chance to have some success. It takes 10-15 at-bats up here to settle in a little bit. Now we're seeing a much higher quality of at-bat and the decision-making is better. That's led to some of these results that we've seen." In the bottom of the sixth inning, Maximo Acosta took Cardinals starter Andre Pallante 418 feet deep to dead center, for his first big league hit and home run. Acosta is the first Marlin to homer for his first hit since Jerar Encarnación (June 19, 2022), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "I was thinking about my father right there," said Acosta. "That's the only memory in my mind—it's my father. My mom is not here. So it's a special night." Acosta was one of three prospects acquired in the Jake Burger trade and is the first of those players to debut. Through 106 games this season in Triple-A Jacksonville, he slashed .232/.319/.376 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI and 28 stolen bases. One tool that seems to have been consistent throughout his career is the power. On Wednesday night, he showed it off. With the win, the Marlins move to 60-67 on the season. There is an off-day on Thursday before the Fish welcome the Toronto Blue Jays, who will have Shane Bieber making his 2025 season debut, his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in early 2024. For the Marlins, it would normally be Cal Quantrill's turn to pitch, but he was placed on outright waivers on Tuesday. They'll wait for the waiver process to play out before listing a starter. View full article

In advance of his first Miami Marlins game, infielder Maximo Acosta speaks with the media at loanDepot park about the achievement of reaching the majors and what it means to his family. View full video

MIAMI, FL—After a very rough 3-8 road trip, the Marlins returned home looking to turn the page and get back to playing up to their usual standards. Unfortunately, mental errors on the mound and in the field caused the Marlins to fall to the St. Louis Cardinals Monday night by a final score of 8-3. "Not great," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "This was not a very pretty brand of baseball tonight. When the game was invented, this is not how it was drawn up, so ugly. We gave up far too many free bases, didn't handle our chances. We had at least people get on base, but then you also think about the number of pitches your pitchers have to throw, start to stress them out more. We just did not take care of the routine at times tonight. We gave up too many extra bases and free bases to St Louis tonight, so we deserved to lose this game." Eury Pérez was on the wrong side of history, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history to throw four wild pitches in a game. He finished the night going 4 ⅓ innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits, four walks and struck out six. His four walks marks a season-high. Pérez's fastball averaged 98.1 mph, topping out at 99.4 mph. It generated five whiffs and two of his strikeouts came on that pitch. He threw his fastball for strikes 80% of the time, but could not consistently locate his secondary stuff, landing only 53% of those pitches for strikes . On the bright side, Pérez posted a 60.0% ground ball rate and generated 14 total whiffs. The first of many bad plays happened in the first inning on a pop-up behind home plate. Agustín Ramírez took a couple moments to find the ball and couldn't recover in time to catch it. Although it did not lead to runs being scored, it extended the plate appearance and increased the workload for Pérez. MTZxWWdfWGxnR0RBeGJDMWM9X1ZGUllBZ0lHVlFjQVhRZFJVd0FIQndOVEFGZ01CMUVBQlZ4WEFGVlFBRkZSVXdSVQ==.mp4 Pérez held the Cardinals scoreless until the top of the fifth inning. Things began to unravel with one out and a 2-0 lead when rookie outfielder Nathan Church hit a grounder towards second baseman Maximo Acosta, who was making his MLB debut. Attempting to flip the ball to second for a force out, Acosta was unable to field it cleanly and was charged with an error. After another wild pitch from Pérez moved Pedro Pages to third and Church to second, Lars Nootbaar drove in the Cardinals' first run of the game. MTZxWWdfWGw0TUFRPT1fVWdoVFhBQldCMVFBV1FNS1VnQUhBVkJVQUFBRVYxRUFDZ1pVQVZJQlV3UmRWQXBl.mp4 Pérez threw his fourth wild pitch of the game and went on to walk Iván Herrera before leaving the game. Ronny Henriquez, who hadn't pitched since last Tuesday against the Guardians, entered in relief with the bases loaded. He surrendered an RBI single to Alec Burleson and Wilson Contreras drove Nootbaar in on a sac fly. The Cardinals took a 3-2 lead. With the game tied at three apiece in the seventh, Herrera hit a deep but routine fly ball to Dane Myers, but Myers took his eye off the ball and didn't make the catch, allowing Herrera to reach second. He was driven in by Burleson as the Cardinals retook a 4-3 lead. Even late in the game, the sloppiness continued. In the top of the ninth inning, with runners on the corners, Agustín Ramírez allowed his 11th passed ball of the season, which allowed pinch-runner Garrett Hampson to score an insurance run. Nolan Gorman hit his 12th home run of the season, extending the lead to 8-3. "Gus is going to have to continue to improve behind the plate," said McCullough. "We believe that we've seen strides made this year. The controlling of the baseball, the blocking game and throwing becoming more consistent are areas that Gus still needs to work on and he's shown a commitment to continuing to work to improve those. Like many young developing players, there are going to be moments. There are going to be games that just aren't as pretty as others and that is the nature of the learning curve that all young players go through at the major league level." Jakob Marsee's successful run continued on Monday, driving in the first run of the game on a sac fly in the bottom of the first inning. In the sixth inning, Marsee knocked in an RBI double to tie the game. Going into this game, Eric Wagaman was slashing .235/.333/.529/.863 in the month of August. In the fourth inning, Wagaman took Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore deep. It is the first time this season that he has homered in back-to-back games. With the loss, the Marlins are now 59-66 on the season. Edward Cabrera toes the rubber on Tuesday against Michael McGreevy as the Fish look to even the series. First pitch is at 6:40 pm. View full article

Hours after the Miami Marlins defeated the Boston Red Sox, Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported that Fish On First #11 prospect Maximo Acosta is on his way to Miami to join the team. No corresponding move has been made and the club has yet to make the move official. Acosta, 22, was one of three players acquired in the December trade that sent Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers. At the time of the trade, he was coming off a season in Double-A where he slashed .288/.353/.425/.777 with 11 home runs, 58 RBI, 26 stolen bases and a 118 wRC+. In very limited spring training action, Acosta slashed .273/.429/.545/.974 in six Grapefruit League games while looking comfortable at shortstop. There was talk of him potentially making the Opening Day roster, but he was ultimately optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins middle infield has had stability with Otto Lopez at shortstop, Xavier Edwards at second base and Javier Sanoja serving as the backup at both positions, so Acosta has remained in Jacksonville ever since. Through 106 AAA games played, he has slashed .232/.319/.376/.695 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI, 28 stolen bases and a 91 wRC+. After posting a .594 OPS from March 28 through May 31, his performance has come much closer to what was initially expected, slashing .244/.317/.472/.789 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. There is still a concern about Acosta's increased strikeout rate, which has nearly doubled from 13.4% last year to 26.3% this year. That's due to the combination of a reduced contact rate and taking a lot of pitches in the zone. Although a right-handed batter, Acosta has once again done his best work against righties—slashing .238/.329/.400/.729 in 359 plate appearances—while posting a terrible .529 OPS against left-handers. The Marlins usually seek platoon advantages as much as possible, so it'll be interesting to see how they use somebody with reverse splits like this. Defensively, Acosta has played all but five games at shortstop this season. His ability there gives him a high floor at the major league level. acosta field 1.mp4 Graham Pauley is the top candidate to be placed on the injured list to make room for Acosta. He was unavailable to play Sunday due to right side tightness, according to MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. Pauley had been serving as Miami's starting third baseman over the past month. The Marlins welcome the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday with first pitch at 6:40 pm. View full article

The year is 2025, but Friday's game unfolded like a lot of Sandy Alcantara's starts from the 2022 season. Alcantara tossed a gem against the Boston Red Sox while his own team's offense gave him little to no run support in a losing effort. With the score tied entering the bottom of the ninth inning, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough put the game in the left hand of rookie Josh Simpson, who loaded the bases without recording an out. The Red Sox walked off to win by a final score of 2-1. Alcantara has struggled post-trade deadline, allowing six runs against the Houston Astros and five runs in his most recent start against the Atlanta Braves. Pitching at Fenway Park against the Red Sox was an even tougher test, yet he went six innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits, one walk and struck out seven—his highest strikeout total since May 11. What made this a vintage Sandy start? First off, the efficiency, averaging 14 pitches per inning and posting a 53.8% ground ball rate. Alcantara pounded the strike zone, throwing 65 of his 86 pitches for strikes, including an 81% first-pitch strike rate. "This was his best start of the season," said Clayton McCullough. "I think from a execution standpoint, the quality of stuff that he threw, I thought this was definitely his best. Terrific changeup, his slider was very good and saw the fastball...I felt that was the time there—with a fully rested 'pen—to acknowledge him for how well he did and he fought. He of course wants to go back out there, but felt like that was an incredible outing by him and another one we can build on." In the bottom of the fifth, Alcantara surrendered his first baserunner of the ballgame when Trevor Story singled. In the sixth inning, the Red Sox tied the game at one apiece thanks to an Alex Bregman RBI double. From there, it would be quiet until the bottom of the ninth inning. Both Ronny Henriquez and Josh Simpson were warming up in the Marlins bullpen. Henriquez, Miami's most valuable reliever this season, was getting ready in case the Fish took the lead to create a save situation, said McCullough afterward. He had only thrown 11 pitches during the past week. When the Marlins went down quietly in the top of the ninth, Simpson was thrown into the fire. He walked both Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman, then hit Jarren Duran. As soon as he faced the minimum three batters, Simpson was taken out in place of Calvin Faucher, but there was little Faucher could do when inheriting the bases loaded with no outs. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Story singled to right field to end it. "Josh is going to be a key piece for us, and his ability to get out left is going to be a big part of that," McCullough explained. "Throwing strikes, especially late in games coming out of the 'pen is a critical thing, which Josh knows and he's aware of that. Tonight, he just didn't have much feel for his pitches and had trouble finding the strike zone. I think we'll look back on this one and it'll be a good moment for Josh. While it stings for him right now and for us, this is part of it and still have a lot of confidence that Josh is going to be someone that will take down high-leverage innings versus left for us." Simpson entered the game having held lefty opponents to a .194 batting average since his call-up, but a less-impressive .737 OPS. Also, he had given up seven earned runs over his previous 4 ⅔ innings pitched. This was the fifth time this season that the Marlins have suffered a walk-off loss. Most recently, it happened against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 27. That game was also decided with an unestablished rookie on the mound (Cade Gibson). The Marlins' lone run of the ballgame came in the top of the third inning thanks to a Kyle Stowers RBI double off the Green Monster, driving in Xavier Edwards. Despite nine hits, they only had one run to show for it and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 2-7 on this road trip and 58-64 on the season. For those keeping a close eye out on the National League postseason race, both the Reds and Mets lost, keeping the Marlins six games out of the final wild-card spot. The Fish will try to bounce back on Saturday as Cal Quantrill will toe the rubber against Brayan Bello. First pitch is at 4:10 pm. View full article

The Jakob Marsee experience continues to amaze. On Wednesday night, Marsee went 4-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBI and a triple shy of the cycle. His performance was key in snapping the team's four-game losing streak, winning by a final score of 13-4. Since being called up by the Marlins the day after the trade deadline, Marsee has been among MLB's most valuable players, slashing .436/.542/.872/1.414 with three home runs, 13 RBI and six stolen bases. He just became the first Marlin since Adam Duvall in 2021 to have a seven-RBI game. He also tied a franchise record for most RBI in a single game. In the top of the first inning, Marsee took Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams deep for his second home run of the season. That would cap off a four-run first inning for the Marlins. After falling behind in the count, Marsee knocked in a base hit in the third inning. With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the sixth, Marsee took reliever Kolby Allard deep for his third home run of the season. This marked not only Marsee's first multi-homer game, but his first three-hit game. The Marlins took a 6-4 lead and would never look back. In the top of the sixth inning, Marsee drove in two more runs on a single, putting him a triple shy of the cycle. When he went up to hit in the eighth inning, Marsee grounded out to first base, ending his night. "We've talked about (Marsee) a lot since he's come up," said manager Clayton McCullough. "The high quality at-bats, the discipline at the plate and he's hit for impact...Had all around another terrific game and helped in a big way tonight." Along with Marsee, another former Padres prospect, Graham Pauley, had the first four-hit game of his career, with each coming against a different pitcher. After singling off of Williams and Allard, Pauley took Matt Festa deep in the sixth inning for his fourth home run of the season and second of the road trip. Pauley worked a walk in the seventh and knocked in one last base hit off of catcher Austin Hedges. In addition to his strong offensive night, Pauley continues to flash the leather at third base, posting six outs above average and four defensive runs saved. He's been an upgrade within the Marlins defense. "We've seen a much more relaxed, confident version of Graham this time," McCullough said. "What's really stood out outside of some of the production, some of the power that he's shown, has been his decision-making. I think he's been more in control of his at-bats. He's put himself in much better counts, he's seen the ball much better, slowed things down and that's going to be key for him." Fitting with the theme of the night, Xavier Edwards, who was selected by San Diego in the 2018 MLB Draft, led the game off with a solo home run, his second of the season and the farthest-hit homet of his MLB career. The ball left the bat at 104.0 mph and the ball went 402 feet. "A different kind of boost," said McCullough. "We're used to X getting things started for us, but we haven't seen that one come out that much. He's been impacting the ball really well recently. I think he's accessed the pull side some and it hasn't taken away from his ability to get hits all over the field. He's being calculated with when he's taken some shots." Ever since going back to second base, Edwards has been great, posting seven defensive runs saved and six outs above average. The move back to second base has been a plus for his all-around game as he was slashing .333/.383/.426/.809 at the position going into Wednesday's game. Edwards' surge has put him in play for the National League batting title—he is now leading all NL qualifiers with a .305 batting average. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (.302 BA) is a close second. Eury Pérez, who made his 12th start of the season, went five innings, allowing four runs on three hits (two home runs). For the third time this season, Pérez did not walk a hitter and matched a season-high with eight strikeouts. His season ERA now stands at 3.58. Pérez's changeup was crucial, accounting for four of his eight strikeouts, all swinging. He generated six whiffs on that pitch as well. His four-seam fastball, his most-used pitch, averaged 97.7 mph and topped out at 99.5 mph. "We talked about it before pregame and that's a pitch he's continuing to gain comfort," McCullough said regarding the changeup. "It was a weapon for him tonight." 41affc47-73fedff8-f0f95bd3-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 With the win, the Fish are now 58-62 and 6.5 games out of a wild-card spot. They go for the series win Thursday with Edward Cabrera starting the rubber match. Cabrera is coming off of an eight-inning performance in Atlanta. First pitch is at 6:40 pm. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #78 With only a couple notable changes, the Miami Marlins will battle during the stretch run using the same roster they had leading up to the trade deadline. Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman share their final thoughts on the club's negotiations involving Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Cal Quantrill, Dane Myers and others, plus their performance on the recent 4-2 homestand, which featured the debut of Jakob Marsee. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. The Marlins have won six of their last seven series and enter Thursday six games back of a National League postseason spot. Now, they embark on their longest road trip of the season, a three-city, 11-game odyssey with matchups against the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox. Follow Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (⁠@FishOnFirst⁠) on Twitter. Join the ⁠Marlins Discord server⁠! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at ⁠FishOnFirst.com⁠. View full article

Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee speaks with the media at loanDepot park after homering in Tuesday's loss to the Houston Astros. Marsee is hitting .500 through the first five games of his major league career. View full video

MIAMI, FL—Outfielder Jakob Marsee has been doing it all since being called up by the Miami Marlins. In addition to looking right at home in center field, Marsee became the fifth player in franchise history to record at least one single, one double, one triple and one home run in his first five career games. It wasn't enough on Tuesday as the Fish fell by a final score of 7-3 to the Houston Astros, snapping their streak of six straight series wins. Marsee's milestone home run came in the bottom of the fifth inning off of Astros long man AJ Blubaugh. The ball left the bat at 105.6 mph and went 409 feet into the visitor's bullpen. Someone in the 'pen tossed the ball up to an Astros fan in the stands, unaware it was Marsee's first career homer, so the Marlins had to negotiate to get the ball back. In exchange for it, the fan received a signed bat, ball, photo and Marlins merch. "She didn't want much and was really easy to communicate with, so it was really nice of her to be able to give that up," Marsee said postgame. Marsee finished the night 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and a walk before being removed for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth. He has a .500/.647/1.167/1.814 slash line overall. Cal Quantrill, whose name circulated in rumors leading up to last week's trade deadline, was not dealt. In his first start post-deadline, he went 4 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing seven runs on nine hits, three walks and two strikeouts. It was a season-high in hits allowed and tied a season-high in earned runs allowed. Jose Altuve's home run off Quantrill in the top of the first inning put him in sole possession of third place on the franchise's extra-base hits list (728), behind Jeff Bagwell (969) and Craig Biggio (1,014). It gave the Astros a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fourth, Jeremy Peña hit an RBI triple, driving in two more runs. Yainer Diaz's 16th home run of the season blew the game open, giving the Astros a 7-1 lead. 215dcf30-a946e98e-87c10e4e-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The veteran who Marsee was called up to replace, Jesús Sánchez, had a 2-for-5 night for the Astros (both hits coming off of Quantrill). In recent starts, Quantrill had been efficient and able to induce plenty of ground balls. That was not the case on Tuesday night—only three of the batted balls put in play were on the ground (15.0 GB%). His cutter, which has been his most-used pitch this season along with his best in terms of run value (+11 RV), was hit hard, posting an average exit velo of 95.8 mph. "I don't think any pitches were that bad," Quantrill said postgame. "It's just really the location. Need to be 0-1, 1-2 on guys—just didn't do a very good job of that. Made a couple bad pitches with runners on and it kind of burned me. It's been a good two months and it can't be perfect, so put this one behind us and keep on going." The last time Eric Wagaman hit a home run going into Tuesday's game was on June 17 against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he ended that drought. The ball went 103.7 mph to right-center field. The Marlins still trailed, 7-3. Wagaman finished the day going 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks. "Boosted confidence," is what Wagaman thinks a night like tonight can do for him. "If you can take that to the next day and just 'let the game come to you' type of thing, I think pressing for hits, forcing those good ABs—that's when stuff starts to go downhill. You just gotta go out there and keep a clear mind." With the loss, the Marlins fall two games under .500. The Fish will send out Janson Junk in hopes to salvage the series on Wednesday,. The Astros will go with Spencer Arrighetti, who is coming off the injured list after missing the last four months due to a broken thumb. First pitch is at 4:40 pm. View full article