Daniel Rodriguez

MIAMI, FL — Just like the night before, the Marlins found themselves in an early hole after falling behind 3-0 to Baltimore in the first inning following a three-run home run by Pete Alonso. Eury Pérez, making his eighth start of the young season, did not have his best outing. The right-hander allowed five earned runs across five innings while giving up four hits, walking five, and striking out six. His ERA rose to 5.01 on the season. Control was the biggest issue for Pérez throughout the night, as he struggled to consistently locate his pitches, issuing five walks and also hitting a batter. While it’s unlikely Miami considers sending him down, it may be time to temper expectations early in his career. “A bad one. A lot of learning situations that I had in the game,” Pérez said postgame through an interpreter. “The slider, I was throwing it with more velocity after the first few innings, and I was able to get through the fifth.” Manager Clayton McCullough still pointed to positives from Pérez’s outing. “I think the sliders were probably the best they’ve been all season,” McCullough said. “Some of the velocity he was throwing those at got into the 90s.” Baltimore jumped on Miami immediately in the top of the first. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch to Adley Rutschman, Alonso launched a three-run homer to give the Orioles an early advantage. Baltimore continued to apply pressure throughout the night on its way to a 7-4 victory, with Rutschman contributing two doubles. Similar to Tuesday night, Miami answered quickly despite the early deficit. Jakob Marsee delivered an RBI double as he continues to heat up following a slow start to the season. However, outside of Marsee’s double and singles from Owen Caissie and Xavier Edwards, the Marlins struggled to build sustained offense and never fully threatened after tying the game early. Prior to the game, Miami recalled left-hander Dax Fulton while optioning William Kempner following his own MLB debut. Unlike Kempner, Fulton has been with the organization since being selected in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He has long been viewed as one of the club’s more intriguing pitching prospects until having major elbow surgeries. Fulton provided valuable innings out of the bullpen, tossing four innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Although the appearance likely means he’ll return to Triple-A afterward, he helped preserve a taxed Marlins bullpen moving forward. “Just keep pushing,” Fulton said postgame when reflecting on his journey to the majors. “Whatever comes at you, whatever gets thrown at you, just keep going. You’ll get there as long as you have perseverance. I’m just glad to be here.” Fulton also discussed adjusting to a relief role after spending most of his career as a starter. “It’s the same mindset—go up there and get guys out,” Fulton said. “Whether it’s five or six innings as a starter or two or three innings out of the bullpen, whatever they need from me, I’m going to do everything I can to help the team.” The Marlins will look to snap their four-game losing streak Thursday night when Max Meyer takes the mound in the series finale. View full article

MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins designated starting pitcher Chris Paddack for assignment on Tuesday following a short and difficult tenure with the club. In seven appearances (six starts), Paddack had an 0–5 record and an ERA above seven. In a corresponding move, Miami recalled right-handed pitcher William Kempner, who is now in line to make his MLB debut during this series against the Baltimore Orioles. Kempner was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in January 2025 in exchange for international bonus pool money. This season with Triple-A Jacksonville, he has posted a 6.46 ERA and a 4.15 FIP, along with an eye-popping 19.96 K/9. His 47.9 percent strikeout rate ranks second in the International League. However, control issues have prevented him from reaching his full potential, as Kempner acknowledged when speaking with reporters. “I get a little erratic sometimes, but I’m working on it. If I can get the strikeouts with the walks, then we’re going to be okay,” Kempner said. In his most recent appearance on May 1, Kempner threw two innings of no-hit baseball with two strikeouts and touched 96.0 mph on his fastball. It was only the third time in 12 games this season that he didn't allow any baserunners. Kempner also shared that he was pranked by his coaches when they shared the news of his promotion to the big leagues. “I was on the phone with my pitching coach [Jerad Eickhoff]. I missed his call, and then I called him back, and he told me to come in and throw a bullpen tomorrow. Then he said he was just messing with me and that I was going to the big leagues. There’s no one I’d rather get that call from than him and our manager, (David Carpenter). Two amazing dudes.” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough spoke highly of Kempner’s arsenal. “I think it’s going to be a tough look for hitters. It’s a big fastball with movement both ways, and he has a very good breaking ball. We know he has the ability to miss bats. He’s shown that in Triple-A. Ultimately, his ability to fill up the strike zone consistently is going to determine how well he performs here.” McCullough confirmed that the Marlins will be calling up a starting pitcher on Friday (most likely Robby Snelling) to fill Paddack's rotation spot. Barring a sudden injury to somebody on the pitching staff, Kempner is the main candidate to go back down to AAA at that time. Between now and then, Kempner looks to fill a role in the bullpen, specifically against right-handed batters. I am optimistic about Kempner as his arsenal has lots of potential, with just walks hindering him. View full article

Liam Rooney of the Tallahassee Democrat joins the Small Pod to discuss a trio of Florida State Seminoles who were drafted by the Marlins: outfielder Max Williams, infielder Drew Faurot and left-hander Joey Volini. View full video

Ryan Harlan of BeaversEdge.com joins the Small Pod to discuss a pair of Oregon State Beavers who were drafted by the Marlins: top pick Aiva Arquette and 12th-round catcher Wilson Weber. View full video

Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media at loanDepot park after hitting a walk-off grand slam against Athletics closer Mason Miller in Saturday's win. View full video

Despite a subpar performance from Max Meyer, the Marlins snapped their week-long losing streak thanks to a pair of Kyle Stowers homers. MIAMI—“You don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your preparation.” Kyle Stowers had that quote running through his mind entering the decisive at-bat of Saturday's epic 9-6 Marlins win. Trusting his process paid off again. Let's fast-forward to the ninth inning, with hope fading away. The Marlins trailed 6-4 with one of MLB's best closers on the mound in Mason Miller. It looked like the six-game losing streak would be extended and the debut of their "Retrowave" City Connect uniforms would be ruined. Matt Mervis led off the inning getting hit by a pitch, followed by Connor Norby and Dane Myers strikeouts. Javier Sanoja stepped up to the plate and earned himself a double, walks by Ronny Simon and Xavier Edwards extended the game long enough to bring Stowers to the plate. With the bases loaded and two outs, it was his chance to either win the game or extend the losing streak. Stowers came through again for the Fish, taking Miller deep off a scorching 101.7 mph fastball to walk it off. "I don't like to say the words 'we needed it,' but it was a good time for a win and cool to be in the middle of it and that's why we play the game, for moments like that," Stowers said. The 27-year-old outfielder continues to show his early-season dominance with his fifth and sixth home runs of the season, Stowers easily leads Miami with 25 RBI this season to go along with a .324/.392/.552 slash line. Now seeing everyday play in the outfield and tapping into his power, don‘t be surprised if Stowers makes an appearance at the Midsummer Classic. Max Meyer, who went into this game looking to rebound from his performance in Seattle, could not get into form against the Athletics. An early home run by Brent Rooker got the Athletics on the board, only to be followed by a home run by former Marlin JJ Bleday. Bleday has been on a tear against his former team and has made a statement this weekend after also homering on Friday. Manager Clayton McCullough mentioned the comebacker that struck Meyer on the pitching hand: "He came in and tested it. Strength was all good, That was the first concern but then he had strength tested out fine. He was okay, He didn't have any ill effects as he went along." Meyer lasted five innings, but gave up a staggering 10 hits, including three home runs. It was a far cry from the Max Meyer who we witnessed racking up 14 Ks just a few weeks ago. The slider, which has been his best pitch and grades out as the best slider in baseball this season, was not effective against the A's. Each of the homers were off his slider. "I don't like where my execution is on them," Meyer said postgame. "I don't like my mindset when I'm throwing them up right now, leaving [them over] too much on the plate." Thrown 18 times, Meyer's slider generated just a single whiff. The Marlins look to continue the momentum Sunday as Edward Cabrera (7.23 ERA) is on the mound. The Athletics will trot out lefty JP Sears (2.94 ERA), who is quietly having a solid season for the As. Three stars of the game: - Kyle Stowers (2-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, walk-off grand slam) - Javier Sanoja (2-4, 2 2B, R, RBI) - Ronny Simon (1-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB) View full article

Welcome to the big leagues, Agustín Ramírez. Who's coming up behind him in the Miami Marlins farm system? Daniel Rodriguez checks in on the early-season performances of Ramírez, Joe Mack and Ryan Ignoffo. View full video

Matt Mervis has half of the Miami Marlins' home runs this season all by himself! He's also striking out at the highest rate on the team. Daniel Rodriguez analyzes the progress Mervis has made and what concerns still remain. View full video