Alex Krutchik

There aren't many pitchers in the league who have struggled more at keeping the ball in the yard than Roddery Muñoz, but there's reason to believe he may have turned a corner. Buying a ticket in the outfield seats for the first several starts of Roddery Muñoz’s major league career was a great investment. The 24-year-old right-hander was serving up souvenirs left and right. Called up due to the smattering of injuries to the Miami Marlins starting rotation, Muñoz allowed a staggering 15 home runs in his first eight starts (40.1 IP). During that period from April 20 to June 29, Munoz’s home run/fly ball ratio of 26.3 percent was worst in the league among all pitchers with at least 35 innings pitched, as was his HR/9 of 3.35. Acquired last offseason in exchange for cash considerations and lacking previous MLB experience, the expectations for Muñoz were low to begin with. Still, it was hard to understand why somebody with his high quality of pure stuff was so easy for hitters to square up. What went wrong? The first thing that jumped out while researching for this article was Muñoz’s four-seam fastball. Using it relatively equally with his cutter and sinker as his most-used pitches, he allowed significantly more home runs on the fastball than on the latter two pitches. During his first eight starts, Muñoz had a negative-5.5 run value on the four-seamer, according to Pitch Info from FanGraphs, which was tied for tenth-worst in the league among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched. His sinker, by comparison, was a relatively-better negative-2.2 while his cutter was grading out at negative-0.8. Judging by the heat maps and his velocity, there is nothing that stands out about why his fastball was so feeble. He doesn’t live over the plate any more than other pitchers of higher caliber do, and his average fastball velocity of 95.2 miles per hour ranks in the top third of pitchers this year. Even FanGraphs has his Stuff+ graded as a 98, with 100 being league average. How did he fix the issue? During Muñoz's last start on August 10, Bally Sports Florida Interviewed fellow starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara and asked him about the rookie's growth. Alcantara, who has taken on the role of coach and mentor while he recovers from Tommy John surgery this season, said on the broadcast that Muñoz had been tipping his pitches. When he was first called up, the 6’2" Dominican would hold his glove around his belly button when he came set for the pitch out of the windup and hold his glove slightly off his body. That made it easier for opposing hitters to see him adjusting his pitch grip and anticipate what he'd be throwing. Alcantara, along with Edward Cabrera and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., helped fix this issue by having Muñoz lower his glove to his belt and hold it against his body. Here's the comparison between Muñoz's loanDepot park debut on May 1 and his most recent outing: It’s unclear when they discovered this issue, but in watching tape, it seems he began fixing his stance during his relief appearance against the Chicago White Sox on July 5 and was more consistent with it in his following start against the Houston Astros on July 11. Perhaps not coincidentally, that game against the White Sox began a set of three consecutive appearances over 15 ⅔ innings in which he did not allow a home run. While still not a reliable starter by any means, Muñoz has considerably improved the underlying stats mentioned above. Since July 5, he has pitched in seven games, one of them being a relief appearance, for 34 ⅓ innings. His fastball run value has gotten marginally better, at negative-4.4 runs, while his sinker is at plus-2.0 and his cutter is plus-0.3. His FIP has gone down by two full runs, from 7.69 before July 5 to 5.62 after that date. This subtle change is showing up in the more standard numbers as well. In his last seven appearances, he has allowed six home runs (one for every 26 batters faced). In his first eight games, he allowed 15 home runs (one for every 11.66 batters faced). His slugging percentage allowed has also dipped from .569 to .482. With none of the injured Marlins starters ready for game action anytime soon, expect Muñoz to get ample time to hammer down this fix. View full article

With the most reliable arms in the bullpen down, the Marlins couldn't hold the lead for him, but Cabrera pitched one of the best outings of his career on Friday night while facing MLB's hottest team. MIAMI, FL—Skip Schumaker told the media before Friday’s loss to the San Diego Padres that part of the challenge of running a bullpen is changing the game plan based on what happened the night before. Of course, most baseball fans already know that to be the case. But, aside from the trade deadline, Friday afternoon's roster moves may have been the biggest shakeup the Marlins have seen in a single day this season. And that bled over into Friday night’s loss. After the Marlins extra-innings loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, the Marlins designated starting pitcher Kyle Tyler for assignment. They also optioned Darren McCaughan and Emmanuel Ramirez to Triple-A Jacksonville. Declan Cronin, Calvin Faucher, and Andrew Nardi were all down after pitching in back-to-back games, and Anthony Bender was dealing with undisclosed issues. So, when Edward Cabrera stepped off the mound after a masterful performance in which he threw seven shutout innings, Schumaker handed the ball to George Soriano to get the final six outs, up 2-0. Soriano, who came in with a 7.36 ERA in 12 outings this year, allowed two doubles and a run in the eighth. Jackson Merrill then tied the game with a leadoff home run to center field in the ninth inning. 18df2bc5-af6acb57-d0dae092-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Brett de Geus, who was one of the three newly recalled relievers, gave up four runs (one unearned) in the tenth. Manny Machado's two-run double to right-center broke the game open. Pitching at loanDepot park for the first time since the Marlins traded him away, Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless bottom of the tenth. Schumaker confirmed after the game that Soriano and de Geus, along with fellow call-ups John McMillon and Kent Emanuel, were the only relievers available. “I felt like Soriano has been there before and given us some leverage innings, especially last year,” Schumaker said. “And he's looked pretty good since he's been back up and given us some pretty good innings. He had 14 pitches after the first inning, he's had four days off, he was by far the freshest arm and it felt like he can get righties and lefties out. He just kind of threw a hanging slider to Merrill. Merrill, lately, has been doing that, unfortunately for us.” What made the ending more frustrating was the wasting of a great start by Cabrera. He pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up four hits and three walks. It was the deepest he had gone into a game since he completed eight innings against the Oakland Athletics on August 22, 2022. Schumaker walked toward the mound with two outs in the seventh inning after Cabrera had just allowed an infield single to Ha-Seong Kim with his 99th pitch of the game. With two runners on base and Soriano fully warmed up in the bullpen, it seemed like Cabrera’s night was done. But instead of taking the ball from Cabrera, Schumaker only made the 100-foot walk to the mound to deliver a quick message for him that took all of about five seconds. “He just came and said this is my game,” Cabrera said. “And I just went and told him ‘yes.’” Cabrera proceeded to strike out Luis Campusano on his patented 94 mph changeup, high and tight. 635383cc-63d84042-83030660-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 “I was just super proud of the way he attacked it,” Schumaker said. “And you could see in his eyes that he wasn't sure if I was gonna give it to him or not. But I felt like this was his time to go, and maybe a pivotal moment in his career, because I think it just gave him confidence against a really good team. We needed him to give us length. He provided it, maybe for the first time in his career. We've lost a few games in a row, and we have zero bullpen, we need you right now.” The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed just six earned runs over his last five starts combined (2.00 ERA in 27.0 IP). Each of those opponents have winning records this season. The Marlins scored their runs on back-to-back solo home runs by Jake Burger and Jonah Bride. It was the third time since the trade deadline that both have homered in the same game. View full article

The Marlins finally took a game in the Citrus Series, homering twice off of one of baseball's hottest pitchers, Taj Bradley. St. Petersburg, FL—On Tuesday night, with a roster depleted from trade deadline send-offs, the Marlins had a player hit his first home run of the season, followed by Jake Burger laying it on with a homer of his own. Wednesday afternoon’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays mirrored the script from last night in that regard. This time, it was Jonah Bride hitting a solo home run in the second inning to open the scoring for Miami, starting his first major league game in the cleanup spot. Then, once again, Burger added to his July home run total with a two-run moonshot to left center field in the third inning. Both went deep against outstanding young right-hander Taj Bradley, who hadn't allowed any runs in his previous three starts. Burger's home run was preceded immediately with a sac fly from Xavier Edwards to score Vidal Bruján from third base to tie the game at 2-2. Thanks to Marlins starting pitcher Roddery Muñoz and the Miami bullpen, those four total runs is all they needed. Muñoz allowed a solo home run to Christopher Morel in the first inning and an RBI triple to Dylan Carlson in the second. He gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out seven in five innings. Wednesday was Muñoz’s 12th start this year, trailing only the recently traded Trevor Rogers and injured Ryan Weathers in that department. Including his minor league appearances, the 24-year-old righty has totaled 107 innings with the Marlins organization, which is a single-season career high. “The confidence I have received from my manager and coaching staff have been really helpful,” Munoz said through translator Luis Dorante Jr. “I had good days and bad days. But I always try to go out there, compete, give it everything I got. So it’s very special to accomplish.” 61b12c68-7b8cce4f-6f512582-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Xavier Edwards delivered more insurance in the seventh inning on a two-run single. Edwards had three RBI on Wednesday and finished with a .395 batting average in July, the sixth-highest monthly average in Marlins history for batters with at least 75 at-bats. Andrew Nardi, Jesús Tinoco, Anthony Bender, and Calvin Faucher combined for four scoreless innings to seal the win. Newly acquired outfielder Kyle Stowers, fresh off the plane from Charlotte where the Baltimore Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate was playing, began his Marlins career 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. “Hectic 24 hours," Stowers said. "But, you know, not an excuse. I actually started feeling better as the game went on. Felt like I took some good swings, just didn’t go my way today. You play 160 games in a season—days like this are gonna happen. Obviously, it’s unfortunate it happens on the first day here. But I think I’m built to respond.” On Thursday, the Marlins begin the final leg of their three-series road trip in Atlanta. View full article

Jake Burger put the finishing touches on a hot July by homering in both games of the Citrus Series. St. Petersburg, FL—Jake Burger did not look like himself during a majority of the first half. Simply put, the power hitter was not hitting for power. The 28-year-old was one of the bright spots in the Marlins lineup for the first two weeks of the season, but an oblique injury in mid-April sidelined him until May 6. Upon returning, Burger struggled. From May 6 until July 11, the third baseman hit .211 with a .330 slugging percentage. In those 55 games, had just six home runs, a 17 home run pace when extrapolated over a 162-game season. Burger said he and Marlins hitting coach John Mabry worked tirelessly to right the ship throughout the season. Finally, when the team began their road series in Cincinnati in mid-July, Burger felt like he figured it out. “We felt like my hand action was a little late,” Burger said last Sunday. “It wasn't on time and in rhythm. It caused me to kind of swipe across balls and not be able to stay behind balls. I think that off day in Cincinnati, we worked in the cage for a while, and really tried to hone that in.” On Burger’s first at-bat of that series, he hit an Andrew Abbott sweeper to the right field warning track for a loud flyout. Burger got a better hold of the next ball he saw, hitting a home run to the second deck in left field of Great American Ball Park. Thus began the current stretch Burger is on. 735877de-44bde9d3-dee2ddc3-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 After hitting seven home runs in all of April, May and June, Burger exceeded that number with eight in July. Since that first game in Cincinnati, Burger is hitting .346/.414/.769 with six homers. When Fish On First took a deep dive into Burger’s power outage four weeks ago, he was barreling balls at 10.4 percent clip—while being in the top quarter of league hitters, that was a career-low for him. He has increased that a tick to 11.2 percent. Statcast defines “barrels” as balls that have an exit velocity of at least 98 miles per hour and an ideal launch angle. His sweet spot percentage was down to 26.8 percent after hovering around 33 percent in previous seasons, but has steadily climbed to 28.8 percent after these last four weeks. Burger was also chasing pitches more often while still making contact, leading to a career-high in groundball rate (50.3 percent) and a career-low in line drives (18.6 percent) as of July 5. That groundball rate has dipped to 46.4 percent, while the line drives have gone up to 20.2 percent. Working with then-teammate Josh Bell, Burger said the duo agreed that last year was more about “dropping the hands and letting them go” as opposed to the “robotic” movements he had earlier this year. But now, Burger said his swing feels the way it’s supposed to feel. “I'm trying to be a little too fine a little bit, rather than just being athletic in the box,” Burger said. “From at-bat one when I made that change I felt like myself again, and I feel like I’m staying behind balls.” VmdONXdfQjFOTUJnVkFFbGRmRlJGYkFraENXRk1SX0QxTUhWbEZRQndJQURBRUFWQUFBVkE4RkFGaFhVMUlBVmdFQUJWSlRBQXBYVWdOWA==.mp4 The Marlins roster was upended by transactions leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline, but Burger stayed put. Not being a free agent until after his 32-year-old season in 2028, this has looked like a positive development for a player who could be part of Miami’s core as their newly acquired waves of prospects gradually descend upon Miami's shores throughout the next few years. View full article

The day after the MLB trade deadline, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix addresses the assembled media at Tropicana Field. The Marlins made eight separate deals leading up to the deadline, including six on July 30 alone. View full video

A chaotic day turned even wilder when Edward Cabrera exited one of his best starts of the season due to injury. St. Petersburg, FL—The Marlins could’ve used a win on Tuesday, literally or metaphorically. More specifically, it was a day where they could’ve used a deep game from one of their starters to avoid taxing a shorthanded bullpen. Trading A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday was merely the first domino to fall. The Marlins furiously swapped more of their relievers for prospects on deadline day—Tanner Scott, JT Chargois, Huascar Brazoban and Bryan Hoeing found new homes, all within three hours of the 6:50 p.m. first pitch at Tropicana Field. Once the dust settled, their bullpen was comprised of only four major league regulars (Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher, Declan Cronin, Anthony Bender) along with a patchwork of lesser-used guys in George Soriano and Emmanuel Ramírez, and Austin Kitchen making his major league debut. When starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was cruising through the first four innings on Tuesday night, it looked like the Marlins might walk the tightrope and get through this cluster of a day. Aside from a solo home run allowed to Christopher Morel in the fourth inning, along with a few hard-hit balls in the frame, Cabrera was largely unscathed through five innings. To make things even better, Emmanuel Rivera and Jake Burger each hit home runs to give the Marlins a 3-1 lead after five innings. The offense was without Josh Bell, who was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Bryan De La Cruz, who learned he was being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as he was shagging fly balls in batting practice about 90 minutes before first pitch. “We changed (the lineup) quite a bit,” Schumaker said. “The majority of the order was there. Some guys are going to get a lot more playing time than they have during the early part of the year. And it gives opportunity for some of these guys that were maybe coming off the bench or picked up off waivers, or whatever it is. Burger took some good at-bats, (Xavier Edwards) took good at-bats. Nick Fortes has been swinging really well. We just couldn't contain the other side.” Cabrera had tweaked his left knee in the bottom of the fifth inning, running to receive a toss from Jake Burger at first base. After looking uncomfortable throwing the first two pitches of the sixth inning, he was unable to continue. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said more testing will need to be done Wednesday. “I don't know exactly the level (of pain),” Cabrera said via translator Luis Dorante Jr. “I don't think it's that bad, but hopefully, with God, I'll be on the mound in the next five days.” Cabrera added, “I felt great today. Felt really good, thank God. All my pitches were incredible. Felt really good…I was very aggressive, I was staying in the zone with everything.” bcfb0ecc-dd76ba7c-8c70a9ba-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Declan Cronin, already warming up, was summoned to finish the at-bat against Brandon Lowe with the count already 2-0. Cronin wound up walking him, then proceeded to hit Christopher Morel with a pitch, and allowed an RBI double to Josh Lowe. Cronin loaded the bases twice, both on walks, and allowed two-RBI singles both times. He gave up five runs in the inning, with one of those being credited to Cabrera. Austin Kitchen, making his major league debut, allowed three runs in two innings. With the loss, the Marlins have lost their head-to-head season series to the Rays for the sixth straight year. Wednesday afternoon's matinee is their last chance to avoid a Citrus Series sweep. View full article

The most coveted reliever available on deadline day, Tanner Scott is headed to San Diego in a six-player deal. Shutdown closer Tanner Scott, who was pegged as one of the Miami Marlins’ top trade candidates this year, has been dealt to the San Diego Padres in exchange for four prospects. Swingman pitcher Bryan Hoeing is also going to the Padres. Who the Marlins are getting back Pitchers Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur, utility man Graham Pauley, and infielder Jay Beshears. Snelling, a 6’3" left-hander, is one of San Diego’s highest-rated prospects. A 20-year-old who’s already in Double-A, Snelling could be up as soon as next year if all goes well. His repertoire features a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a solid curveball that generates lots of swing-and-miss, and a changeup that can use some refining. Mazur is a 6’2" righty with a solid fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 97, and a tight slider, which is his best secondary pitch, sitting in the mid-80s. He also throws a changeup that has shown improvement this year, along with a curveball. The 23-year-old has made five starts in Triple-A this year. As for Pauley, he is a bat-first player. Originally drafted and signed as a third baseman, the 23-year-old has started games at first, second, and left field. While he understandably struggled in his short debut stint in the majors this year (4-for-32, 18 wRC+), he has had a low strikeout rate in the minors throughout his career while still generating power. Beshears is the most raw of the prospects coming to Miami. The 22-year-old infielder has a plus-power tool, but his groundball rate has hovered around 40% in his two years of professional ball, preventing him from turning the power into home runs. The 6’4" righty has done well to bring his strikeout rate down. Defensively, he needs to improve his arm strength if he wants to stick on the left side of the infield. Scott’s run in Miami The Marlins originally acquired the left-hander in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles just days before the 2022 regular season kicked off. Scott’s first go-around in Miami was marked by poor control and a walk rate that put him in the bottom-one percent of pitchers, walking 15.9 percent of batters he faced. He converted on 20 of his 27 save opportunities in that first year. Scott’s 2023 season is what really put him on the radar as one of the league’s premier relievers. Beginning the season as a middle reliever, Scott watched as trade acquisitions A.J. Puk and David Robertson struggled in their closing roles. Finally, as the calendar turned from August to September, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker appointed Scott as the team’s closer. In those 16 games as the closer, Scott converted on 10 of his 12 save opportunities and recorded a 1.42 ERA. Opposing hitters put up a .177 batting average against him. The then-29-year-old recorded the final out in Miami’s NL Wild Card-clinching victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 30. Most notably, Scott’s walk rate throughout 2023 was the lowest of his career, cratering to 7.8 percent. 745f1362-e81fe94a-53e97fc8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 One thing that has stayed consistent throughout Scott’s time in Miami has been his swing-and-miss stuff thanks to his fastball-slider repertoire. He has consistently been in the top ten percent of pitchers in strikeout rate while in Miami, peaking at 33.9 percent last year. In 2024, Scott has been the most dominant reliever in the National League, and perhaps even the majors. Looking under the hood of his already impressive 1.18 ERA, Scott has only allowed one or more earned runs in three of his 44 appearances. The last time he gave up an earned run was on June 13 against the New York Mets. While his walk rate has regressed back up to 14.8 percent this year, much of those control issues were concentrated in March/April (21.3 BB%). Since May began, he has had only two games with multiple walks. Scott is currently in his last year of arbitration before he becomes a free agent this offseason. He won his arbitration case in spring training this year for $5.7 million. About a dozen teams were in pursuit of Scott leading up to the deadline, Craig Mish reported for the Miami Herald. Jon Heyman of the New York Post linked the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners to him. The New York Mets expressed interest as well, per FanSided's Robert Murray. The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees had the leading bids as of trade deadline eve, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Heyman describes the Dodgers as one of the finalists in the bidding war. Hoeing was a 2019 Marlins draft pick. In 57 appearances (10 starts) with the big league club, he posted a 5.48 ERA, 5.11 FIP and 1.39 WHIP. The 2024 season was easily his best in terms of results, plus he showed the versatility to contribute in a wide variety of game situations, including pitching on back-to-back days. San Diego has club control over Hoeing through 2028. View full article

The Marlins offense gave Trevor Rogers some help as they continue their solid play coming out of the break. The Miami Marlins began their longest road trip of the season with a win over the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The 6-2 win was punctuated by early offense from Miami. Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run home run to left field in the top of the first inning, with Jake Burger following it up a solo shot a couple of batters later. After struggling to hit for power in May and June, Burger now has six home runs in July. He has a .569 slugging percentage and a .902 OPS since the calendar flipped. "We came out really strong against a really good pitcher," Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. "Peralta is as good as there is in the league. They're obviously one of the best teams in the National League. For us to keep playing like we're playing against these really good teams just shows what they have in the clubhouse. Should start building some confidence that they can play with anybody, and it starts with starting pitching." That three-run cushion was probably a welcome sight for Friday's starting pitcher in Trevor Rogers. The lefty has been the beneficiary of the lowest run support in baseball this season among pitchers with at least 10 starts, with the Marlins giving him an average of 2.55 runs per start. Rogers allowed two runs on Friday, giving up a solo home run to Rhys Hoskins in the third inning and a sacrifice fly to Gary Sanchez in the fourth. He allowed zero walks. Going 5 ⅓ innings, Rogers recorded the first win by a Marlins starting pitcher since Jesús Luzardo did it on June 11. a6f77012-d6fe0675-171a6796-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Marlins put up two more runs in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Brewers shortstop Willy Adames bobbled a groundball from De La Cruz, allowing Nick Fortes to score from third and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score from second. Chisholm was moving at 29.8 feet per second, just short of the 30 feet-per-second "elite" threshold according to Statcast. Marlins relievers Anthony Bender and Huascar Brazoban put up 2 ⅔ scoreless innings, getting Miami to the ninth inning. With All-Star closer Tanner Scott ready to come in, the Marlins didn’t need more insurance, but they got some anyway when Josh Bell lined a solo home run to left-center field. That ball, which landed in the Brewers bullpen, was Bell’s 1,000th of his nine-year career. Scott allowed a hit and a walk in a non-save situation appearance, but still kept the Brewers off the board to get the win and keep his 16-game scoreless streak intact. There are only two more opportunities for the pending free agent to pitch for the Marlins prior to Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. Notes: -This was the fourth game in a row where Miami scored six runs. -Jake Burger and Josh Bell have combined for seven home runs and 11 RBI since the All-Star break. -Otto Lopez was the only member of the Marlins starting lineup who did not reach base. -Max Meyer is scheduled to make his highly anticipated return to major league action on Saturday. View full article

Prior to Saturday's game, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker alluded to the possibility of Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving back to second base occasionally. A few hours later, Schumaker reintroduced his center fielder to the infield dirt for the first time since 2022. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has found a home in center field, manning the position for the Marlins throughout the last two seasons. But moving forward, according to manager Skip Schumaker, the club is going to utilize Chisholm's versatility while also preserving his health by giving him some playing time at his former position, second base. Chisholm was re-introduced to second base in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds with Dane Myers shifting over to center. Originally an infielder, Chisholm went to the Marlins front office prior to the 2023 season and said he’d be willing to play any position that would help the team win. When Miami acquired Luis Arraez in a trade a few weeks before spring training, Chisholm was moved to center field. Chisholm has been fearless in CF, though sometimes reckless. Last May, Chisholm crashed into the outfield wall at loanDepot park, banging his toe into a concrete slab at the base of the wall while trying to make a catch. He missed about six weeks while recovering from turf toe and underwent surgery for the injury after the season concluded. 26598f80-8769d834-d5735d2b-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 This year, Chisholm has had more run-ins (no pun intended) with the wall, although he hasn’t had to miss any extended time due to injuries, playing in 92 of Miami’s 95 games this year. He played in 157 games combined in 2022 and 2023. Still, Chisholm was a serviceable anchor in the outfield for a team that hadn’t had a true center fielder in years. Last year, he recorded four outs above average, according to Statcast. His average throwing velocity of 89.2 mph was in the top 20 percent of all center fielders last year. This year, he took a step back in the advanced metrics department, recording minus-one outs above average. With Arraez being traded to the San Diego Padres in May, second base was left vacant. Chisholm went to Marlins manager Skip Schumaker a couple weeks ago with the same message. At the time, Schumaker struck the idea down, saying that he didn’t want that in the back of Chisholm’s mind. But now, certain factors have pushed Schumaker to reconsider the defensive alignment. “Maybe getting (Jesús) Sánchez more bats against lefties or (Dane) Myers playing more in center field,” Schumaker said. “Jazz can play anywhere, and I'm trying to keep his bat in the lineup playing every day.” Schumaker alluded to the fact that the outfielders have had to run after balls more lately than they usually do. “I'm also trying to keep him playing every day for 160-plus games, which he has never done,” Schumaker said. “So I’m trying to get him DH days. Maybe second base is a way to get them off his feet a little bit. Because I think he can play that in his sleep.” Chisholm came up to the majors in 2020 as a middle infielder. He settled into a permanent role at second base in 2022. In those three years, Chisholm recorded eight outs above average and six defensive runs saved. Chisholm has been taking ground balls on the infield prior to almost every game this year, so the rust should be minimal. Offensively, Chisholm is having perhaps his most well-rounded season of his career. Coming into Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, Chisholm’s .267 batting average against lefties is a career-high, a rather big accomplishment for someone who was a platoon bat early in his major league career. His walk rate of 8.6 percent is just a tick shy of his career-high, and his strikeout rate of 25.4 percent is the lowest of his career. Of course, there is another implication to this position change. Chisholm has been the subject of trade rumors, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting the New York Yankees have had internal discussions regarding Chisholm, and that he’d primarily play infield if they do acquire him. Chisholm has also been linked to the Seattle Mariners. After the All-Star break, Otto Lopez will return from the 10-day injured list after dealing with lower back inflammation. He has been the Marlins second baseman since they traded Arraez and has been the Marlins’ best infielder, recording five defensive runs saved and seven outs above average. Schumaker said Lopez could move to shortstop on days where Chisholm plays on the infield. View full article

Once again, the Marlins couldn't string together more than a few hits as they dropped the series opener to the only MLB team with a record worse than their own. Fresh off a lengthy stint on the injured list for a hamstring strain, Bryan Hoeing took to the mound for the Miami Marlins’ series opener against the Chicago White Sox. It was his first start in 2024, having been used mostly as a multi-inning reliever before getting injured and playing the swingman role last year. The plan on Friday was for Hoeing and Roddery Muñoz to piggyback off each other and get the Marlins into the latter third of the game. Despite both pitchers dancing through raindrops and inflating their WHIPs, they combined to allow for just three runs, and Muñoz was able to deliver the game to the eighth inning for the bullpen to handle the rest. Hoeing struck out the first two batters he faced before allowing a single and a walk, but was able to get out of the first inning by striking out Eloy Jiménez. With the aid of a Dane Myers assist, the only run Hoeing would allow was a second-inning RBI double from Nicky Lopez. The right-hander allowed five hits and a walk in three innings (46 pitches) of work. Muñoz also retired the first two batters he faced when he entered in the fourth inning, but permitted a two-out single to Lopez and a subsequent RBI double to Martin Maldonado down the left field line. Muñoz would let two runs score in his four innings, along with four walks and four hits. The White Sox had at least one batter reach base in eight separate innings. Muñoz and Hoeing stranded 10 runners, and the Sox went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. JT Chargois and Declan Cronin each pitched one scoreless inning. White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe was dominant against the Marlins offense. In 6 ⅔ innings, he allowed one run, two walks and three hits. One of those hits was a bloop double off the bat of Vidal Bruján into shallow left field along the foul line. Another hit was an infield single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. The Marlins chased Thorpe from the game after a Dane Myers double in the seventh inning on Thorpe’s 90th pitch of the game. Myers said the changeup and fastball mixture from the right-hander kept the Marlins off-balance all night. That changeup was Thorpe's most-used pitch of the night, accounting for 38 percent of his pitches on Friday. "He had a really good changeup," Myers said. "We knew that going in. Got to make sure you get it up. I think we did that—or tried to do it—first time through the order. We didn't succeed, didn't get it up enough. He threw well though. He hit his spots. Fastball played up a little bit because of the good changeup. But hats off to him: he threw a really good game." 7e91dcdd-d7d6247f-d99ebe55-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Miami immediately jumped on reliever John Brebbia when Xavier Edwards drove home Myers on a single into left field. That run was charged to Thorpe. Nick Fortes reached on a single, and Chisholm reached on a walk to load the bases with two out. Bryan De La Cruz hit a ball to deep center field that looked like it was going to tie the game at 3-3, at minimum. But Luis Robert Jr. was able to track it down and get Chicago out of their most dangerous inning of the night. 3cb369f2-c3b9fb68-786d23c0-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 For a brief moment in the ninth inning, it looked like the Marlins were setting up for a rally. Vidal Bruján reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and Chisholm reached on a two-out single to put runners at the corners. De La Cruz singled to score Bruján and get the Marlins within a run, but Josh Bell followed it up with a first-pitch groundout to first base. The White Sox secured only their 10th road win of the season. It was their first victorious series opener away from Chicago. It won't get any easier for the Marlins on Saturday when they oppose Sox ace Garrett Crochet. View full article

After impressing during his 2023 breakout season, Jake Burger has failed to be a consistent slugger in the middle part of the Marlins lineup this year. Jake Burger was an intriguing yet flawed player when he was traded to the Miami Marlins at the deadline last year. He was in the midst of a season with the struggling Chicago White Sox in which he was batting .214 with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate. Elite power was still there, however, hitting 25 home runs in 88 games with a .527 slugging percentage. He came to Miami and was a big reason the Marlins made their first postseason in a full year since 2003. He posted an .860 OPS with nine home runs in 53 games with the Marlins last year. He cut his strikeout rate by 10 points, down to 21.7 percent. The 28-year-old is not yet arbitration-eligible and under team control through 2028. It seemed, at first, like Burger would be a key part of turning this anemic offense around for years to come. While there is still plenty of time for Burger to turn it around, the first three months of his first full season in Miami has been a letdown. Burger was one of the couple of bright spots in the Marlins lineup for the first two weeks of the season, but an oblique injury in mid-April forced him out of action until May 6. Since then, he hasn’t shown the same power that we saw from him in the past. In 49 games since returning from the IL, Burger is hitting .214 with a .332 slugging percentage. He has hit five home runs in that span—a 16.5 home run pace when extrapolated over a 162-game season. The odd thing is that he isn’t struggling with putting the ball in play. His zone contact (82.4 percent) and chase contact (54.7 percent) rates are the highest they've been in his career. His whiff rate, meanwhile, is the lowest of his career at 28.3 percent. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is staggeringly low at .269. It’s the third-lowest BABIP on the Marlins among qualified hitters, just six points above Nick Gordon, who’s at the bottom of the list. Burger is barreling balls at 10.4 percent clip, which, while being in the top quarter of league hitters, is a career-low for him. Statcast defines “barrels” as balls that have an exit velocity of at least 98 miles per hour and an ideal launch angle. Burger’s average exit velocity is still in the low 90s, par for his career. But his quality of hits hasn’t been there. His sweet spot percentage (defined as a ball hit between 8-32 degrees) is down to 26.8 percent after hovering around 33 percent in previous seasons. This has also led to a career-high in ground balls rate (50.3 percent) and a career-low in line drives (18.6 percent). Of course, there is time to turn things around. We’re talking about three months of poor production form a 28-year-old with four and a half seasons still left under team control. But it would be nice to see the slugging third baseman hit his ceiling sooner rather than later. View full article

The Miami Marlins could not get anything done against Mariners pitching on Saturday and trailed from wire to wire. MIAMI, FL—Just prior to the Marlins taking the field for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Seattle Mariners, a lightning bolt struck right outside the left field windows at loanDepot park, sending a clap of thunder through the ballpark. That was the only boom the Marlins offense would see, as they were shut out by starting pitcher Logan Gilbert. The Marlins mustered four hits and one walk against the right-hander and only got three runners into scoring position. Gilbert was the benefactor of a double play in each of the first two innings that both negated leadoff singles. He had 12 pitches—all strikes—through the second inning. He ended the day with 92 pitches and 68 strikes in eight innings. Only three Marlins hitters got into scoring position, and one of those instances was Bryan De La Cruz reaching second base on a throwing error by Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas. 51981eb6-430b7c60-76ce3922-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless frame to complete the shut out. Not that it wound up mattering due to the goose egg on the scoreboard, but Marlins starting pitcher Shaun Anderson put the Marlins in a tough spot early on. Anderson, making his second start for Miami since the Marlins acquired him in late May, allowed the first three hitters of the game to reach base. A bases-loaded wild pitch followed by a sacrifice fly to center field plated two runs. “His location is just off,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He's got to have better location with the sinker, needs to get the ball on the ground more. If it’s not a lot of swing-and-miss, he needs to get the ball on the ground more.” While Anderson limited the traffic in the second and third innings, he got into trouble in the fourth inning. Facing the bottom half of the Mariners lineup, he allowed the first five batters of the inning to reach base, beginning with a leadoff single from Luke Raley. Seattle scored on a singles from Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss and a fielder’s choice by J.P. Crawford. Anderson was doing well getting ahead early in counts in the second and third innings, but the Mariners adjusted. All six batters he faced in the fourth put the ball in play on the first or second pitch of the at-bat. Anderson allowed eight hits in total along with six runs, with five being earned. He has allowed nine earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings with the Marlins in his two starts. “I’ve been wanting to play for my hometown team for a really long time," the South Florida native said postgame, "and that’s what’s also really frustrating.” Notes -Braxton Garrett will not make his scheduled start on Sunday due to left elbow discomfort. Triple-A Jacksonville right-hander Kyle Tyler will start in his place. -Jazz Chisholm Jr. was removed from the game in the sixth inning due to right biceps tightness. He said he felt it cramp up on a throw from center field earlier in the game. View full article