Isaac Azout

Back at loanDepot park as a member of the Colorado Rockies, ex-Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings talks to Fish On First about his hot start to the 2024 season and his best memories from the previous two years in Miami. View full video

The Marlins were three outs away from falling to 2-16 at home and 6-25 overall, but then a magical bottom of the ninth inning saved the Fish as they walked off for the first time in 2024. MIAMI -- The Colorado Rockies had a 99% chance to win on Tuesday night (according to Baseball Savant) as the game entered the bottom of the ninth. They led Miami 5-0 and Rockies starter Ryan Feltner threw eight shutout innings on just 77 pitches. He was well on his way to a "Maddux". In a miraculous turn of events, Miami scored five in the 9th and two in the 10th to defeat the Rockies and come away with their first walk-off win of the season in front of 6,706 at loanDepot park. The hero of the night was someone who wasn't even in the starting lineup: Dane Myers. In the bottom of the seventh inning, CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ejected by home plate umpire Jansen Visconti for arguing balls and strikes. It wasn't the first time that Visconti had ejected Chisholm. "I felt a lot of things weren't going our way, and I probably don't have a good history with this umpire. I just feel like it's every time with this guy," said Chisholm. Once Jazz was ejected, Dane Myers entered the game in center. "Me and Otto [López] were hitting in the cage and we saw Jazz go off and Otto was like 'hey, you gotta get out there,'" said Myers laughingly. Both teams were kept scoreless through eight after the Rockies' five-run first inning. Then came the bottom of the ninth, with Myers now in Jazz's spot in the lineup (third). Four consecutive batters -- Vidal Bruján, Christian Bethancourt, Luis Arraez, and Bryan De La Cruz -- reached base and loaded the bases for Myers in a now 5-1 game. Myers pounced on the first pitch for a two-run single to cut the deficit to two. A Josh Bell RBI single and Emmanuel Rivera sac-fly tied the game as Miami made it all the way back. "For anybody who says that we don't care, that [game] kind of proves them wrong," said manager Skip Schumaker postgame. The Rockies then scored a run in the top of the 10th against Tanner Scott and took a 6-5 lead, but Miami continued to persevere. Tim Anderson entered the game in the bottom of the frame as the placed runner at second base. After an Arraez flyout, Bryan De La Cruz drilled a clutch RBI double off Jalen Beeks to tie the game at six. Myers followed with his first career walk-off as he singled to right to snap Miami's seven-game losing streak. Per Sarah Langs, Tuesday's thriller was the first game in MLB history with a 5+ run top of the first, a 5+ run bottom of the ninth, and no runs in between. "Definitely a cool moment. I know my wife, son and mom were in the stands so it was pretty cool to have the first one in front of them," said Myers. He also added that Chisholm was the first one to thank him after the game. "He knows he messed up but he's the first one to admit that. He's a good clubhouse guy and good teammate, so yeah, it feels good to pick up a guy like Jazz." For a team that lost 24 times in March/April, a game like this could do wonders. "You hope it builds momentum. You hope you come in tomorrow feeling pretty good about it. Anytime you walk it off, you feel pretty good. It was a pretty incredible ending," added Schumaker. Sixto Sánchez Sixto Sánchez made his second start of the season and his first at loanDepot park since September 18, 2020. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go his way early on as it only took six pitches for the Rockies to strike first. Sánchez allowed a total of six hits in the frame, highlighted by a massive two-run home run by Elehuris Montero to make it 5-0 in the first. "I felt pretty good out there. I know that's a team that attacks the zone, but I think I was staying in the zone too much. I was speeding myself up there a bit but I need to be a bit more calm and patient," said the right-hander postgame. Following the rough first inning, Sánchez was able to settle in and complete four frames for the first time since his start in game two of the 2020 Wild Card Series. His final line: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR. He threw 68 pitches, 53 for strikes. The Marlins improved to 7-24 while the Rockies fell to 7-22. Right-hander Roddery Muñoz is set to make his second career start on Wednesday night against Dakota Hudson. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #57 Isaac Azout is joined by returning guest Kyle Sielaff. One month into a miserable start to the 2024 Miami Marlins season, the team's radio play-by-play announcer discusses what he's learned in his second year on the job, his "honest" broadcasting style and what's gone wrong on the field for the Fish. 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, Big Fish Small Pod, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is now being presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Listen to all of Sielaff's game broadcasts via MLB.TV, the MLB app or on local radio. Follow Kyle (@Kyle_Sielaff), Isaac (@IsaacAzout) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

Roddery Muñoz gave Miami way more than they expected, but a sixth-inning bullpen implosion costs Miami a chance at a doubleheader sweep. Less than three hours after their most dramatic win of the season, the Marlins had nine more innings of baseball to play on Saturday night. Right-hander Roddery Muñoz made the start in his Major League debut vs. Japanese phenom Shota Imanaga. Muñoz, 24, was just as effective as Imanaga in game two of Saturday's twin bill, but it wasn't enough as Miami's bullpen faltered late and handed the Cubs their 13th win of the season. Muñoz was acquired for cash in the off-season after he was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh. He struggled in his three appearances for Triple-A Jacksonville, evidenced by his 10.97 ERA in 10.2 IP. Despite the struggles, Miami gave him the opportunity and appointed him the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader. "He was throwing strikes, velocity was up. I mean, he pitched as good as anybody has this year. It was a really impressive start," said manager Skip Schumaker postgame. Impressive it was as the Dominican right-hander was able to get through five strong innings of two-run ball. He struck out seven and only walked one. He was greeted abruptly, though, in the first inning when Silver Slugger Award winner Cody Bellinger launched a 1-1 changeup over the wall in right field for his fourth home run of the season. Muñoz allowed a walk after the home run but then retired 14 straight. "I was pitching exactly where I wanted to. I located where I wanted and when I was missing, I was missing where I wanted to as well," said the right-hander through a translator. While Muñoz was mowing down Cub hitters, the Marlins were able to put up a crooked number against Imanaga. In the top of the fourth, Tim Anderson roped an RBI double to drive in Josh Bell and was followed by a Jazz Chisholm Jr. RBI single, which gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead. A couple of innings later, Bell, who had been struggling mightily as of late, took Imanaga deep to left for his third home run of the season and extend Miami's lead to 3-1. "Bell is a really good hitter. He's going to hit, there's no doubt about it," said Schumaker. "I think the last couple of games, he's been taking really good swings and has looked much better." After retiring the 14 straight through five, Muñoz was sent back out for the sixth when he immediately gave up a titanic solo shot to Alexander Canario that trimmed the lead back to one. Schumaker went out to get Muñoz, but not before he patted his chest in encouragement. Muñoz's final line: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR. He threw 77 pitches, 48 for strikes. Making your Major League debut is never easy, but to do so at the historic Wrigley field in front of 32, 389 screaming fans didn't make it much easier. "I was seriously a little bit nervous out there, I'm not going to lie," said Muñoz. "But in my mind, I was focused and I knew that I just had to be confident out there and I think I did that." Right-hander Anthony Bender replaced Muñoz and that's where things went south for Miami. Bender allowed four hits, a walk, and three earned runs in 0.2 innings pitched. When it was all said and done, the Cubs had a 5-3 lead and never looked back. "It just feels like very ball that's hit finds a hole. I don't think he's going to have a .500+ batting average against him all year, but we definitely have to get more outs with him later in the game," added Schumaker. For the Cubs, relievers Ben Brown and Hector Neris pitched three shutout innings to keep the game at 5-3 and secure the victory for the Cubs. They improved to 13-8 while Miami fell to 5-17. Imanaga improved to 3-0 on the season and Bender suffered the loss and blown save. Miami will look to salvage a series split on Sunday afternoon at 2:20 ET. Edward Cabrera will toe the rubber against Kyle Hendricks. View full article

"I don't want to say he called it, but he sort of called it," said manager Skip Schumaker about Bryan De La Cruz's dramatic game-winning home run in the ninth. As Miami's hottest hitter stepped into the box in the top of the ninth inning down by one, the Marlins were two outs away from their 17th loss in 21 games. Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay was on the mound looking to secure his fourth save of the season in front of 36,379 boisterous Chicago fans. With a runner on first and one out, Bryan De La Cruz launched a 2-0 middle-in sinker over the wall in left to give Miami a 3-2 lead in the ninth, a lead the Marlins would not surrender. He flipped his bat and jumped with excitement and emotion as he trotted down the first base line. "You know, when I was over there on the bench and our coach told the manager that they were going to move me for a pinch-runner, I told them, 'What do you mean a pinch-runner? I'm going to get a homer here and you're not going to need to do that,'" said De La Cruz postgame through a translator. In the end, De La Cruz was spot-on, as his game-winning homer saved Miami and helped the team improve to 5-16 on the season. The Fish also secured their first one-run win of the year. The victory also got starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo—who was in the clubhouse when De La Cruz hit the homer—off the hook for the loss on Saturday. "Yeah. I was up here, and everyone was celebrating. You could just feel it in the air. He's hot right now and he's our guy at the moment," said Luzardo. Since Jake Burger landed on the IL with an oblique strain, De La Cruz has become Miami's most consistent offensive performer. He has an eight-game hit streak, including at least one extra-base hit and RBI in seven consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in club history. When asked what has been the key to him feeling as good as he does right now, De La Cruz said, "I think it's the consistency that I've developed. That routine that I keep going every single time. I think that's what's getting me the results right now." The results are indeed there, as his season slash line improved to .287/.300/.506. He leads the team with five home runs and is second to Burger with 14 RBI. "He's had good at-bats all year long. He and Luis [Arraez] at the top are really good and they had a really good day," said manager Skip Schumaker. Luzardo gets back on track With his parents in attendance, Jesús Luzardo turned in his best start of the 2024 season on Saturday. Despite the challenges of facing Major League Baseball's toughest offense vs. left-handed pitching (162 wRC+ as a team), Luzardo completed six innings for the first time this season. "I even tried to lobby for a seventh, but Skip said no way," said Luzardo. "On a day like today, I felt like it was important to go and get that sixth at least, but I always want to go as deep as possible." After two solid innings to begin his day, the southpaw's lone hiccup came in the third. Following back-to-back one-out singles by Alexander Canario and Nico Hoerner, Patrick Wisdom drilled a two-run triple off the right-center field wall to give the Cubs the early lead. However, Luzardo didn't allow a walk or hit from the fourth inning on. "I came into the dugout [after the third], me and Mel had a conversation and he said I gotta get in the zone and keep attacking and I feel like my mentality kind of changed. I had to trust my stuff and let them hit it," said the left-hander postgame. Luzardo's final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO. He threw a season-high 104 pitches, 64 for strikes. On a day where Miami desperately needed their starting pitcher to go deep, their ace came through. "We need him to be that guy. He was the opening day starter for a reason. He's supposed to help us stop the bleeding and he did that today," said Schumaker. It's never easy After the dramatic top of the ninth, Miami still had some work to do in the bottom half. Closer Tanner Scott came in looking for his third save of the season, but allowed back-to-back singles to begin the frame. A perfectly-executed sacrifice bunt by Miguel Amaya put the Cubs a measly single away from winning the game. Scott put his head down and struck out Canario and got the hot-hitting Hoerner to ground out to first. Miami improved to 5-16 while the Cubs fell to 12-8. The second game of Saturday's doubleheader is at 7:40 ET when Roddery Muñoz will make his Major League debut against Shota Imanaga. View full article

AJ Puk's rough times continued as the Cubs made it uncompetitive early on Friday. CHICAGO -- It's been a rough transition to the rotation for left-hander A.J. Puk. After dominating Grapefruit League play this spring (1.32 ERA, 15.1 SO/9), manager Skip Schumaker appointed Puk the #2 starter to begin the regular season. Including Friday's midday start against the Chicago Cubs, in which Miami fell 8-3, Puk's four starts to begin the regular season have certainly been sub-optimal. "The off-speed was a little erratic, he was behind every hitter and that's a really good lineup," said Schumaker postgame on Friday. "When you're behind, you're giving them a really good chance and he paid the price." Puk, 28, was a starting pitcher at the University of Florida and during his first year of pro ball with the Oakland Athletics in 2016. Since then, he has mainly been used out of the bullpen in his professional career. Before he was traded to Miami in February of 2023, the Athletics reportedly planned to transition him into a starter. After a mixed performance in the bullpen for Miami in '23, it was decided to experiment with Puk in the rotation. This move aimed to bolster Miami's starting pitching depth and potentially enhance Puk's value if he could excel in this new role. Things couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for the young left-hander in 2024. He is 0-4 with a 9.22 ERA and an 11.20 BB/9 through four big league starts. "It's just one of those things, I gotta go out there and keep on competing and over time, hopefully it's going to turn in my favor," said the southpaw following Friday's game. Prior to the game, Skip touched on the importance of Puk commanding his sinker and fastball to be able to get to his strikeout pitches. "The sinker is a real pitch for him. He gets early ground ball outs and doesn't have to get into long counts. He can then attack with the four-seam, which makes the slider much better; but he can't get to the slider and wipe-out pitches without the fastball command." Skip's fears once again came to fruition as Puk constantly fell behind batters and only threw strikes 57% of the time. Additionally, his velocity was down on all five of his pitches. "Just came up with the flu, don't know if that had anything to do with it but nobody is feeling good," said Puk. As of Friday evening, the Marlins have had no conversations about moving Puk back to the bullpen. "We haven't had that conversation yet. He just has to be a little better and give us a chance each time out. He's had a couple of rough starts but we gotta figure out a way to get him back on track," said the skipper. Cubs offense got going early The Cubs' up-the-middle stars produced most of the offense on Friday afternoon. Second baseman Nico Hoerner set the tone with two doubles and an RBI in the first three frames. Center fielder Cody Bellinger went 2-for-4 with a RBI, and shortstop Dansby Swanson went 2-for-3 with a walk and RBI. "Swanson, Hoerner up the middle and Bellinger are three really good players at the top of the lineup that are tough to navigate through. They're winners, they know what winning looks like so it's definitely going to be a challenge," said Schumaker on what makes the Cubs a tough opponent. De La Cruz stays hot The lone bright spot of the day offensively for Miami was designated hitter Bryan De La Cruz as he launched his fourth home run of the season. He now has a seven-game hit streak going into Saturday's doubleheader. "He's been taking some really good at-bats. From spring training to now it's been great. That's why he's hitting where he's hitting and I think he's building off a really good sophomore year, so i plan on him being in the middle of the order the whole year." Miami was able to manufacture a couple more runs in the top of the ninth but eventually fell by a score of 8-3. The club fell to 4-16, their worst 20-game start in franchise history. They will play two on Saturday to make up for Thursday night's postponement. Miami's ace Jesus Luzardo will get the nod in game 1 while RHP Roddery Muñoz will get the start in game 2. View full article

Ryan Weathers continues to impress as Miami holds on for their fourth win of the young season. MIAMI -- Entering Tuesday night at 3-14, the Marlins were off to their worst 17-game start in franchise history. With all the pitching injuries the club has endured to begin 2024, Miami will need left-hander Ryan Weathers to continue to trend upwards and become a staple in their rotation. He did just that in Tuesday's contest in front of 8,076 at loanDepot Park as he led the fish to a 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. The Marlins are now ten games under .500 at 4-14. Ryan Weathers Aside from a couple of middle-middle mistakes to some dangerous Giant hitters, Weathers was nothing short of dominant on Tuesday night. The left-hander was getting all of his pitches over for strikes and generated 19 whiffs overall. He used his sweeper 34% of the time which kept the Giants off-balance all game long. "He navigated that lineup as good as anybody. It's a really good team, some really good right-handers than can hit lefties well, especially at the top," said manager Skip Schumaker postgame. Weathers' final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K (career-high). Speaking to media postgame, Ryan mentioned that he has never felt that good in a big league game. "Feeling that rhythm of the delivery, I think that's the best command I've ever probably had in a big league atmosphere," said Weathers. Additionally, Weathers incorporated a new-look slider on Tuesday. It's a pitch that sits in the low 90s and is harder than his sweeper. "I used to throw it in 2021 and kind of went away from it and went to the sweeper. I started throwing it in the bullpen this week and I was like 'oh, we're going to find a spot to throw it tonight' and I got a couple swing-and-misses," said Weathers. The left-hander's night ended a bit prematurely, though, as while he was warming up to pitch the seventh, manager Skip Schumaker and the head athletic trainer went out to the mound to check on the young pitcher who seemed to be flexing his left hand. He was removed from the game and it was later announced that he left due to cramping in his left hand. "I threw a pitch and both my fingers stayed down and it felt like a cramp. I threw another one and my fingers went down again and I was like 'now's not the time to be cramping,' but I'm just thankful it's only a cramp." Manufacturing runs Once the Giants took a 2-0 lead after three frames, Miami's offense was able to get to Giants starter Jordan Hicks in the fourth. A couple of frozen-rope doubles courtesy of Luis Arraez and Bryan De La Cruz gave Miami their first run of the game. After De La Cruz stole third base - his first of the season and tenth of his career - Jesus Sanchez drove him in with a fielder's choice to tie the game at two. That score remained until the bottom of the sixth when Miami scored again on a fielder's choice by Tim Anderson. A few batters later, Luis Arraez came through with a two-run single to extend the lead to 5-2 and supply the Marlins with some much-needed insurance. "Hitting the ball is hard, so I just need to put my mind to it and plan to put the ball in play. That's what I do," said Arraez postgame. After going back-and-forth one last time, Miami was finally able to hang onto a lead and earn themselves their fourth victory of the season. Tanner Scott closed it out to earn his second save of the season. Calvin Faucher gave Miami five pivotal outs to bridge it to Scott. "I'm still trying to figure out roles right now," said Schumaker. "We're putting guys in different spots to see who can do it. Some guys run to the stage, some guys run from it. We're trying to figure out who is trying to run to it right now." Ryan Weathers was the winning pitcher (2-1) while Giants righty Ryan Walker suffered his second loss of the season. The Marlins have a chance to secure their first series victory of the season on Wednesday afternoon as Trevor Rogers will get the start against Keaton Winn. View full article

Watch highlights of Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, first base/outfield coach Jon Jay, hitting coach John Mabry, assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller and field coordinator Rod Barajas from their MLB playing careers. View full video

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #56 Craig Mish talks with Isaac and Ely about the Marlins' injury-depleted starting rotation. We are once again joined by SportsGrid's Craig Mish! The Miami Marlins insider breaks down Eury Pérez's elbow injury and the team's "very messy situation in the rotation," the stories Jazz Chisholm Jr. told on The Pivot podcast, Sixto Sánchez's comeback, how the Marlins view Avisaíl García, the possibility of signing Trevor Bauer or another free agent, and much 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, Big Fish Small Pod, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is now being presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Follow Craig (@CraigMish), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

Miami made its third round of roster cuts on Tuesday, including some high-profile names. Also, manager Skip Schumaker provided updates on Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera. Hours before Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, Miami made its third round of cuts from big league camp. RHP Max Meyer and INF Troy Johnston headlined the flurry of roster moves. Meyer was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, while Johnston, C Jhonny Pereda, INF Jose Devers, OFs Griffin Conine, Marty Costes, and Jonathan Davis were all reassigned to Minor League camp. Meyer, 25, who is coming off Tommy John surgery in 2022, pitched well in his limited Grapefruit League action. In three appearances, Meyer threw seven shutout innings and struck out five. That success should give him some confidence heading into the season after missing all of 2023. While he was not expected to break camp with the Marlins, the timing of Meyer's demotion was interesting, given that Miami is expected to be without two of their projected starters to begin the year. LHP Braxton Garrett was initially diagnosed with general body soreness at the beginning of camp and it was later specified as left shoulder soreness. Due to that, he is off to a slow start this spring and is expected to begin the season on the IL. Right-hander Edward Cabrera was diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement, the same injury that caused him to miss a month of the 2023 season. "Those things are day-to-day; it was nothing bigger than that, which is obviously good news," said manager Skip Schumaker. "He's getting evaluated today after the MRI, and we'll have to wait to hear back and go back from there." Troy Johnston A fan-favorite, INF Troy Johnston was also reassigned to Minor League camp on Tuesday. With Josh Bell figuring to get most of the playing time at first base, and NRI Trey Mancini still in big league camp, it was viewed as a long shot for Johnston to break camp with the club. He should, however, be the first man up if an injury to one of Miami's position players occurs, as Johnston can fill in at DH, first base, and left field. Johnston got off to a scorching start this spring, going 4-for-9 with four RBIs to begin camp. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a right ankle sprain on March 1 in Clearwater against the Phillies. That injury sidelined him for over nine days before returning to action on the 10th. View full article

Starting rotation front-runner Edward Cabrera made his 2024 spring debut in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to Houston. Miami fell to 1-3-1 in Grapefruit League play. JUPITER, FL—Right-hander Edward Cabrera, coming off an uneven season, had been the subject of many trade rumors throughout the winter. Miami's strong starting pitching depth and the fact that he's out of minor league options made him a popular candidate to be dealt. Ultimately, it looks like he will stay with Miami for now where he will compete for a rotation spot this spring, and he made great first impression in Wednesday's loss. Cabrera was solid in his two innings of work. He threw 31 pitches, 20 of them for strikes. He struck out two and walked none. "My mentality right now is that it doesn't matter which pitch I'm throwing; it just has to be a strike," said Cabrera through a translator. His fastball velocity sat in the mid 90s and he showed off his low 90s changeup a few times. His final line: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 SO, 0 BB. "Fastball command was really good, didn't throw too many curveballs. But overall, really good," said manager Skip Schumaker postgame. "He came in more physical than last year and that shows you how hard he worked." The 25-year-old has been a polarizing name since debuting in 2021. Coming up through the minors, the former top prospect elicited comparisons to ace Sandy Alcantara due their size, stuff, and early control issues. Alcantara, however, was able to hone his command quickly and become a Cy Young Award winner. The Marlins are hoping Cabrera can follow in his teammate's footsteps, but the organization might run out of patience soon. In 197.2 career innings pitched, Cabrera has a respectable 4.01 ERA, but has allowed 5.4 walks per nine innings. In August of 2023, he was demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville to work on his control. According to Baseball Savant, among 139 pitchers to face at least 400 batters in 2023, only Michael Kopech (15.4%) walked a larger percentage of batters than Cabrera's 15.2%, placing him in the first percentile in BB-rate. "He had an up-and-down season [in 2023]. For us, he ended really well, though. He had one great start in Milwaukee and then came home and was as dominant as you can get; so I think building off that is key, and I think our communication in the off-season was letting him know that his stuff is as good as anybody's," Schumaker added. "He had a chance to take a deep breath and relax and understand that he can literally 'out-talent' a lot of hitters with just stuff. Nobody has a 93 mph changeup." Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi make first spring appearances The two arms that figure to anchor the back end of Miami's bullpen made their spring debuts on Wednesday afternoon, and neither went the way they would have liked. Scott started the third inning and only recorded two outs. He allowed three hits, a walk, and four earned runs (Eli Villalobos allowed two inherited runners to score). "Today is not exactly how I wanted it to go, but I know I'll get better. I was talking to Christian [Bethancourt], and the stuff looked good," said Scott following his outing. His fastball topped out at 97.3 mph. Nardi, the man expected to set up Scott in the regular season also recorded only two outs. He allowed three men to reach via an error, walk, and a hit by pitch. His velocity was also down by his standards, sitting from 90-93 mph. "Gotta work on my slider a bit. Didn't [throw] my splitter yet, unfortunately. I don't take [the first few outings] too seriously. Just trying to get my feet under me," said the left-hander. What's next? Miami will travel to Tampa on Thursday to face the New York Yankees. Per manager Skip Schumaker, shortstop Tim Anderson is "penciled in" the lineup for the 6:35 pm contest. All-Star Luis Arraez is also expected to make the trip. LHP Ryan Weathers will get the start for Miami and will be followed by Max Meyer. "Great to get eyes on him. I know he's going to have some adrenaline going," said Skip on the former third overall pick. "He missed a full year, so it might be challenging with the pitch clock. I've never seen him until this year so I'm pumped to see what it looks like." View full article

Miami officially announced the signing of their splashiest offseason addition. JUPITER—It took until late February, but the Marlins finally have their shortstop. On Saturday morning, just a few hours before Miami's Grapefruit League opener, the Marlins announced the signing of free agent Tim Anderson to a one-year deal. To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Marlins placed RHP Sandy Alcantara on the 60-day IL. Anderson, 30, spent the first eight years of his Major League career with the White Sox and is coming off a career-worst season (-2.0 bWAR). He figures to be Miami's everyday shortstop in 2024. Jon Berti received the lion's share of the playing time at the position late in 2023 and was atop the projected SS depth chart prior to Anderson's arrival. "We knew that we were looking for shortstops. We honestly felt pretty good about the shortstop options that we had in-house, but it was still something that we were going to try and upgrade," said President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix. When asked what boxes Anderson might check as a Marlin, Bendix quickly mentioned his accolades. "I think those are easy to see. He's a batting champion. He's been an All-Star. He's a dynamic-type player on both sides of the ball. He had a tough year last year, but he's not far removed from being a really good player." Manager Skip Schumaker also offered his thoughts on the acquisition: "He's motivated. I've said it before, but anyone that's motivated at this level is dangerous, and I'm not sure there's many guys more motivated than that kid." The two-time All-Star, Anderson has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons. When asked if it affected his recent performance, Anderson responded, "It definitely took a toll. It took a toll with the MCL sprain, and I ended up hitting a lot of ground balls. No excuses, though. I came here to work. I feel good and healthy and ready to go." Once it was reported that Anderson had agreed to terms, a few Marlin players shared their excitement about the signing. Jazz Chisholm Jr. told Fish on First, "I'm super happy that Tim signed in Miami. I think he's going to be a great fit here. I think the culture that we have here is going to be great for him." Additionally, Chisholm firmly believes Anderson will bounce back from his 2023 struggles. "He's going to have a great season here this year. You can't take one season and expect someone to be a bad player all of a sudden. Not sure why anyone wouldn't want a batting champion on your team." Anderson will also be reuniting with third baseman Jake Burger, who shared the left side of the infield with him in Chicago from 2021 to 2023. "Yeah, we were texting about everything, even a week before the news first broke. I was also talking to Nick Gordon, Jazz, and all those guys, so the connection has been there and it's a great fit." Since he just arrived to camp, it's expected to take some time before Anderson sees Grapefruit League action. During Saturday's spring opener, he was in the Marlins dugout getting to know his new teammates. View full article

The former Marlins top prospect faced hitters during live batting practice on Wednesday morning, garnering praise from some of the Marlins' most notable names, including Luis Arraez. JUPITER, FL—A welcome scene took place in the backfields of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex on Wednesday morning. Right-hander Sixto Sánchez threw live BP to some of the more prominent hitters in Marlins big league camp, including two-time batting champ Luis Arraez. "Once I saw (Arraez), we all know how good he is as a hitter. That situation really inspired me to be better," said Sixto through a translator. From Arraez's point of view, Sixto was on his game. He described the changeup in particular as "nasty." Before his recurring shoulder injuries, Sixto's best pitch had always been his changeup. "I will say that my change is my best secondary pitch. I never felt like it went away—it's always been there. I threw a changeup to Arraez, and I thought he was going to swing, but he's such a good hitter," said Sánchez on Wednesday afternoon. "I'm very thankful to just be healthy. It was a couple of years without pitching like that. Throwing this live BP was great. I'm really close to 100%," added the Dominican right-hander. During his media session, Sánchez mentioned that he threw his fastball, changeup, and cutter during this 20-pitch outing. He hadn't used that cutter since 2020, when it represented about 17% of his pitch mix. Regarding his fastball velocity, a couple of hitters who faced him told Fish on First that they would estimate it at 93-94 mph. "As of right now, I'm throwing the fastball a little harder than I was before," said Sánchez, "but I still think there's some [room] for growth." Back in 2020 when Sanchez made his Major League debut, he was consistently throwing in the upper 90's, topping 100 multiple times. Since then, it's been reported that he's struggled to top 90 at times. Sixto Sánchez Feels Close to 100% After Throwing Live BP After facing big league hitters for the first time in years, Marlins right-hander Sixto Sánchez discusses his live batting practice session. More Videos 0 seconds of 30 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Sixto Sánchez Feels Close to 100% After Throwing Live BP 02:37 facebook twitter Email pinterest Linkhttps://fishonfirst.com/news-rumors/supersubs/2024-miami-marlins-spring-training-journal/ Copied Auto720p720p540p406p360p270p180p This ad will end in 22 Live 00:08 00:21 00:30 In addition to Arraez, Sánchez faced Jake Burger, Bryan De La Cruz, Trey Mancini, Jon Berti, and Bennett Hostetler. Christian Bethancourt caught him. Sixto last faced professional hitters during a Double-A rehab assignment with Pensacola on September 13, 2023. Before that, he hadn't faced live hitters in over two years. While his outing on Wednesday represented a step in the right direction, it is still considered a long shot that Sánchez ever contributes at the big league level again. It's unclear if he will be pitching for the Marlins in any Grapefruit League games, which begin on Saturday. This next month in Jupiter is crucial for the 25-year-old because he is out of minor league options. View full article