Kevin Barral

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough speaks exclusively with Fish On First about his second season in Miami, becoming more relaxed in his position, players he's most excited to see make a leap in 2027 and more. View full video

MIAMI, FL - The 2026 season saw Eury Pérez enter uncharted territory and Friday night was his crowning achievement. Pérez became the seventh pitcher in Miami Marlins history to toss a one-hit shutout in what was the first complete game of his major league career. "Felt like through three or four innings that he was going to get deep into this one," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. He was able to really get anything over the plate, full mix was there and the efficiency at which he was getting outs. He was throwing strikes for a lot of pitches and they were aggressive. He was able to create a lot of soft contact and get some early outs. He was getting into the seventh/eighth inning averaging around 11 pitches an inning. It's hard to be much better than that...Really proud and happy for Eury to finish up this way this year." Pérez held the Atlanta Braves hitless through the first five innings before Sean Murphy singled to begin the sixth. The "Baby Goat" went on to retire 11 straight to finish the game. Going into this start, the message for Pérez was simple: "Go out there and have fun." Just three days earlier, Pérez made his first career relief appearance in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs and struck out the side. That moment not only stayed in his mind, but carried momentum into his final start of the season. "What Daniel (Moskos) told me was that it was a lot of fun just to see me as a reliever over in Chicago, and to do the same thing here, which is just have fun," Pérez said via interpreter. "Even though there were some difficulties this month, I'm very happy that this was a good outing to end the season." The right-handed flamethrower recorded eight strikeouts, his highest total in what has been a rocky month of September. Pérez generated 17 whiffs and of his eight strikeouts, seven of them were swinging strikeouts. Despite throwing his sweeper just 13% of the time, it generated three strikeouts, the most of any pitch. His fastball was averaging 98.0 mph and topped out at 99.3 mph. Pérez finished the 2026 season posting a 3.91 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 9.62 K/9 and 3.85 BB/9, setting career-bests with 30 appearances and 159 innings pitched. "Looking at the ERA, I don't know if it tells the full picture of how Eury has grown as a as a starting pitcher," McCullough said. "We've seen a stretch where Eury was arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and I think one that we're very confident that he's capable of putting together stretches like that, a complete season of really high-end performance. We've seen Eury struggle to find the strike zone with enough consistency, controlling the run game and through all of that, Eury has learned a lot about himself, too. How to better manage himself within outings, limit damage, stay in the moment and put behind what has happened and still go out there and finish an outing strong." Going into 2027, he is eligible for arbitration for the first time. The Marlins and Pérez's representatives at CAA Sports previously had contract extension conversations, but those didn't go anywhere. Getting a deal done this coming offseason will prove to be even more difficult for the team now that the 23-year-old has a mostly healthy MLB season under his belt. Catching Pérez's complete game was rookie Joe Mack, who also hit the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. It marked his 14th home run of the season to break up the scoreless tie. Mack is now slashing .234/.282/.403/.685 with 52 RBI and an 86 wRC+ in 105 games played, production that should earn him consideration for down-ballot National League Rookie of the Year votes. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Heriberto Hernandez extended the lead with an RBI single and Griffin Conine hit his 18th home run of the season, making it 3-0. For Conine, he now has an .813 OPS in the month of September. "Joe has certainly shown what he's been able to bring to our team defensively this season," McCullough said. "Big home run here tonight, and I think we all know there is a lot of room left in Joe's offensive game to get better, and I think that's the exciting part with Joe. He should be at the top of the class as catchers as far as being able to do things on both sides of the ball, and that's going to require him to continue to make some adjustments and improve on the offensive side." The Marlins now have 79 victories, matching their total from 2025. They will go for their first series win against the Braves this season on Saturday with Jack Ralston starting what should be a bullpen game. First pitch is at 4:10 pm. View full article

With a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins, the Chicago Cubs have clinched a spot in the 2026 postseason while the Marlins dropped their 81st game of the season. In his final start of the 2026 season, Tyler Phillips went four shutout innings, allowing three hits, four walks and struck out two. Phillips capped off a month of September posting a 2.11 ERA, allowing five runs on 13 hits. However, the Marlins did not trust him to provide length—his most recent time completing the sixth inning was June 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. After starting the season in the bullpen, a variety of injuries forced him to transition into the starting rotation. He went on to make 20 starts, posting a 4.00 ERA. Overall, he had a 3.34 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 7.18 K/9 and 3.98 BB/9 in a career-high 126 ⅔ innings pitched. Phillips will likely transition back into the bullpen for the 2027 season if All-Star Max Meyer and promising rotation candidates like Robby Snelling and Thomas White recover from their respective injuries. The Marlins' lone source of runs came in the top of the third inning, a Jakob Marsee RBI single that gave the Fish an early 1-0 lead. Marsee is now slashing .230/.347/.356/.703 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI, 23 stolen bases and has reached a 100 wRC+ (exactly league average). After Phillips came out of the game, the Marlins deployed Jack Ralston out of the bullpen. He allowed a game-tying home run to Seiya Suzuki, his 25th home run of the season. In the ensuing inning, Nico Hoerner gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead on an RBI single off Ralston. Josh Ekness threw 1 ⅔ scoreless innings in the series finale. It was a notable series for Ekness, who on Tuesday recorded the second-fastest strikeout pitch by a Marlin under pitch tracking, behind only Tyron Guerrero at 102.5 mph. He now has a 3.34 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 6.98 K/9 and 6.07 BB/9 in 29 big league appearances. This caps off a 33-48 record on the road for the Fish. It marks their worst record on the road since the 2024 team that went 32-49. There was a big drop-off in the effectiveness of their pitching staff away from home this season, allowing 4.81 runs per game compared to 3.96 runs per game at loanDepot park. The Marlins will wrap up the 2026 season by hosting the Atlanta Braves with Eury Pérez taking the mound in Friday's series opener at 7:10 pm. View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. The win-loss record looks almost identical to 2025, but this year's Miami Marlins were a much different team. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Ely Sussman discuss how they feel the 2026 season went overall, whether Sandy Alcantara could stick around long term through the rest of his prime years and the urgency needed this weekend by the Fish to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. It's simple for the Marlins over their next three games: sweep the series or surrender. Just one head-to-head loss to the San Diego Padres would officially eliminate them from National League Wild Card contention. View full article

On Monday night, the San Diego Padres remained MLB's hottest team and defeated the Colorado Rockies, while Corbin Carroll walked off the Miami Marlins. Any combination of three more Padres wins or Marlins losses will officially eliminate Clayton McCullough's club from 2026 postseason contention. In the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins led 7-6 and deployed Pete Fairbanks. Only six pitches into his outing, Fairbanks walked off the mound for what may be the final time as a member of the Marlins organization with the recurrence of a nerve irritation issue. Entering the game for Fairbanks was rookie Jack Ralston. After getting the first out of the inning, Ralston surrendered a walk-off home run to Carroll on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. "It's gonna be tough for anyone," Clayton McCullough said postgame. "Jack came in and he got the out on the bunt, and then left something hanging offspeed that Corbin put a good swing on. Tough spot, but Jack came in there and went after him, and sometimes you lose." In this must-win game, Miami's second-half offensive stars, Jakob Marsee and Javier Sanoja, both homered and recorded multiple hits. Marsee, who in his first 98 games of the season posted a .600 OPS, has bounced back. Since July 24, Marsee is slashing .303/.409/.497/.906 with five home runs and 12 RBI. With the game tied at three apiece in the top of the fourth inning, Marsee hit his 10th home run of the season to retake the lead, 4-3. He now has a 96 wRC+ on the season. Marsee finished his night a double shy of the cycle. What has kept Marsee on the big league team through the course of the entire season is that he has gotten on base at a high clip (.342). He has also struck out just 20.5% of the time and is walking 12.7% of the time. Since that July 24 date, Marsee has only stolen three bases of the 22 total he has. Defensively, he has plus-8 outs above average in center field, contributing to his 1.8 fWAR overall. "Just seen him open up the entire field," McCullough said. "He's really done a great job of shooting some balls the other way and staying through the middle of the field. Still giving him a chance to have some coverage through the zone. He pulled the curveball for a homer today, so right now, his at-bat quality's been good all year. I think now, he's just opened up the entire field with his approach, and he's been collecting a lot of hits." As for Sanoja, he has been one of the best players in baseball since the All-Star break. He is slashing .285/.389/.462/.851 with five home runs and 12 RBI, graduating from utility player to impactful everyday player. Sanoja kicked things off in the top of the second, hitting his fifth triple of the season and driving in two runs. A Joe Mack sacrifice fly extended the lead, 3-0. In the fourth inning, Sanoja followed Marsee up with his ninth home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead to 5-3. Sanoja finished the night halfway to the cycle. Overall, Sanoja is slashing .293/.333/.454/.787 with nine home runs, 63 RBI and a 114 wRC+, which are all career-highs for the 24-year-old. He is striking out 8.0% of the time. Only former Marlin Luis Arraez has a lower K rate in the majors this season (min. 400 PA). "That's what we've seen this guy do for two years now," McCullough said. "He just he makes plays wherever you put him in the field. Comes up with big hits and at-bats for us. He's really playing at an extremely high level right now." Xavier Edwards, who recently came off the injured list, also recorded multiple hits. In the top of the seventh inning, Edwards knocked in an RBI single to extend the Marlins lead, 7-4. That run looked as if it would be crucial when in the ensuing inning, Tyler Zuber surrendered a two-run homer to Diamondbacks center fielder Jordan Lawlar, which made it a 7-6 game. The Marlins offense supported starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who struggled on Monday night. He went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits (one home run), walked two and struck out six. Alcantara has surrendered four or more runs in all of his September starts. "I think for Sandy to buckle down in the fifth and get the punch out on Arenado, get out of that with us still in the lead, I give him some credit for just kind of be able to move the ball forward, and outside of the Nootbaar home run, Sandy threw the ball very well," McCullough said. "Just had elongated couple of innings that got the pitch count up there, but I think as much credit to them for just being able to find some holes. Tonight, the batted ball luck wasn't really on his side." The Marlins will try to bounce back on Tuesday night with Janson Junk taking the mound at 9:40 pm. View full article

On Tuesday, for the third time this season, the Miami Marlins placed closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list with right median nerve irritation. Only 13 days remain in the regular season, so even a minimum stint on the IL will prevent him from returning to the active roster. The Marlins recalled right-hander Bradley Blalock in a corresponding roster move. In the bottom of the ninth inning of Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Fairbanks entered in a save situation, with the Marlins holding a 7-6 lead. He exited after throwing just six pitches (five balls). His replacement, rookie Jack Ralston, allowed walk-off home run to Corbin Carroll in the 8-7 loss. "He's frustrated," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said regarding Fairbanks. "I feel bad for Pete. He's worked hard to try to come back from this, and then to go back out for your second appearance since coming off the IL and have a similar feeling that he did, I feel for him right now." Fairbanks, 32, signed a one-year deal worth $13M last offseason, receiving the highest salary in franchise history for a full-time reliever. He made 46 appearances (41.1 IP), posting a 6.31 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 12.41 K/9 and 4.57 BB/9 with 19 saves. It was a dramatic step back from his previous season with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he had a career-high 60 ⅓ innings pitched and 27 saves. Fairbanks is the only Marlins player who's eligible for free agency during the 2026-27 offseason. He would certainly be cheaper to sign this time around, but it is hard to believe he has a future in Miami given his disappointing performance and the projected return of high-leverage reliever Ronny Henriquez from elbow surgery. Blalock made two relief appearances for the Marlins earlier this month. Otherwise, he has spent the whole season in Triple-A Jacksonville's rotation. View full article

MIAMI, FL — The dynamic of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup changes with the presence of Shohei Ohtani, who can "change the scoreboard with one swing." Playing without Ohtani on Friday night, that game-changing swing came from Kyle Tucker instead, whose grand slam made the difference in a 6-2 Dodgers win. Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240M contract over the offseason with the back-to-back World Series champions, hasn't lived up to that contract in year one. He came into Friday night's game slashing .225/.323/.361/.684 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI. However, he was excellent in the series opener against the Miami Marlins, going 3-for-3 with 5 RBI. He finished a double shy of the cycle. In the top of the seventh inning, the Marlins deployed Victor Vodnik, who after striking out Alex Freeland and Kiké Hernández for the first two outs of the inning, got into deep trouble. Vodnik walked Tommy Edman, surrendered a base hit to Max Muncy and walked Mookie Betts. He was taken out in place of Cade Gibson to face the aforementioned Tucker. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Gibson served a 79.5 mph curveball which Tucker obliterated 395 feet to right field. That increased a 2-1 Dodgers lead to 6-1. "Tucker's a terrific hitter," Clayton McCullough said postgame. "Handles lefties well. Independent of how maybe this season is going, he's still a fantastic hitter and has been for a long time. He got a hanging breaking ball and turned the game for them." Ryan Gusto, who struggled in his last start against the Chicago Cubs, bounced back against the Dodgers, tossing six innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits and striking out three. He’s now allowed two earned runs or less in seven of his last eight starts. Overall, Gusto has a 4.14 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 7.47 K/9 and 2.87 BB/9 in 78 ⅓ innings pitched. "I thought his cutter was very good tonight, and mixed in his offspeed very well," McCullough said. "A really good start results-wise to go six and two runs. He continues, really for the last month-plus, of really throwing the ball well and giving us a great chance to win games." In the bottom of the sixth inning, Agustín Ramírez lasered a 107.5 mph double into right-center, allowing Javier Sanoja to score. Since rejoining the team after a stint in Triple-A Jacksonville, Ramírez has mostly been platooned, rarely being used as a catcher even when he's in the lineup. Friday was his first start behind the plate in more than a month. The double was only his fifth RBI in 28 games since being called up. "Coming off the off day, I wanted to have his bat in the lineup, and thought this would be a good time to get him back there behind the plate," McCullough said. "He got a caught stealing and had some good blocks tonight. Handled the guys well, so it was a good night for Gus. Credit to him. It's hard to not be back there for an extended amount of time, but put in the work required and be able to go back there and be ready tonight to go do and perform." With the loss, the Marlins drop to 72-76 on the season. They are officially eliminated from the National League East division title race. The Marlins have never won the NL East in their 34-year existence. Trying to halt the Dodgers' eight-game winning streak on Saturday, Tyler Phillips takes the mound opposite of Tyler Glasnow at 4:10 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL - Last season when the New York Mets were fighting for their playoff lives, the Miami Marlins took two out of three games, eliminating the Mets from the 2025 postseason. One year later, the Marlins, six games back of the final National League Wild Card, are swept by the Mets in one of the craziest games ever played at loanDepot park, a 15-14 Mets win. "Disappointing how this homestand has gone to this point," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "You could say you saw some dejection in there. It's 8-0 early like that, not the the hand that we wanted, but it was the one that we were dealt. You saw how they they finished last night and again tonight. No one can question this group's willingness to hang in there and continue to go until it's done because they just continually show that. Unfortunately, we were down big early, tied it, got down again, and continued to go." According to FanGraphs, the Marlins postseason chances are at zero. They aren't officially eliminated, sitting 6.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot, but with games against the Los Angeles Dodgers (88-57), Arizona Diamondbacks (78-68), San Diego Padres (78-68) and the Atlanta Braves (85-61), it is highly unlikely that the Marlins make the playoffs in 2026. Janson Junk, who started for the Marlins, surrendered all eight runs on Wednesday night. The Mets scored six in the top of the second and former Marlin Christopher Morel hit his first home run of the season in the ensuing inning. "I didn't do a good job setting the tone today," Junk said. "I was competing out there, making good pitches and they just put balls where guys weren't at, and it was unfortunate, kind of frustrating on my end." The Marlins scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and five in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. Back-to-back RBI singles from Graham Pauley and Joe Mack got Miami on the board in the fourth. Then in the sixth, Owen Caissie hit his 14th home run of the season along with RBI from Griffin Conine, Otto Lopez and Jakob Marsee to even things up. The Mets countered right away with a six-run top of the seventh inning. Francisco Lindor, who hit a home run in game two of the series, went deep in what ended up being a 14-8 lead for the Mets. Joe Mack hit his 13th home run of the season in the bottom of the frame and RBI from both Owen Caissie and Graham Pauley in the eighth made it a 15-11 game. Going into Wednesday's game, the Marlins bullpen had tossed 179 1/3 innings since the All-Star break, 18th most in baseball. After having one of the lowest bullpen ERAs in baseball during the first half of the season, it now sits at 4.62 since July 17. On Wednesday, the Marlins went with seven relievers who combined to throw 124 pitches. Of those seven pitchers, only three of them threw over 20 pitches and one threw under 10 pitches. The Marlins won't have the services of Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez during the upcoming series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but an off day on Thursday should somewhat help. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Marlins tacked on three more runs, but it wouldn't be enough as the Fish fell by a final score of 15-14. Both teams combined for 35 hits and 29 runs. This marked the third time in team history the Marlins have lost when scoring 14 or more runs. Both other occasions happened in 2008. The Marlins have an off day on Thursday before welcoming the LA Dodgers. Ryan Gusto will take the mound opposite of Blake Snell on Friday at 7:10 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL - Sandy Alcantara, known for being the stopper of the Miami Marlins rotation and resetting the bullpen, wasn't up for the task on Tuesday night against the New York Mets. On the strength of three home runs, Alcantara allowed the Mets to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Marlins fought hard to dig themselves out of that hole, but ultimately fell by a final score of 7-5. Alcantara struggled from the very first pitch of the game, serving up a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor. Juan Soto and Brett Baty later went deep as well. Alcantara went 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits (three home runs), walked four and struck out one. "I feel very bad about the job that I did tonight," Alcantara said postgame. "Knowing the the position that we are right now, losing is devastating for us. Just gotta get hot and keep things together and just be out there and fight." On the other side, Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea tossed five perfect innings. In the sixth inning, the Marlins finally broke through and scored four runs of Manaea. Jakob Marsee, who led the inning off, hit a double. Jared Serna recorded his second career RBI, bringing Marsee home from second and making it a 7-1 game. An unlikely source of offense in Brian Navarreto drove Serna home with a single. An Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja RBI single made it 7-4. "Very proud of the group," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Not the start of the game that we were hoping for to get down, but climb out and make things really interesting and even those last couple innings to create some traffic and have a chance there. We hung in there and probably got behind the eight ball a little bit too much, not able to to overcome it." On the bright side, Jakob Marsee had a three-hit day, his fifth of that kind this season. He drove a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it 7-5. Jared Serna, who was recently called up, collected his first multi-hit game of his career. "Jared put together really aggressive swings tonight, and good for him," McCullough said. "He got an opportunity to go play and had a nice game." With the loss and another Arizona Diamondbacks win, the Marlins dropped to six games out of the final NL Wild Card spot with only 16 games left on their schedule. The Marlins will look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday with Janson Junk taking the mound. View full article

On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced that they have designated infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment. Deyvison De Los Santos is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding move. The Marlins acquired Jiménez from the Toronto Blue Jays at the beginning of the MLB regular season in exchange for minor leaguer Dub Gleed. In 66 games with the big league team, Jiménez slashed .199/.306/.259/.565 with two home runs, 14 RBI and posted a 65 wRC+. His playing time mainly came against left-handed pitching. Defensively, he posted minus-7 outs above average and minus-5 defensive runs saved at third base. His poor play on both sides of the ball was valued at -0.9 fWAR overall (worst among Marlins hitters). Jiménez will now go through the waiver process. If he clears, the Marlins can outright him to Triple-A. He would then be eligible for minor league free agency after the season if not selected back to the 40-man roster. Dub Gleed, a corner infielder drafted by the Marlins in 2024, has played at the High-A and Double-A levels with the Blue Jays organization. He's had a productive year, slashing .275/.358/.478/.838 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI and a 120 wRC+. This begins Deyvison De Los Santos' fourth MLB stint of the season. The 23-year-old will be platooned like Jiménez was, getting most of his plate appearances against lefties. He's expected to be with the team through their final 22 games. View full article

MIAMI, FL - Heavy recent usage of their bullpen forced the Miami Marlins to get creative on Wednesday night. The unlikely combination of Ryan Gusto, Victor Vodnik, Janson Junk and Dax Fulton held the Boston Red Sox scoreless to salvage the series finale. Gusto threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing four hits, three walks and struck out two. He lowered his ERA to 1.85 in the month of August, and on the season, he now has a 3.98 ERA. His 77.8% ground ball rate on the night was the highest of his season. During this August stretch, he's only had one outing where he's allowed more than three runs, which came in a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. Just over a year after the trade that sent him to Miami from the Houston Astros, Gusto describes himself as a "different pitcher than the one I was traded for originally." "I think that development isn't linear and it's a good time to look back on that and acknowledge that," Gusto said postgame. "The coaching staff believed in me the whole way and kept working with me on the things that we needed to work on, and I'm really happy with the trend that we've been seeing." One of Gusto's year-to-year improvements has been his fastball velocity. His fastball previously averaged 94.1 mph, but on Wednesday, he averaged 95.3 mph and topped out at 97.4 mph. He threw 12 pitches of 95 mph or more in his start. "Ryan deserves a lot of credit," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "The velocity being where it's at so consistently certainly helped, but he's put a lot of work in the weight room as well. He comes over last year and is acclimating to new organization, we're asking a lot of him, and it's taken Ryan some time to really buy in, but I think Ryan has seen how a lot of these adjustments and the hard work he's putting in is paying off. Ryan has taken some real steps professionally, personally, that I think now we're seeing the fruits of." One of the few Marlins relievers who was available, Vodnik entered with two outs in the sixth inning. He struck out Anthony Seigler to complete the sixth. In the seventh, he induced three straight groundouts. Vodnik hasn't allowed an earned run in any of his last six appearances. Already scheduled to throw his pitch design on Wednesday, the Marlins asked Janson Junk the night before how he felt about pitching an inning out of the bullpen to fill in for his overworked teammates. After going through a pregame routine, Junk felt good enough to pitch. This marked the first time since June 14 of last season that he entered a game as a relief pitcher. In his lone inning of work, Wilyer Abreu flew out, Caleb Durbin grounded out and Mickey Gasper lined out. "The biggest thing for me was just the routine," Junk said. "It's been a while since I came out of the pen, so just figuring out what my role was for the day. Luckily enough, they were very clear on what that was, so that eased some of the nerves. They told me the little pocket that I was going to be in and from there, it was understood what it was when I was getting warmed up in the bullpen." With the Marlins leading 2-0, Dax Fulton, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville one day before the game, was warming up to pitch in the ninth inning for what would be his first career save. For the Marlins, they tacked on two runs in the ninth inning, so Fulton entered the game with a 4-0 lead. After allowing a lead-off base hit, Fulton struck one out and induced two groundouts to end the game. The Marlins 4-0 win marked the 13th shutout win of the 2026 season, which is also the team's most since 2014, when they had 16 shutouts. The Marlins are now 68-66, which puts them four games out of the third National League Wild Card spot. The Marlins will spend an off day in Washington before kicking off a four-game wraparound series with Eury Pérez taking the mound in the first game on Friday. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Multiple national outlets have six Marlins on their updated MLB Top 100 prospects lists, but as usual, we also shine the light on lesser-known players in the organization who could eventually have significant roles with the big league club. This report covers the games played from August 18-24. Triple-A Jacksonville It was a 4-2 week for the Jumbo Shrimp against the Memphis Red Birds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate). In the series finale against the Red Birds, Jonathon Long hit his first home run since being acquired by the Marlins. The ball left the bat at 109.4 mph and went 447 feet to left field. It was his 13th home run of the season overall. He is now slashing .244/.452/.378/.830 as a member of the org. It has been a strong year for Kemp Alderman, who hit his 18th home run last week. However, his development is not quite finished as he continues to have issues making contact. In August, Alderman has been striking out nearly 40% of the time. He could still be a potential September call-up option, but the elevated K rate combined with the effects of the impending MLB lockout complicate the decision. Keeping him off the 40-man roster would keep the line of communication with Marlins coaches open during the lockout and ensure he is eligible to participate in a full spring training and minor league season in 2027. Brandan Bidois, acquired in the Lake Bachar trade, made his organizational debut this past week. Bidois couldn't get out of the seventh inning, though he struck out three of the five batters he faced. Bidois' fastball averaged 95.5 mph and topped out at 96.5 mph. He also threw his slider and changeup. A pleasant surprise during the first half of the season, infielder Gage Miller is coming back down to earth. He has only two hits in his last 28 at-bats. Even so, he's been performing nicely overall with a .272/.391/.465/.856 slash line and 131 wRC+ through 69 games. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos put a throw-away game at the start of their series against Knoxville behind them, responding with four straight victories. With contributions from all over their lineup, the team looks primed for the Southern League playoffs. They are currently five and a half games ahead of the Columbus Clingstones for the second-half division SOU South title. What more can we say about Brandon Compton? The guy just hits. In this series, the lefty went 7-for-19 with two more home runs. He is the first Marlins prospect to hit 30+ home runs in a minor league season since 2021. Compton is riding a 14-game hit streak and putting together one of the more impressive MiLB seasons we’ve been privileged to witness in quite some time. If there’s been one downside at all to Compton’s season, it has been the fact that virtually all of his damage has been done against opposite-handed pitching. During an exclusive Fish Unfiltered interview, Compton explained how he is working to solve for that behind the scenes, including hitting BP off Mason Sherrill, a former left-handed pitching prospect. Compton made his pro debut as a first baseman on Sunday. He stated in our interview that he is open to becoming more versatile despite not having played the position since his days in wood bat summer leagues. If things go well for Compton at first base, MLB opportunities could come in pretty short order, with that being a position where they've lacked stability. At the very least, Compton has already earned himself an MLB camp invite in 2027. Fish On First has learned that right-hander Holt Jones is being promoted from Pensacola to Jacksonville. A 27-year-old reliever, Jones' season was not noteworthy until about a month ago. He's been nearly flawless since then, particularly dominant against right-handed batters. Drafted by the Fish way back in 2021 out of the University of Kentucky, Jones' arsenal is comprised of a four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. He uses his extra-large 6'7" frame to get good extension down the mound. His mid-90s heater plays up as a result. Expect Jones to continue to be used in a multi-inning relief role with the Shrimp. High-A Beloit Beloit inched closer to a playoff spot this week, winning five very meaningful games against the Cedar Rapids Kernals. Pitching was the star of the show: the Carp staff limited their opponents to just 16 runs total over 54 innings. Beloit now sits in a tie with Quad Cities atop the Midwest League West division in the second half. To say Cody Schrier has had an up-and-down season would be putting it lightly. After struggling with offensive consistency in the first half, the 23-year-old first baseman was placed on the development list. Since returning, Schrier has found a new side and improved version of himself. In the first half, he slashed just .198/.338/.371. In the second half, .318/.370/.618. That includes a 9-for-23 performance in this week’s series. Schrier was one of the most advanced high school bats in his class, ranking as the second-best prep shortstop in California. He played in parts of three collegiate seasons at UCLA and showed flashes, but missed most of 2023 due to injury and his production cratered in 2024. The Marlins challenged him quickly in his pro career, sending Schrier to Beloit last year despite spending just 47 games at Low-A in which he slashed .237/.295/.335. Underlying stats overall this year for Schrier are solid; he’s right around league average in terms of walks and just above league average in limiting strikeouts. The swing isn’t bad at all, either. With a good pedigree and solid tools, it could be that Schrier just needed proper time to develop while under less stress. Schrier could turn into a steal as a 13th-round pick who has defensive versatility at multiple positions, though we will need to see a bit more of a sample size to make that determination. Nate Payne had been on a good trajectory in each of his previous two outings, limiting damage and showing swing-and-miss stuff. The only thing not there for Payne was the innings as he lasted just a combined 8 ⅔ frames. Payne solved for that by being more economical with his pitches and limiting walks as he completed six innings for the first time since June 26. He allowed one run and struck out eight. Payne’s overall numbers are above average on the year. He has a 3.58 ERA in 100.2 IP. His recent limitation had been in working too deep into counts and elevating his pitch count early in games. Having to come further into the zone in longer at-bats had also allowed opposing hitters to get the better of him. His BAA in July was .265. In these last three starts, though, Payne has been able to work ahead earlier in at-bats and mix more to his liking, leading to a much more efficient .224 BAA in his last 14.2 IP. Payne doesn’t have blow-it-by-you velocity; when he's at his best, he’s a strike-thrower who is able to limit contact early in counts, induce ground balls and utilize two very good breakers to get whiffs. The command is still the biggest question mark for Payne, but when it is on, he has the potential of a mid-rotation starter. At the very least, he could be a viable multiple-inning reliever at the next level. Low-A Jupiter It was a 2-3 week for the Hammerheads against the Bradenton Marauders. Eric Guevera recently made his pro debut and in eight games, he has slashed .292/.414/.542/.955 with two home runs, six RBI and a 151 wRC+. The Marlins selected Guevera in the seventh round of the 2026 MLB Draft. Struggles for PJ Morlando continue. In 82 games, he is slashing .199/.325/.318/.643 with eight home runs, 33 RBI and a 79 wRC+. After a month of July where he had a .779 OPS, the best mark for him in the minors, August has seen his numbers dip back down to the season norm, a .660 OPS. It's tough to deny at this point that the Marlins regret making him a first-round pick. After struggling in July, Luis Arana is back to looking like himself. In 15 games this month, he is slashing .283/.377/.415/.792 with one home run and three RBI. On the season, he also has 37 stolen bases with a 109 wRC+ between the FCL and Low-A levels. Jacob Lombard is slashing .241/.382/.407/.790 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 116 wRC+. The only concern is the 36.8% strikeout rate, but is walking 14.7% of the time. Lombard continues to look comfortable at the plate and defensively, he looks like a serious candidate to stick at shortstop. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville Double-A Pensacola at Montgomery High-A Beloit at Quad Cities Low-A Jupiter vs. Tampa View full article

MIAMI, FL — Through the first 22 games of the season, Heriberto Hernandez was slashing .159/.284/.190/.474 with zero home runs and nine RBI. He was sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville on April 27 before being recalled on May 7. Since then, the switch has flipped. On Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox, Hernandez hit his 20th home run of the season, doubling his total from last year. The Marlins fell to the Red Sox in extra innings by a final score of 7-3. Since being recalled from Triple-A, Hernandez entered Tuesday's game slashing .249/.320/.517/.837 with 19 home runs and 44 RBI. In August, he is now slashing .219/.329/.411/.740 with four home runs and 11 RBI. "The first couple of weeks to start this season, I think circumstances were different," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "It's his first time making an Opening Day roster, somewhat wanting to pick up where he left off and just didn't seem as convicted in his at-bats, didn't seem as aggressive like we've seen him, and since he's come back has been a much different story." In the bottom of the sixth inning, he took Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle deep, tying the game at two apiece. Hernandez became the tenth Marlin since 2018 to have a 20-homer season, most recently done by Kyle Stowers last year. Hernandez becomes just the third outfielder in that group over that span. With 10 home runs in 128 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season, OF Heriberto Hernández owns the third-highest HR/PA rate (.078) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties, trailing only Baltimore's Coby Mayo (.108 HR/PA) and Cleveland's Joe Adell (.080 HR/PA). "I think that he certainly has a real presence in the box," McCullough said. "He gets off really good swings. He can hit fastballs, mistakes and spin in the zone. Hits verse right and left, so his ability to supply some power for us is really important." After not making his previous scheduled start in favor of a bullpen game, Tyler Phillips took the mound on Tuesday against the Red Sox. Despite surrendering a solo homer to Mickey Gasper, Phillips struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings of work. Victor Vodnik entered the game in the fifth inning to close things out. Gasper would notch his first career multi-homer game in the top of the sixth inning, hitting his fifth home run of the season off Marlins reliever Tyler Zuber. That gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. When the Marlins added Brian Navarreto to the active roster, he wasn't supposed to play a lot. When Navarreto does play, he is a spark plug in terms of the energy he provides and just another solid defensive catcher behind the plate. On Tuesday, he battled with Tolle in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Navarreto hit a sac fly to center field, allowing all runners to advance, tying the game, 1-1. In the seventh inning, he had a sac bunt, moving Jakob Marsee from first to second. Navarreto had his sixth caught stealing of the season, throwing out Eli White in the top of the ninth inning. "He's just a gamer," McCullough said regarding his backstop. "He had some opportunities, nice situations to do some things and he came through. The at-bats now certainly in his last three starts or so have really improved. In an at-bat where you see a lot of pitches, it's still a productive at-bat for the group." In extra innings, both teams scored a run in the 10th inning. With the bases loaded in the top of the 11th inning, Jarren Duran hit a grand slam off lefty Cade Gibson, giving the Red Sox a 7-3 lead that they wouldn't lose. With the loss, the Marlins drop to 67-66 on the season. Ryan Gusto will go opposite of Sonny Gray as the Fish look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday. View full article