Kevin Barral

MIAMI, FL—On Sunday, the Marlins drew a crowd of 18,219 for their series finale against the Kansas City Royals. That capped off the second-best-attended weekend at loanDepot park this season, totaling 46,953 across the three games. Even with a loss on Sunday, the Marlins have been among MLB's hottest teams in recent weeks. Their 46-52 record is good for third in the National League East and 12 games ahead of where they were at the same point in 2024, surpassing all expectations. It's a fun brand of baseball that is beginning to produce real results and grab the community's attention. "It means a lot to me and our group that more people continue to come out and watch," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough following the game. "This is an exciting group. These guys love to play. They love to compete. They're going to continue to fight the whole way through...It was great to get that support here this weekend and the energy we felt in the building. We hope that continues on for us in the second half." Properly marketing the team matters as well. On Friday, the Marlins held their first-ever dollar dog night, which sold a total of 20,128 hot dogs. The Marlins defeated the Royals by a final score of 8-7 thanks to a walk-off two-run homer from All-Star Kyle Stowers. That was followed by the annual Colombian heritage celebration on Saturday, drawing 14,292 fans and ending in another win. Sunday's "Selfie Day" was an opportunity for Marlins Members to meet and take photos with their favorite players and media personalities. Per a team source, this event saw the largest turnout in franchise history since the event began back in 2019. "We’re deeply grateful for the passion our community brings, both in the stands and beyond," said Marlins president of business operations Caroline O'Connor. "I want to thank our players and coaches for taking pride in making this day meaningful for everyone involved. It’s moments like these that highlight the perks of a Marlins season ticket membership and also remind us that we’re part of something bigger than the game." Along with the increased in-person attendance, more fans are watching from afar on FanDuel Sports Network. According to a recent press release sent by the network, the average streaming audience for Marlins games is up 14% compared to the same period last season. It's safe to say that Marlins fans are starting to put their faith in president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Some of the young talent acquired by Bendix since his hiring in November 2023 is already contributing at the highest level, with more on the way. Kyle Stowers is in the midst of one of the best seasons that a Marlins left-handed hitter has ever had. He was acquired last season alongside Connor Norby from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Trevor Rogers. Agustín Ramírez has become one of the favorites to win National League Rookie of the Year. It was controversial when the Marlins traded Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees to get Ramírez, but that's clearly looking like a win-win deal. Miami's starting shortstop, Otto Lopez, and top reliever, Ronny Henriquez, were both former waiver claims. They're emerging as crucial pieces for 2026 and beyond. Winning will bring the fans out and giving them a good experience at the ballpark will convince them to keep coming back. Next up, the Marlins welcome the San Diego Padres for a three-game set, beginning Monday at 6:40 pm. Young phenom Eury Pérez will start for the Fish. View full article

MIAMI, FL—In what may have been his final home start as a member of the Miami Marlins, Cal Quantrill turned in six shutout innings. Thanks to late-game heroics from Otto Lopez, the Marlins defeated the Royals by a final score of 3-1. The Marlins have kept Quantrill on a short leash all season. He entered Saturday averaging only 4.54 innings pitched per start, never completing a full six innings. In his final outing prior to the All-Star break, he was given the opportunity to reach that milestone, but wasn't able to record an out in the sixth on the way to a 7-2 loss. Quantrill made it look easy against Kansas City, only allowing two hits in the process, issuing no walks and striking out three. He generated a 62.5% ground ball rate, which matched a season-high. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough praised "the efficiency at which he was able to do it." "Collected a lot of early outs and really for the most part, he kept them off the barrel," added McCullough. "First couple innings, defense made some very nice plays behind Cal, kind of got wind at his sails and never really was threatened, or there wasn't a whole lot of really traffic, and he kept filling it up. It was a really great outing." A big reason for Quantrill's efficiency on Saturday was his 63.2% first-pitch strike rate. "I think for most guys, that's a good sign," Quantrill said. "You'd like to have a little more swing-and-miss if you can get it, but today was one of those days where they weren't going to let very many strikes go without swinging and that's fine—you can pitch to that. I was really happy with the game plan. I thought we executed at a high rate. Ground ball outs are generally pretty safe." The 30-year-old Quantrill is the only pending free agent on the Marlins roster. He isn't scheduled to make another home start until after the MLB trade deadline passes on July 31. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported earlier this week that the team is "very open" to moving him to a contender. For the second time this series, the Marlins were on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Xavier Edwards led the inning off with his second triple of the season. After Jesús Sánchez popped out, Otto Lopez grounded out to third, but it was enough to drive Edwards in, giving the Fish a 1-0 lead. With a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Ronny Henriquez surrendered a game-tying solo homer to longtime Royals catcher Salvador Pérez. The Marlins bullpen has blew a one-run lead on Friday. In the bottom of the inning, Graham Pauley led off with a walk, followed by an Edwards double, moving Pauley to third. Once the Royals intentionally walked Sánchez, Otto Lopez smacked a 108.2 mph double off the left field wall, driving in both Pauley and Edwards, giving the Marlins a 3-1 lead. "It starts a lot with his improved plate discipline," said McCullough. "The ability to check off on some of those sliders, check off on some of the chase pitches. He got a ball elevated there, put a great swing on it. We think Otto has been in a really good place now for a while. It goes back to he's got always had high contact ability. He's showing some more ability to impact. It's the key for the run of success he's been on." With the win, the Marlins are now 46-51 on the season. They've won back-to-back series and six of their last eight. The Fish aim for a series sweep on Sunday with Janson Junk taking the mound. For the Royals, it'll be Kris Bubic. First pitch is at 1:40 pm. View full article

Marlins first-round draft pick Aiva Arquette, agent Scott Boras, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere speak with the media at loanDepot park prior to Saturday's game. View full video

MIAMI, FL—At one point, Friday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals was shaping up to be among the most painful Miami Marlins losses of the season. Starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara let most of his 5-0 lead slip away, Calvin Faucher blew a save opportunity in the ninth inning, and the Royals pulled ahead in extras. Kyle Stowers bailed them out. Fresh off his first career All-Star selection, Stowers continues to be the hottest hitter in baseball, launching a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to win it by a final score of 8-7. "It's a lot of fun watching Kyle," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Keep saying that Kyle is an easy guy to root for because of how he goes about everything and how humble he is. Everything has been coming his way through a lot of hard work and very happy for him." This marked his second walk-off home run of the season and his third walk-off hit overall in 2025. It was also his 21st home run of the season. Stowers became one of two players since 1901 to have recorded at least eight hits, five home runs, and 11 RBI in a two-game span. The other? Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. "I just love winning, man," Stowers said. "I think all these guys do and anytime we can win, however we can get it, I'm happy. That's what we want to bring here to Miami. We all want to be a part of the winning culture and hopefully, eventually, get in the playoffs. Absolutely just dream one day about winning the World Series. It just starts with one day at a time and stacking as many wins as we can." The Marlins offense got off to a fast start. In the bottom of the first inning, both Jesús Sánchez and Stowers took Royals right-hander Seth Lugo deep. For Sánchez, it was his eighth home run of the season, while for Stowers, it was his 20th. Stowers became the first Marlins left-handed hitter since Justin Bour to hit 20 homers in a season. In the bottom of the third, Otto Lopez drove Xavier Edwards in on an RBI double, while Stowers drove Lopez in on a bloop RBI single. The Marlins at that point had a commanding 5-0 lead. After a clean three innings of work, Alcantara allowed back-to-back base hits in the fourth, then struck out former Florida Gator Jac Caglianone. The bottom of the order got to him. There was an RBI infield single by Nick Loftin and John Rave hit his first career home run, a three-run shot, making it a 5-4 game. Alcantara went six innings of work, allowing four runs off of eight hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He generated a 54.5% ground ball rate, which is what he was averaging prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery. Throughout the night, the Royals kept making hard contact, specifically off his four-seam fastball (which was his most-used pitch), averaging an exit velocity of 95.3 mph against it. Alcantara felt that it was his mistake to Rave that really altered the results of his outing. Outside of his four-seamer, his secondary stuff was hit for plenty of soft contact. The slider had an average exit velo of 82.8 mph and the changeup, 73.5 mph. "I think I was doing great," said Alcantara. "Just take one pitch out of there and everything feels way better, but a lot of soft contact and I can't control that. I just got to go out there, do my job, do my best and help the team anyway I can." During the All-Star break, the struggling veteran took a trip to Puerto Rico. "Try to forget about what happened in the first half and just come back here stronger, positive and keep doing the same out there: competing. Doesn't matter what happens." Alcantara's next start is expected to be on Wednesday at home against the San Diego Padres. With the trade deadline less than 13 days away, it could potentially be his final game at loanDepot park in a Marlins uniform. With the win, the Fish have now walked if off seven times in 2025. They have a 45-51 record, 7.5 games back of a National League Wild Card spot. Cal Quantrill will toe the rubber Saturday against Michael Wacha at 4:10 pm. Marlins first-round pick Aiva Arquette will be introduced as well. View full article

Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media at loanDepot park after hitting a walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals. Stowers is the first player in Marlins history to homer five times in a two-game span! View full video

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #77 A bunch of Miami Marlins players have defied expectations this season. Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman make their picks for the team's current MVP, Cy Young, "Best Rookie" and "Best Newcomer." Also, they look ahead to the most likely scenarios for the upcoming MLB Draft. 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. Kevin's midseason award winners: Kyle Stowers (MVP), Edward Cabrera (Cy Young), Janson Junk (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie). Isaac's midseason award winners: Otto Lopez (MVP), Ronny Henriquez (Cy Young), Heriberto Hernandez (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie). Ely's midseason award winners: Kyle Stowers (MVP), Edward Cabrera (Cy Young), Ronny Henriquez (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie). 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

The Miami Marlins dropped their third straight game by a final score of 5-2 against the Baltimore Orioles. To make matters worse, their most consistent starting pitcher and biggest potential trade chip, Edward Cabrera, came out of the game due to posterior elbow discomfort. He was limited to only four innings of work. "We're optimistic it's nothing serious," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. "We'll get more clarity, more information in the coming days...It started to pop up during that fourth inning and then as we talked through things in the dugout, we made the decision to cut it short there." Cabrera described it as a feeling of "fatigue," but shared McCullough's optimism about hopefully avoiding a major injury. Prior to Friday's start, Cabrera had completed seven innings in back-to-back outings. Even without the health scare, he wouldn't have been effective enough on Friday to last that long against the Orioles. In the bottom of the first, third baseman Jordan Westburg knocked in an RBI single, driving in former number one overall pick Jackson Holliday, giving the O's a 1-0 lead. Ryan O'Hearn, one of the hottest names to potentially be moved at the deadline, drove in the second run of the ballgame on an RBI double. O'Hearn tacked on another run in his next plate appearance with an RBI single. Former future Marlin Ramon Laureano then drove Gunnar Henderson in on an RBI double, giving Baltimore a 4-0 lead through three innings. On the plus side, Cabrera did generate 15 total whiffs, including eight with the curveball, his most-used pitch of the night (32%). His fastball averaged 97.7 mph, topping out at 99.4 mph. For the second time in his career (2022 was the first), Cabrera has not surrendered a walk in back-to-back starts. He struck out three straight batters before exiting. "He's been terrific," said McCullough. "He's shown the ability to miss bats. He's shown the ability to consistently get the ball in the strike zone, using his weapons very effectively. He's had an outstanding half and I expect he'll come out in the second half and continue to pitch well for us." With the Major League Baseball trade deadline 20 days away, Cabrera's availability is now up in the air. If he lands on the injured list, even for a minimum-length stint of 15 days, that would leave time for only one more start to show other teams that he's okay. Cabrera has made many trips to the IL during his career, but the most recent elbow-related injury was tendonitis back in 2022. The Marlins are not under pressure to make a trade because Cabrera is club-controlled through the 2028 season. On the other hand, his market value may never get higher. Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer completed seven shutout innings, only allowing three hits and one walk. He also struck out seven. It wasn't until the top of the ninth inning that the Marlins got on the board when Otto Lopez hit a two-run shot off of reliever Andrew Kittredge. With the loss, the Marlins are now 42-51 on the season while the Orioles improve to 43-50. First pitch on Saturday will be at 4:10 pm with Janson Junk taking the mound. For the first time since being traded to the O's, Trevor Rogers will face his former team. View full article

It was a seven-run top of the third inning that propelled the Marlins to a rare blowout win on Tuesday. Eury Pérez limited the Cincinnati Reds offense to just two hits and the Fish won by a final score of 12-2. After Matt McLain took Pérez deep in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Reds a 1-0 lead for a second straight night, the Marlins got to Miami native Nick Martinez in the top of the third, tacking on seven runs. Martinez began the inning by walking first baseman Liam Hicks. That would be followed by six straight hits: Heriberto Hernandez infield single Dane Myers RBI single Xavier Edwards two-run double Jesús Sánchez RBI single Otto Lopez double Agustín Ramírez RBI single merge-6h1mje.mp4 Kyle Stowers snapped the hit streak, but drove Lopez in on a sac fly and Connor Norby did the same, driving in Ramírez on his own sac fly, giving the Marlins a 7-1 lead. This was the Marlins' highest-scoring inning since September 8 of last season against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tuesday's game marked the most amount of runs that Martinez has allowed in a start. On the flip side, Eury Pérez continued to resemble his 2023 self, giving his team five innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits, no walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. Although Pérez had to work some deep counts, especially after a 23-pitch bottom of the first inning, he settled in and went on to post a 70.6% first-pitch strike rate. Reds hitters fouled off 21 pitches, which contributed to him lasting only five frames. Pérez's slider generated three whiffs and he used it for three of his strikeouts. Pérez's new sweeper was used 15% of the time, generating four whiffs and two strikeouts. His fastball averaged 97.8 mph, topping out at 99.5 mph. Between his last two starts, Pérez has now thrown 11 innings, allowing three hits, one run, one walk and 15 strikeouts. His season ERA is now down to 4.00. "Very encouraged with his willingness to utilize his secondaries and need to feel more confident in his breaking balls and getting some feel for his changeup," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "With each outing, the fastball is always going to be there and opponents are going to respect the ability to mix things up and utilize his full mix and get ahead of people. That's going to continue to be a driver of his success." In the top of the sixth inning, the Marlins loaded the bases and Heriberto Hernandez worked a walk to extend the lead. They kept pouring it on with a Dane Myers double play and a Xavier Edwards RBI single. Reds starting catcher Jose Trevino pitched the final two innings. The 12 runs matched Miami's season-high for a single game. With the win, the Marlins are 42-48 on the season, six games under .500. Per Marlins Communications, they are the first MLB club to record an 11-game road winning streak since the Phillies had a 13-game streak in 2023 (which was snapped by the Fish). Sandy Alcantara will take the mound next for the Marlins as they aim for a series win. For the Reds, it'll be recently named All-Star Andrew Abbott. First pitch on Wednesday is at 7:10 pm. View full article

Right-hander Janson Junk already had some MLB experience when he signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins earlier this year, but he had mostly struggled in those opportunities. Not only did Junk earn his way back to the big leagues—he has settled into a starting rotation spot. He has now completed a career-high six innings of work in back-to-back starts, this time receiving a solid amount of run support. The Marlins defeated the Cincinnati Reds on Monday by a final score of 5-1, notching their tenth straight road win. It was an unusual start to Junk's night as in the bottom of the second inning, he walked back-to-back hitters. Going into his start, he had only allowed two walks all season, so in the matter of just one inning, he doubled that number. In that same inning, there was a passed ball and wild pitch, which allowed Austin Hays to advance from first to third. The Reds got on the board first thanks to a sac fly from Tyler Stephenson, driving Hays in. However, Junk regained his control after that. He gave his team six innings of one-hit and one-run ball, walking two and striking out three. "It was just one of those days we were struggling with the grip in that one-run inning," Junk said. "Spiking a lot of my sliders down and I kind of fell into that mold and that trust in it. Once I landed some fastballs, got the strikeout, I was able to get out of that." Junk also struggled with getting ahead in the count. He entered this game with a 74.8% first-pitch strike rate for the season, easily the highest mark among all Marlins pitchers. On Monday, it was all the way down to just 45%. "Personally, I didn't think I had the best stuff today overall," said Junk postgame. "So it was pretty much recognizing that, accepted it and just dug deep and competed. I've had those endings where it unraveled, so I accepted where I was, how I felt and just did my best to be competitive in the zone." The bat of Agustín Ramírez has been a big factor during the Marlins' road win streak. On Monday, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. In the top of the fifth inning, Ramírez knocked in an RBI double, driving in Xavier Edwards. The "Gus Bus" was also involved in a close play at home plate when the next batter, Liam Hicks, singled to right field. It was a weird slide by Ramírez, but his left hand just snuck in before Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson placed the tag. The play was challenged by the Reds, but the original call stood, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead at that time. aapxw1_1.mp4 Ramírez later put the nail in the coffin by taking Reds reliever Brent Suter deep for his 14th home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead to 5-1. That was his 31st extra-base hit, which tied a franchise record set by Giancarlo Stanton in 2010 for most extra-base hits through 65 career games. Ramírez has a .870 OPS on the road during his rookie season, compared to just a .644 OPS at loanDepot park. With the win, the Marlins move to 41-48 on the season, remaining 7.5 games back of the third NL Wild Card spot. Eury Pérez will take the mound for Miami on Tuesday, and for the Reds, it'll be Nick Martinez. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is at 7:10 pm. View full article

Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media at loanDepot park about receiving his first career MLB All-Star selection, the adversity he had to overcome to get here and his team's great recent performance. View full video

Jim Leyland speaks with the media at loanDepot park prior to his Marlins Legends Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Back in 1997, Leyland managed the Fish to their first World Series title in franchise history. View full video

MIAMI, FL—"At the end of spring training, I was playing pretty poorly, and I was actually nervous about making the team." This was Kyle Stowers' mindset amid a spring training that saw him hit .175 with a .540 OPS following an introduction to Miami in 2024 that saw him hit .186 with a 35% strikeout rate. "I'm panicking because I'm doing so much good in the cage and it hasn't shown any on the field yet," he recalls telling Marlins assistant coach Derek Shomon. Stowers, Shomon and hitting coach Pedro Guerrero had a 30-minute conversation that reassured the 27-year-old outfielder he was on the right track. "To be able to communicate, to be vulnerable to those guys, and to then know they still believed in and had high hopes for me, I genuinely think that's something worth noting as a key point for me." On Sunday, less than four months after that skin-shedding conversation, Major League Baseball announced that Stowers had been named to the 2025 National League All-Star roster as the Marlins' lone representative. In 84 games this season, he has hit .280/.352/.514/.866 with a team leading 16 home runs and 46 RBI. "It''s pretty surreal to be honest," said a choked-up Stowers. "I'll be honest, there's always been a part of me that's believed I had this capability. I know there's been a group in my community that has believed the same thing. My appreciation goes out to those people who who always believed in me, and then first and foremost, God. I honestly feel like I've been leaning on him a lot this year and the doors that he's opened up I didn't expect to be in this position in spring training, so this is very special to me." Stowers was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2019 MLB Draft. The Stanford alum was ranked as high as eighth on MLB Pipeline's Orioles top 30 prospects list. In 2022, the Orioles gave Stowers his initial call-up to the majors. He played in 34 games and posted a 107 wRC+ (100 represents league average). In 2023, Stowers would be sent up and down from Triple-A, only playing 14 games in Baltimore, posting a -37 wRC+. He played in 19 more games with the 2024 O's, but he still wasn't a mainstay on the big league roster and was trending toward being labeled a "Quad-A player." Stowers was acquired by the Fish last July along with Connor Norby in exchange for lefty Trevor Rogers. Following the trade, he was playing almost every day in MLB, but struggled. "With how things kind of unfolded right when I got here, I obviously didn't play the baseball that I would have liked to last year, but with that being said, within the struggles, there's just so many learning opportunities. Playing so poorly for a stretch of time forced me to kind of lower my expectations, do less, lower the bar and take one step at a time." It was a shock to many that Stowers made the Opening Day roster, but he immediately justified the decision by hitting a walk-off RBI single. He continued to produce throughout the months of March and April, slashing .323/.396/.510/.907 with four home runs and 19 RBI. For his performance from April 28-May 4, Stowers was named National League Player of the Week, slashing .421/.421/1.105/1.526 (8-for-19) with four home runs and 10 RBI. He had a four-hit game and two multi-homer games. His 0.91 win probability added led the NL, per FanGraphs. By this point, it felt like a lock—barring injury—that he would be the Marlins All-Star representative. Stowers' rough stretch of the season came in the middle of May, bleeding into early June. He went From May 16 through June 21 without hitting a home run. During that period, he slashed .228/.291/.297/.588 with 30 strikeouts against only seven walks. His playing time was also limited a bit by hand soreness, though he did not go on the injured list at any point. Stowers snapped out of his homerless drought on April 22 against the Atlanta Braves. His power has fully returned since then and the Marlins have caught fire with a 10-3 record. Stowers has significantly improved upon his strikeout rate, which is now down to a career-low 28.9%. He isn't pounding the ball into the ground as much as in years past, lowering his ground ball rate from 49.6% in 2024 to 40.6% this season. He's also shown an ability to hit left-handed pitching. In 72 plate appearances, he is slashing .313/.375/.406/.781 with 10 RBI. The Marlins will head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a four-game set and then finish the first half of the season at Camden Yards, taking on Stowers' former club, the Orioles. Stowers and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough will take a private jet to Atlanta from there. The Midsummer Classic will take place on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 pm. View full article