Isaac Azout

MIAMI — The Marlins are in the midst of their best stretch of the regular season. Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Fightin' Fish were victorious again in Thursday's getaway day contest at loanDepot park, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0. It was Miami's second consecutive shutout and sixth overall this season. The win improved the club's record to 34-35, just one game under .500. A major reason for the Marlins' recent success has been their middle-infield duo, which has arguably been the best tandem in Major League Baseball. Second baseman Xavier Edwards and shortstop Otto Lopez have combined for 5.2 fWAR this season, comfortably the highest total among any middle-infield pairing in the majors. During Miami's three-game sweep of Arizona, Edwards and Lopez went a combined 10-for-22 with seven runs scored, six RBIs and just one strikeout. When asked whether they should be the National League's starting middle infield at this year's All-Star Game, manager Clayton McCullough didn't hesitate. "I certainly think so," he said. "It's hard to find a duo that has played this well on both sides of the ball and on the bases. I don't think there's a better double-play combination in baseball right now." Following another multi-hit performance on Thursday, Lopez has recorded at least two hits in five straight games, the longest such streak by a Marlins shortstop since José Reyes in 2012. It was also his 29th multi-hit game of the season. "Everything just feels smooth throughout my body," Lopez said. "I'm staying aggressive, and good things are happening." Lopez currently leads the National League in batting average and is on pace for 218 hits and 30 stolen bases. No shortstop in MLB history has ever reached both marks in the same season. Thursday's starter for Miami was another emerging All-Star candidate in right-hander Tyler Phillips, who admitted after the game that he wasn't feeling his best heading into the outing. "To be honest, I felt terrible today," he said with a smile. "I don't know if what I ate for breakfast never settled in my stomach or if I didn't get enough sleep, but I was able to figure it out." Phillips made just his third start of the season for Miami after previously appearing in 16 games out of the bullpen. In Thursday's matinee, he spun five scoreless innings with a season-high five strikeouts to earn his first win of the year, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.86. "He set the tone, and his ability to miss bats has really increased for us this year. It's a lot of fun to watch," McCullough said. "When he's getting ahead in the count, there's not much the hitters can do." McCullough allowed Phillips to face the first batter of the sixth inning before turning things over to the bullpen. Michael Petersen, Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher and Pete Fairbanks combined for four scoreless innings to complete the shutout. The Marlins' pitching staff racked up 13 strikeouts in the victory. Fairbanks earned his eighth save of the season. Despite being struck by a barrage of pitching injuries in late May, the Marlins are thriving in the run prevention department. So far in June, they've surrendered just 2.6 runs per game. Following the series sweep, Miami will travel to Pennsylvania for a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading to Philadelphia for a date with the Phillies. Right-hander Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to be Friday night's starter at PNC Park. View full article

On Fish Unfiltered, Marlins All-Star candidate Otto Lopez gets emotional reflecting on how far he's come since being designated for assignment twice in early 2024. View full video

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. As he does multiple times each year, Miami Marlins insider Craig Mish joins Fish Unfiltered to analyze the current state of the organization. Mish, AJ Ramos and Isaac Azout discuss the Marlins' chances of staying in National League postseason contention and potential approach to the MLB trade deadline, Joe Mack's superb defense, Max Meyer's breakout year, the clock ticking on Christopher Morel, the recent additions of two families to Bruce Sherman's ownership group, and how social media has empowered fans to constantly complain about managerial moves. 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. During Mish's first season with Marlins.TV, he has been utilized as both a studio host and in-game reporter. A Marlins.TV subscription costs $19.99 per month or $74.99 total for the remainder of the 2026 season. View full article

On Fish Unfiltered, Marlins insider Craig Mish pokes fun at MLB fans who believe their team's manager is to blame for every move that doesn't work out. View full video

MIAMI – In what was expected to be a tightly contested pitcher’s duel on Thursday night, the Miami Marlins fell behind immediately and never recovered, dropping their third consecutive game to the Atlanta Braves. With the loss, Miami fell to a season-worst seven games under .500 and now sits alone in last place in the NL East. When asked if the team needs to start doing things differently, manager Clayton McCullough said, “No, we’re going to keep going, continue with what we’re doing and get ourselves ready for a new series. Things will turn. When? I don’t know, but we’ll hang in there and be okay.” The season is still relatively young, but it has reached the point where front offices begin evaluating their clubs to determine what changes need to be made and which direction they should take in the coming months. In Miami’s case, the current stretch is making those decisions increasingly difficult for the front office. The theme of May has been falling behind early and often. In 19 games this month, Marlins starters entered Thursday with a first-inning ERA above 11 — by far the worst mark in Major League Baseball. The next closest team owns a 6.15 ERA in the opening frame. On Thursday, that troubling trend continued, even with Sandy Alcantara on the mound. After Ronald Acuña Jr. reached on an infield single, Michael Harris II launched his 10th home run of the season to dead center field — the first of his two home runs on the night. The homer came on a 1-2 changeup. “Some teams are different,” Alcantara said. “They’re at the top of the division, winning a lot of games because they’re very aggressive and trying to score runs right away.” When asked about the frustration within the pitching staff during this rough stretch, Alcantara admitted it hasn’t been easy. “It’s hard because when I’m out there, I want us to win games consistently, but we’ve gotta stay together. We know what we’re capable of, and sometimes we can compete against anyone, but we’re just not getting the results right now.” Alcantara surrendered another solo home run in the second inning, this time to Mike Yastrzemski, before settling in during the middle innings and keeping Atlanta off the board until the sixth. That’s when Acuña Jr. delivered a two-run single that effectively sealed the game for Atlanta. Alcantara’s final line: 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO. He threw 94 pitches, 68 for strikes. “I’m not happy about it,” the Dominican right-hander said of his performance. “I think I could have done better. I left some pitches over the middle early, and they took advantage.” The Marlins were able to keep the game relatively close thanks to a trio of solo home runs — two from Kyle Stowers and one from Owen Caissie. “We’ve gotta keep believing. We know we’ve gotta get through this as a team and keep fighting every day as we continue to move forward,” Miami’s ace said postgame. Following the series loss, Miami will welcome the New York Mets to loanDepot park for a weekend series. Right-hander Eury Pérez will look to get his season on track against Tobias Myers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. View full article

MIAMI — Prior to Thursday night’s game against Atlanta, the Miami Marlins announced that No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his rookie campaign after just one start. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister on Friday—he has handled several prominent Marlins elbow surgeries, including those for Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Ronny Henriquez, and most recently, Adam Mazur. Snelling made his major league debut on May 8, allowing three runs on five hits against the Washington Nationals. He struck out two and walked four over five innings. Following a bullpen session a few days later, Snelling complained of elbow discomfort, prompting Miami to shut him down and place him on the 15-day injured list. Snelling was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, along with the aforementioned Mazur, Graham Pauley, and Jay Beshears, in exchange for pitchers Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing. After an uneven 2024 season, the left-hander broke out in 2025, earning a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville. Between the two levels, Snelling posted a 2.51 ERA with 166 strikeouts across 136 innings. Before getting called up to the big leagues, Snelling was dominating Triple-A once again this season, posting a minuscule 1.86 ERA. The rehab process from Tommy John takes a minimum of 12 months for pitchers to complete, though starters like Snelling need additional time on the back end to build up their pitch count. Using one of his teammates as a reference point, Eury Pérez returned to a major league mound last June, which was 14 months after his procedure. The Marlins transferred Snelling to the 60-day injured list to make room for new trade acquisition Rece Hinds. When Snelling went out, Braxton Garrett took over his Marlins rotation spot, but Garrett has since been optioned back to Jacksonville after consecutive poor outings combined (4.1 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 8 BB and 5 K). There's been no confirmation yet regarding who will start for Miami on Sunday when that spot is due up next. 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. After more than eight years together as members of the Miami Marlins organization, former team president David Samson and All-Star reliever AJ Ramos reconnect on Fish Unfiltered! Along with Isaac Azout, they discuss the outlook of this year's team (on and off the field), the highs and lows of Samson's tenure in the front office from 2002-2017, why it's uniquely challenging to build a fanbase in Florida and much more. 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. Samson helped orchestrate the sale of the Marlins franchise to Bruce Sherman's ownership group in 2017. Then in 2019, he debuted his own podcast, Nothing Personal with David Samson, which focuses primarily on sports business. View full article

SAN FRANCISCO — On a cold, overcast afternoon at Oracle Park, Miami’s offense failed to provide Eury Pérez with much run support as the Marlins fell to the San Francisco Giants, 6-2. With the loss, Miami drops back under .500 at 13–14. “I liked the way we made [Robbie] Ray work, got him to 70 pitches halfway through the third. We just couldn’t cash in, but overall I think our guys did a good job making him work,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “The guys who came out of the pen for them did a good job. They threw the ball well and were able to shut us down.” Making his sixth start of the season, right-hander Eury Pérez looked to build on what had been his best outing of the year at home against Milwaukee last Sunday. The 23-year-old tossed six innings of three-hit ball in that start, allowing no earned runs while striking out seven to earn his second win. McCullough’s message for Saturday was simple: get ahead early—something Pérez did effectively. Pérez was dominant through his first five innings, allowing just one walk while striking out six. Miami held a 1–0 lead at the time. He leaned heavily on his elite fastball, throwing it 61% of the time—in line with his season average. He generated nine whiffs overall, seven of which came on the fastball, which averaged 98 mph. “It was part of the plan to focus on the fastball, and I think it was working very well for me,” Pérez said through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “In that inning, I think they started to expect it, and they capitalized.” In the bottom of the sixth, Pérez allowed a double to Matt Chapman, and one batter later, Casey Schmitt launched a two-run homer to give San Francisco a 3–1 lead. “It was a fastball, and all the hard contact they got on me was on the fastball, unfortunately,” Pérez added. He then walked Jung Hoo Lee, marking the end of his afternoon. Pérez’s final line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO (Anthony Bender allowed one inherited runner to score). Overall, the young right-hander’s last two outings have been encouraging as his command has sharpened and he has largely avoided the kind of big innings that hurt him earlier in the year. “I thought he was fantastic,” McCullough said. “The strike-throwing was much better—other than a couple of leadoff walks, he filled it up with a good heater and was able to get hitters into tough counts. He kept us right there, but Schmitt just put a good swing on a fastball up and in.” As of Saturday night, Pérez is 2–2 with a 4.60 ERA, while his xFIP sits at 4.37. His next start is scheduled for Friday, May 1, against Philadelphia in Miami. Offense shut down Thirteen hours after putting up nine runs on 16 hits, Miami, as expected, rolled out an entirely different lineup vs. the left-hander Ray. Impact bats such as Liam Hicks and Owen Caissie were sat in favor of Heriberto Hernández (.479 OPS) and Leo Jiménez (13 AB since March 30, .643 OPS). The Giants also used southpaws Matt Gage and Erik Miller for an inning apiece in relief of Ray. The Marlins have made it clear they intend to stand by their philosophy of putting players in the best position to succeed, which means utilizing the platoon advantage against a veteran left-hander like Ray. Unfortunately, thus far this year, the non-everyday players inserted into the lineup against left-handed starters have performed poorly, which has cost the team. Austin Slater—DFA’d on Thursday—produced a .367 OPS vs. LHP. Hernández has a .467 OPS. Jiménez a .282 OPS. Meanwhile, left-handed bats the Marlins view as long-term pieces, such as Caissie and Marsee, have produced OPS marks of .718 and .694. The team has only played 27 games, so the sample size is still minuscule. However, following a game in which the offense had arguably its best performance of the season, it may be worth trotting out a similar lineup the following day, despite the opposing pitcher throwing from the left side. From both a development and competitive standpoint, it hasn’t made much sense to continue allowing Hernández to start against left-handed pitching—or any pitching, for that matter. “I continue to believe that Bert can get this thing going and come around,” McCullough said of his corner outfielder. “He’s a good option versus left, and we’ll continue to give him opportunities to do so and that’s how I see it at this point.” Hernández has one extra-base hit on the season in 21 games (.197 SLG). With the win, the Giants improved to 12-15 on the season and have forced a rubber match on Sunday afternoon. Max Meyer will get the ball against right-hander Landen Roupp. View full article