Kevin Barral

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

The last trade between the Marlins and Phillies is trending toward being a win for Dave Dombrowski. In December, the Phillies acquired Jesús Luzardo for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. Although Luzardo has been hit hard on a few occasions to inflate his ERA to 4.48, he's been able to make every scheduled start so far in 2025 and record four double-digit strikeout games. Meanwhile, there is very little evidence that Caba or Boyd will be able to hit enough to develop into everyday big leaguers. Through 73 combined games this season, they have a .211 batting average and only two home runs despite repeating levels they already played at in 2024. The Marlins are open to doing business with their National League East counterparts. Could we see another trade between them this month? The Phils have a clear need for bullpen upgrades as they cling to first place, and they have a young starter to offer in exchange who may have a better chance of reaching his potential with the Fish. Right-hander Mick Abel is in an interesting situation. Taken with the 15th pick of the 2020 draft by the Phillies, Abel made his MLB debut back in May. He had mixed results in six starts, posting a 5.04 ERA, 6.25 FIP, 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 25 innings pitched. After his worst outing this past Wednesday, Abel was demoted back to Triple-A. 86900347-161ff4f1-3c131b87-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Abel has a five-pitch mix: fastball, curveball, slider, sinker, and changeup. The fastball velocity is upper-echelon for a starter sitting 96.2 mph and it has very strong shape, though it has not performed well (.729 xSLG, and 51.7 HH%). Abel works in the top part of the strike zone with the pitch, which has led to a high whiff rate, but it gets hit hard when contact is made. He is able to get down the mound with above-average extension, combining this with a solid 16 inches of induced vertical break and a low vertical approach angle. Abel is in the 92nd percentile of high strike zone location for his four-seam. Becoming less reliant on the fastball will help him bring down the damage and reduce the fly ball rate against it. Abel’s breaking balls, the curveball and slider, have performed the best in the majors. The curveball gets great depth and is thrown in the zone at a high rate. This pitch has also been hit hard, however, it's getting a great 38.6% whiff rate (79th percentile among all curveballs). The slider has held opponents to only a .176 BA, and .187 wOBA. It has sharp break, less sweep and depth compared to the curveball, and also lives in the zone (95th percentile zone location among all sliders). RDFBZ3ZfWGw0TUFRPT1fRHdoWEIxMVJYbFFBRGdNRFV3QUhBbFJlQUFBQlVGUUFBMVFIVkFkVUNGRldCd0pm.mp4 Lastly, Abel's sinker and changeup are platoon pitches. He uses the sinker strictly to righties and he's able to get much-needed ground balls with it. The pitch generates good armside movement and spin. Utilized only 4% of the time, the changeup is thrown to lefties and he currently lacks command of it. Overall, the 23-year-old former top prospect has great stuff. The FanGraphs Stuff+ model has him at 109, with 100 representing the MLB average. Mick Abel would undergo massive changes if he were to be hypothetically traded to the Marlins. He would benefit from utilizing more of his arsenal. That would include simply throwing his best pitches (slider and curveball) more often, and likely increasing his sinker usage at the expense of his four-seam fastball to generate more grounders. Becoming less four-seam centric has been a pillar of the Marlins's new pitching philosophy and Abel could benefit greatly from the approach. He has the stuff and specifically the secondary pitches to fit in perfectly with Miami. There are some similarities between Abel and Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Quinn Priester. Once regarded as a top prospect in the Pirates organization, Priester was traded to the Boston Red Sox, then moved again to the Brewers earlier this season, where his performance has significantly improved. In 2025, he's posting a 3.59 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 7.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 16 games (12 starts). He took the mound for Milwaukee on Friday night against the Marlins and took a no-decision. Another interesting comp: Ryan Weathers. His former team, the San Diego Padres, was also in a position to win immediately and Weathers struggled in that environment. The Marlins were more patient with him after acquiring the left-hander at the 2023 trade deadline. The following season, his career took off. In 16 starts in 2024, Weathers posted a 3.63 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 8.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. If not for injuries, he was poised for a true breakout this season. Still only 25 years old, he's considered a key piece of Miami's long-term rotation plans. Trade proposal: Marlins acquire Mick Abel in exchange for Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher The Phillies currently rank 24th in bullpen ERA and they already know veteran lefty José Alvarado will be ineligible for the postseason due to a PED suspension. They could use the services of multiple high-leverage arms. Through 38 appearances, Anthony Bender has posted a 2.13 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 6.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. As for Calvin Faucher, he's posted a 4.18 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 8.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 through 36 appearances. Bender, who is under club control through 2027, has a dominant sweeper. That pitch has a plus-eight run value this season and hitters have a .079 batting average against it. Bender is allowing more contact than usual, but he has a 51.9% ground ball rate, which is right in line with his career average of 51.4%. OTc5WGdfWGw0TUFRPT1fQmdBQUJnWlFVRllBRFZRS0JBQUhVZ1pRQUZnRkJWVUFBUVFIQ1FZRkFBVlFBVlJV.mp4 It has been an inconsistent season for Faucher—4.32 ERA in April and 6.52 ERA in May, then a 3.18 ERA in June. His cutter and curveball have been his above-average pitches this season. He's given up only two home runs over the last two years combined. The right-hander comes with even more control than Bender as he isn't even arbitration-eligible for the first time until 2026. Abel would likely report to Triple-A Jacksonville initially with the hopes of returning to the majors as a September call-up, or at the very least, contending for a permanent rotation spot next spring. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Right-hander Valente Bellozo is hoping to join Otto Lopez and some of his other Marlins teammates at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Prior to Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins, Bellozo informed the media that he is on Mexico's preliminary roster for the tournament. "I want to be there. I want to represent my country," said Bellozo in Spanish. "That will be another goal for me and it would be an honor to represent my country, which always holds a special place in my heart every time I take the mound." The decision regarding whether or not he made the team will be made closer to the start of the tournament, he added. Mexico made it to the semifinals of the 2023 WBC, losing by one run to the eventual champion, Japan. Their pitching staff could use reinforcements. Former ace Julio Urías has had his baseball career interrupted by a domestic violence incident, while fellow starters Patrick Sandoval and José Urquidy have missed extended time with elbow injuries. Bellozo made his first career Opening Day roster with the Marlins this season. Originally a member of their starting rotation, he was moved to the bullpen in the middle of May. Overall, he has posted a 3.71 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 6.80 K/9 and 2.89 BB/9 in 14 appearances (five starts). The Marlins are currently riding an eight-game win streak. Bellozo spoke to how this team has rallied after spending much of the first half in last place in the NL East. "The team is very united throughout this time," Bellozo said. "Obviously we are winning a lot right now and we are on a great streak. I think we have prepared very well for this moment, but it continues to be baseball. There will be highs and lows and right now we find ourselves in a very great situation that we need to take advantage of as much as we can and win as many games as we can, if it is keeping up this streak or just playing this same type of baseball. I think if we continue this, we are going to be in a very good position before the All-Star break." Mexico has been placed in Pool B, located in Arizona. They will face the United States, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil. Pool play will take place from March 6-11. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Prior to Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins, Marlins rookie catcher Agustín Ramírez told Fish On First that he has been contacted by the Dominican Republic's baseball federation (FEDOM) to potentially participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. "Yes, I would be interested," Ramírez said in Spanish. "There have already been a couple calls had with them. We are aware and we are in a positive spot right now with them." Ramírez added that "they are going to the dugout," essentially saying that he will be a lock for the DR roster if everything works out. The Marlins acquired Ramírez from the New York Yankees a couple days prior to the 2024 trade deadline in a deal that sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. the other way. Ramírez was called up to the major leagues on April 21. Since then, he's slashing .252/.302/.479/.780 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI and a 111 wRC+, ranking among the top NL rookies in those categories despite spending the first few weeks of the season in the minors. He's been splitting time between catcher and designated hitter. "I'm really happy. This is a dream I've had since I was a kid," said Ramírez regarding his time at the major league level thus far. "To have my name as a possibility for all these awards is extremely important to me, but as I've said, I want to stay up here for a very long time and have a very long career, learn something new every day and give everything I've got for the team and do everything that needs to be done." Highly regarded entering the 2023 WBC, the Dominican Republic was knocked out early. Their catching tandem in that tournament was Francisco Mejía and Gary Sánchez. Looking ahead to next year, the likely DR catchers are Yainer Díaz of the Houston Astros and Ramírez as long as the federation is willing to sacrifice some defense for great offense. The DR team has been placed in Pool D along with Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua. Those games are taking place at loanDepot park, so if selected, Ramírez would be playing in front of his home crowd throughout the tournament. View full article

MIAMI, FL—For the first time since 2008, the Miami Marlins have won eight straight games. A big reason for the series-opening win against the Minnesota Twins was Edward Cabrera. The Marlins defeated the Twins by a final score of 2-0, shutting out an opponent for the fifth time in 2025, with Cabrera working seven of those innings himself. "We've said it many times, Cabrera has premium stuff," said manager Clayton McCullough. "He's got a lot of weapons. The first couple innings was probably behind counts a little bit more than he wanted to, but made some pitches when he needed to and his stuff allowed him there to get behind and get outs and then once he got into the third inning on, I felt like he really locked in and was ahead of every hitter. Lot of first-pitch strikes, had the count in his favor. The changeup was terrific and his use of the breaking balls. This was a really frontline, outstanding effort by Cabby today." Cabrera recently found himself in a similar situation back in his start against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 19. He entered the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead, but was taken out after recording one out. The Marlins went on to lose that game. On Tuesday night, he got his opportunity to battle through the seventh and made the most of it. The Twins threatened with runners on first and second, but the 27-year-old right-hander struck out Brooks Lee swinging to escape the jam. "It means a lot," said Cabrera following the game. "Those emotions actually come out naturally mostly when you have big moments like that one, and that was very exciting." Cabrera went seven innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and one walk. He also struck out six. Cabrera generated 14 total whiffs, six each with his changeup and slider. His curveball was used to finish off half of his strikeouts. His fastball averaged 96.8 mph and topped out at 98.3 mph. For the seventh straight outing, Cabrera held his opponent to two earned runs or fewer. His ERA over that span is 1.46. Although Cabrera has made an impressive case to be a first-time All-Star, Kyle Stowers may as well begin to book his ticket to Atlanta. In the bottom of the second inning, Stowers took Twins starter Joe Ryan deep for his team-leading 14th home run of the season. Stowers extended his hit streak to eight games. He is now slashing .283/.359/.509/.868 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. "The belief in himself and also understanding that over the course of a long season, you're going to go through spells where you're just missing pitches or your timing is a little off, your swing might not be in the best place," said McCullough. "Just stick with it and I think we started to see Kyle get back to really driving some balls to the middle of the field and the other way like he was doing early in the year. He's able to stay through a splitter that he was able to catch out in front and pull for a home run." WEQyajNfQlZOTUJnVkFFbGRmRlJGYkFraENXRk1SX1ZRRUFVUUFGQXdVQVhsQUxVUUFIVXdNREFGZ0dWRkFBQVZjTUFnc0NWd1ZkQVFOWA==.mp4 As good as Cabrera was, Ryan was just as dominant, going seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, no walks and four strikeouts. He generated ten total whiffs, with six of them coming on his fastball. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Twins intentionally walked Otto Lopez to have reliever Louis Varland face Nick Fortes, who by the numbers was the better matchup. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Fortes laced an opposite-field base hit to right field, driving in Jesús Sánchez, who hit his third triple of the season in his at-bat. That gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead. The Marlins are now one win away from tying a franchise record for consecutive victories. They stand at 38-45 and just moved into third place in the National League East standings. The Marlins will aim to take their fourth consecutive series on Wednesday night. Janson Junk takes the mound at 6:40 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Many Marlins players are expected to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, Otto Lopez became the first to confirm his participation. It will be Lopez's second time playing for Canada, having previously done so in 2023. "It means a lot," Lopez said in Spanish, expressed his gratitude to both the Canadian baseball team and the Miami Marlins. "This is a team that since the beginning have treated me extremely well and have given me an opportunity to play in Major League Baseball, and that means a lot to me. I feel super honored to represent the Marlins, but Canada as well." Lopez, 26, was born in the Dominican Republic, but moved to Montreal at age 12 when his father relocated there for work. He spent four years of his childhood north of the border, then returned to the DR to pursue a professional baseball career. In the last WBC, Canada was eliminated during pool play. USA and Mexico advanced from Pool C instead. In four games, Lopez slashed .294/.333/.588/.921 with one home run and six RBI. "I felt great, the vibes were great and I am extremely excited to return once again," said Lopez. "This is a team that has given me an opportunity and I feel very proud to be representing them." Back in 2023, Lopez had only nine games of major league experience as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays traded him to the San Francisco Giants in February 2024, then the Marlins claimed him off waivers in April of that year. This season with Miami, Lopez is slashing .260/.331/.392/.723 with eight home runs, 40 RBI and a 99 OPS+. He is currently riding a ten-game hit streak and has driven a run in seven straight games. In addition to enjoying a career year offensively, he has taken over as the club's starting shortstop, where he has provided above-average defense at a premium position (2 OAA and 2 DRS in 36 games). Canada is part of Pool A, which will be hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The other countries in their pool are Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and Colombia. The games will take place from March 6-11. "These are other teams that really like to compete," said Lopez. "That is going to motivate us a lot. We are going to go in there and give it our all and I am sure the other teams will have the same mentality. Especially playing in a different country, it'll be something new for me as well." There are two other Canadian players on the Marlins roster: catcher Liam Hicks and starting pitcher Cal Quantrill. Quantrill was teammates with Lopez during the 2023 tournament. View full article

The Miami Marlins offense had its best game of the season on Thursday. Friday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks came close to matching it. The Marlins picked up their fifth win in a row by a final score of 9-8, and NL All-Star candidate Kyle Stowers was right in the middle of it. Stowers was coming off a great series in San Francisco, going 4-for-14 with one home run and three RBI. He extended his hit streak to five games, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI against Merrill Kelly and the D-backs. He is now slashing .277/.352/.496/.848 with 13 home runs and 40 RBI. In the top of the fourth inning, the Marlins hit back-to-back-to-back doubles, all with two outs. The first one was from Otto Lopez, providing the first hit of the ballgame for either team. Agustín Ramírez drove Lopez in on a 116.9 mph RBI double, tying the game at one apiece. That marked the hardest-hit ball of Ramírez's young MLB career. Stowers then had a 108.5 mph double, taking the lead, 2-1. "Just sticking with it," Stowers told the Marlins Radio Network postgame. "Trusting the process. We play 162 games and so there's just many ups and downs throughout the season. It's just trusting that things are going to turn and I just think that's what's happening." Marlins manager Clayton McCullough spoke about Stowers postgame: "The ability to impact and slug. For him to drive a changeup to center field for that RBI and then take a fastball to the pull side for a homer, getting back and seeing this road trip has been great for him. Seeing him stay through, hit some balls for power and he's sitting there in a good spot where those guys get on base for him. The ability to hit a gap or hit a home run and drive in runs is something he's been doing a lot this year." There was more two-out success in the fifth inning. Kelly made a throwing error on Lopez's bases-loaded infield single, allowing two total runs to score and giving the Marlins a commanding 4-1 lead. In Eury Pérez's fourth start of the season, he went 4 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing three runs on two hits, three walks and strikeouts. Pérez went four-seam fastball/curveball heavy. His fastball averaged 98.2 mph and topped out at 100.3 mph. He generated a total of 11 whiffs, with all three of his strikeouts being swinging strikeouts. Although it was his third-most-used pitch, his slider generated four whiffs, including one that put away Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the bottom of the fourth inning. Similar to what we have seen in recent weeks with Sandy Alcantara, the Diamondbacks lineup made Pérez work, making him average 5.17 pitches per plate appearance (league average is 3.87 Pitches/PA). Posting a 56% first-pitch strike rate is a big reason for the high amount of pitches along with the 27 pitches that were fouled off. "I think I am doing a good job with the pitches," said Pérez following the game through an interpreter. "They have a good eye and making a lot of swings and just being very aggressive, but yes, they are swinging at a lot of pitches and making contact with the ball that isn't positive, but not negative either because I am throwing a lot of pitches. I just need to try to finish hitters, which I think is the mission for my next start." In the bottom of the third inning, Pérez walked Diamondbacks number seven hitter Jake McCarthy, who stole second and later on a wild pitch, moved up to third base. Eight hitter Alek Thomas drove him in on a sac fly, taking an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, McCarthy took Pérez deep for his first home run of the season, making it a 4-2 game. After Thomas flew out and Pérez walked José Herrera, Clayton McCullough took him out and went with Ronny Henriquez, who surrendered a game-tying two-run shot to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. One of the runs was charged towards Pérez. "I'm satisfied that we won," said Pérez. "The team was able to win, I am able to stay healthy and I feel good. I was a bit annoyed because I wasn't able to complete the fifth inning, couldn't finish that appearance there doing a good job." Heriberto Hernandez hit his second home run of the season, once again with two outs. The Marlins finished the night with five two-out RBI. Javier Sanoja, Stowers, Hernandez and Lopez were the ones who knocked in those runs. Otto Lopez added two insurance runs with a homer in the top of the ninth, his seventh of the season, making it 9-5. Lopez is now riding an eight-game hit streak and is slashing .261/.332/.386/.718 through 65 games this season. "I'm trying to look for a good pitch," said Lopez postgame. "I know that before that I struck out with a ball, but I can make an adjustment and just stay focused on one pitch, one that I can hit." The broadcast noted that Lopez made an adjustment with the lower part of his body. He spoke about it following the game: "I feel the ground more, sit where I want to be and I feel good when I load and everything." With a comfortable four-run lead, the Marlins called upon Tyler Phillips to finish the game, but things went downhill pretty quickly, allowing a base hit, fielder's choice and another base hit, loading the bases for Geraldo Perdomo. He worked a walk, making it 9-6. After Phillips struck out Ketel Marte, Florida native Pavin Smith smacked a single, driving in two more runs. The game came to a close when Tim Tawa grounded into a double play. With the win, the Marlins are now 35-45 on the season. Ever since being swept by the Colorado Rockies—baseball's worst team—the Marlins are 12-8. The Marlins look to take the series with Sandy Alcantara taking the mound for the Fish and Brandon Pfaadt for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is at 4:10 pm. View full article

Players signed as international amateurs can develop quickly. Despite receiving much smaller bonuses than many of their teammates earlier this year, right-handed pitcher Pedro Montero and infielder Luis Arana have been two of the most impressive players from the 2025 Miami Marlins free agent class, per Fish On First sources based in the Dominican Republic. There is a "consensus" that Montero, who turns 18 next month and signed for $35,000, is the "most complete pitcher right now" from that IFA class, according to a source within the Marlins organization. Through three starts in the Dominican Summer League, he has a 1.80 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 13.50 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9 in 10 innings pitched. The Dominican right-hander is "smooth, subtle and explosive" and "generates easy velo," said a Marlins scout. "He creates elite arm speed and checks a lot of the delivery/mechanics boxes we look for." Montero is listed at 6'1", 144 pounds. His fastball currently tops out at 97 mph, Baseball America reports. Like Montero, Arana is playing for DSL Miami. He signed for $30,000 out of Venezuela. "Every player development staff member and players says he’s our best position player," a front office member told Fish On First. The Marlins decided to sign Arana after a week of tryouts. "He displayed hand-eye coordination, barrel accuracy and the ability to recognize pitches. There was rarely any swing-and-misses/chases during the week we saw him, and when combined with his offensive skillset, should provide adequate offensive value. The raw athleticism here is intriguing enough to warrant a commitment as he has the requisite traits to provide future impact with appropriate development." In 18 games, Arana is slashing .328/.474/.492/.966 with two home runs, 12 RBI and a 142 wRC+. Most notably, he has struck out only once. His 1.3 K% is second-lowest among all qualified hitters in the DSL. Although officially listed as a switch-hitter, Arana has been hitting exclusively from the right side this season. He turned 17 in March. ul7qhv_1.mp4 A plus runner, Arana has stolen 11 bases on 12 attempts. Defensively, he's been splitting time between shortstop and third base. Both players are expected to spend the entire 2025 season at the Marlins Dominican Academy. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #76 Weeks away from conducting his second MLB Draft with the Miami Marlins, director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere joins Unfiltered with Kevin Barral, Hector Rodriguez and Ely Sussman. They revisit Miami's 2024 draft class, preview this year's crop of talent and discuss how the Marlins approach scouting, player data, the selection process and more. 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 the seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft. Here is Fish On First's latest mock draft exercise, covering seven rounds of hypothetical selections. The draft is a two-day event this year, beginning on July 13. Follow Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠), Hector (@Hector_Baseball), 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