Alex Krutchik

Congratulations to the Miami Marlins on clinching a wild card berth in a full season for the first time since 2003. Your prize? You have to go to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies are draped in history and lore. Thirty-two Hall of Famers have played for this storied franchise over the past century, but perhaps none of them are more iconic than the Phillie Phanatic. The Phanatic debuted in 1978, and quickly became a fan favorite in Philadelphia and across the country. He has transcended sports and become a cultural icon. Anyway, I’m going to analyze whether or not Billy the Marlin can beat him in a fight. Enter Billy: An eight-foot tall swordfish. Even after his sword nose reduction a few years ago, it’s still a lethal weapon that he can push laterally in front of him or rain down blows from up above over the six-foot, six-inch Phanatic. Billy also has a look in his eyes that I can only compare to a sailor that has been lost at sea for many months. Simply put, he is an aquatic killing machine. I’ve heard from sources (the voices in my head) that he isn’t afraid to fight dirty. This is the same fish that heavyweight MMA fighter Yoel Romero in 2017. Romero even flinched when Billy first charged him, because he knows what Billy is capable of. Inversely, the Phillie Phanatic got the brakes beat off of him by a 61-year-old Tommy Lasorda. Don’t get me wrong, the legendary baseball manager could’ve held his ground against anybody. But for those who don’t remember, Lasorda was tired of the Phanatic taunting him with a Lasorda-lookalike mannequin. So Lasorda pummeled him to the ground, took it from the Phanatic, and swung it at him a couple of times for good measure. It was a knockout in under 10 seconds. His biography on the Phillies website says his waist is 90 inches in circumference. Reader, I need you to understand how big 90 inches is. Ninety inches is 7 feet, five inches. Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick this season, is 7 feet, four inches tall. The Phanatic’s waist is currently holding the height equivalent of one of the tallest men to ever play basketball. This thing is not fit to start a fight. The Phanatic is nothing more than an overweight mop come to life. Even if Billy’s sworded nose isn’t effective against the Phanatic, all he’d have to do is play a defensive game as long as possible until the Phanatic gets tired. Billy is a gym rat (gym fish?)—I saw him in the gym before a game bench pressing two 45s on each side...as a warmup. The Phanatic hasn’t hit the gym since the last time the 76ers made the finals. Go ahead, look it up: it’s been a long time. I don’t know how this series will go. Both teams have been impressive this season. All I know for sure is the Phanatic should make himself scarce if Billy the Marlin is in the building.

You won’t catch this Marlins team feeling sorry for themselves. They didn’t feel sorry for themselves when they lost their ace in Sandy Alcantara to a UCL strain in early September, or when they lost potential National League batting champion Luis Arraez to an ankle sprain in mid-September, or when they sat through a 3-hour, 17-minute rain delay at Citi Field that finally concluded at 12:58 a.m. before flying to Pittsburgh for a game that started 17.5 hours later. It’s been a sloppy September for the Marlins off the field, through no fault of their own. But they’ve chosen to look at it positively. “Embrace the adversity,” Marlins utility man Garrett Hampson said to the media prior to Friday’s victory. “I think this group does a really good job with that. I mean, we've had some scenarios this year—weather or travel—things just don't go our way. But we seem to handle it well. So we're going to do that again (this weekend).” After Miami’s game was suspended on Thursday night/Friday morning, they had to hop on a quick flight to Pittsburgh that landed at 4:04 a.m. They arrived at their team hotel at 4:36. Multiple players told the media prior to the game that they didn’t get to bed until as late as 6 a.m. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker didn't want to admit it prior to the game, but he knew his team was feeling the effects of fatigue after their eventful morning. It took until the eighth inning for the Marlins offense to finally wake up. Down 3-0 with a runner at first, Luis Arraez was called to pinch hit for his first appearance since Sept. 23. He delivered a single through the left side of the infield and was immediately pinch-run for. That jump started a four-run inning that included RBI hits from infielders Jake Burger and Josh Bell, and a go-ahead sacrifice fly from center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/29/4206266e-5c993956-638ffc33-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4"I've been proud of them all year," Schumaker said after Friday's victory. "We've done this all year long. We were lethargic, tired. I tried to not say that earlier, but you could tell. I was tired, and I don't do anything. I just do a couple of signs. So I know that they felt it. For them to come back again, the bullpen was excellent, providing so many good innings, keeping us in the game like they always have, I don't know what to even say. It feels like those games happen every other day." https://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/marlins-complete-their-41st-come-from-behind-win-inch-closer-to-playoffs/If it was up to Schumaker, the Marlins would have gutted through the inclement weather to complete their game against the Mets. After the grounds crew started pulling the tarp off the infield shortly after midnight, the first-year manager went onto the field to help them pull it off even further. “He kind of embodies what this team is,” Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings said. “You know, resilient, tough. And we draw a lot from the vibes he gives off. We get a lot of our edge from him and we just feed off of it. I think that's why we're in the position that we’re in.” After the game was supsended, Hampson said the mental turnaround to focus on the Pittsburgh series was immediate. “(Schumaker) just said we got to be ready, we got to go to Pittsburgh, and we got to try to put it behind us, whatever just happened,” Hampson said. “It's in the past. We can't take it back. So we got three games here that we need to focus on and treat them like a must-win.” Hampson added: “He's a great leader. He's what you want leading a group of men. And I mean, we all love him. We have a lot of respect for him and want to play hard and win for him." This has perhaps been the toughest month the Marlins have faced this season—deflating injuries, bizarre weather issues and a stretch of 16 consecutive games without any days off. Yet, their .640 win percentage (16-9) makes this their second-most successful month in 2023. “I just feel like this team kind of thrives when adversity hits,” Stallings said. “I feel like we kind of just rise to the occasion. We’ve got a really good group of guys and we’ve kind of been doing it all year. So we’ve just got to do it this weekend as well.” Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

It’s always the one you least suspect. When Miami Marlins reliever Tanner Scott took the mound against New York Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil to begin the ninth inning tied at 1-1, there were several possible outcomes that at-bat could have taken. As a less-successful Luis Arraez prototype, there was no doubt the contact-heavy McNeil would do anything more than hit a single, or even perhaps a double if he really put some power behind it. Instead, McNeil delivered a go-ahead home run to right field to give New York the 2-1 lead. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/18/a9077a8b-e0356bd4-f5f296ca-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Prior to that at-bat, McNeil had only hit nine home runs this year. Conversely, Tanner Scott had only given up two home runs this year, and they both came in the same game all the way back on April 25. Coming into Monday’s loss, Scott hadn't allowed any earned runs in 22 innings over his last 18 games dating back to July 31. “He's human,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said of Scott. “I mean, he's going to give up another run probably over the next few games too. I mean, he's been lights out. And yes, some good hitters run into baseballs every now and then. And McNeil put a good swing on the slider and hit it out.” Asked after the game how quickly he’d get over this outing, Scott said, “it’s already gone. It happened. I threw a mistake pitch and he hit it. So I’ve just got to live with it, and tomorrow is a new day and we’ll play them again.” Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera—making his first start since getting sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville on Aug. 1—pitched a solid game, giving up one run in 5 ⅓ innings. The 25-year-old was sent down largely due to his control and command issues. When he came back up earlier in September, he had two lengthy appearances out of the bullpen to varying degrees of success, giving up two walks in four innings on Sept. 6 and six walks in 4 ⅔ innings on Sept. 12. On Monday, he allowed one walk and threw 51 of his 77 pitches for strikes. His 66% strike rate was just a few points shy of his season-high of 69.6% against the Washington Nationals on May 17. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/18/90d3f7de-6bb3ced8-7b71ffea-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4The Marlins offense didn’t help the pitching staff much at all on Monday. After putting up 36 runs against the Atlanta Braves over the weekend, the Marlins only scored one run against Mets starter José Butto over six innings, and were shut out by their bullpen the rest of the way. Luis Arraez began the day with a single, becoming the fourth player in Marlins history with at least 200 hits in a single season. The record was set by Juan Pierre with 221 in 2004. https://fishonfirst.com/news/luis-arraez-reaches-200-hits-but-is-still-chasing-more/The only run scored was when Joey Wendle hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Jesús Sánchez scored from third. Tied at 1-1 in the sixth inning, it seemed like Jorge Soler had given the Marlins the lead when he cranked a ball to the left field concourse at 109.8 MPH and a projected distance of 428 feet according to Statcast. Soler rounded the bases, the LED lights at LoanDepot Park started flashing, but crew chief Nestor Ceja called a quick umpires meeting and ruled the ball foul. An official replay review confirmed the call. Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

Jazz Chisholm Jr. told Ronald Acuña Jr. and Marcell Ozuna before Friday’s series opener that the Miami Marlins would win this weekend’s series against the surging Atlanta Braves. “I said, ‘You guys might win one and it’ll be a close game, but we're going to blow you out twice,'” Chisholm told the two Braves that he considers friends. “They laughed about it, and they said, ‘you know we’re the best’ and I said, ‘I don’t care.’" Even while embellishing how dominant the Marlins would be this weekend, Chisholm couldn’t have predicted this kind of beatdown. On Sunday, the Marlins completed their first three-game sweep of the Braves since late September 2015. The Braves ended that season 67-95 and were still three years away from their first postseason appearance with their current core. Their best two players by WAR were Andrelton Simmons and Shelby Miller. A.J. Pierzynski was Atlanta’s cleanup hitter the last time the Braves were swept by Miami. This weekend’s sweep felt a lot different, though. The 2023 Braves have already clinched the National League East, coming into this weekend’s series at 96-50. They were 9-1 against the Marlins this season before this weekend, and 68-28 since 2018. Additionally, the Marlins find themselves occupying the final NL Wild Card spot in their first competitive non-COVID season since 2016. “Our team is here to fight,” Chisholm said. “That’s why I don't really care who we go up against, because I know that my team is going to go out there and battle every single pitch.” These three wins weren’t exactly pitching duels that suit Miami's personnel. Instead, the Marlins had to beat the Braves at their own game and out-slug them on Friday in a 9-6 victory. They hit four home runs on Saturday to beat Atlanta 11-5, and they scored a season-high 16 runs on Sunday. https://fishonfirst.com/game-coverage/marlins-braves-9-17-23/Marlins starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo, who grew up a Marlins fan in South Florida, said this Miami team is different from the ones he watched as a kid. “The first two games, I feel like we came out hot,” said Luzardo, who threw six shutout innings on Sunday. “They came back and kind of punched us back in the mouth. I feel like Marlins teams of the past—I can speak as a Marlins fan—would’ve rolled over at times. But I feel like this team just doesn’t do that.” Sunday’s 16-2 victory over the Braves was a culmination of everything the Marlins knew they could be when everyone is playing to their highest level. Eight starters reached base, Nick Fortes went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, and Luis Arraez had another three-hit game. Jon Berti, who came to Miami from Toronto in 2019 and is currently the longest-tenured Marlin, went 1-for-1 off the bench. “So obviously we know what (the Braves) can do,” Berti said. “But we also know what we can do, and when we can put it together and play the kind of baseball we played this weekend, we showed we can compete with them.” Berti continued: “I honestly didn't learn anything other than continuing to confirm what I already know about this team. We’re just super resilient. There's never any give-up.” Over the weekend, the Marlins also finally notched an accomplishment that had eluded them all season—on Saturday, in their 149th game, Chisholm hit a grand slam. And then, the next day, he hit another one. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/17/69953ff9-d70cfd58-e9cac9c0-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4This weekend, Chisholm went 4-for-9 with five walks. He said this sweep is important for Miami’s momentum as they battle for the last wild card spot. “It does a lot,” Chisholm said. “We just beat the number one team in baseball. For us, It means everything. Because we know if we can beat the Braves, everyone else is not a problem.” Photo by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

It’s okay if you weren’t expecting a late-inning, go-ahead home run from Jacob Stallings on Friday night. He didn’t look like he saw it coming, either. Stallings was in a heated sprint around first base as his long fly ball sailed towards left field in the seventh inning. It wasn’t until he was halfway to second base that the ball finally landed in the seats to break a 2-2 tie, and Stallings could slow to a leisurely jog, crack a smile, and admire his third home run of the year. The Marlins catcher doesn’t get a lot of chances to wear the celebratory straw home run hat, but this was perhaps his most important home run of the year. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/08/ada29941-25d922f2-de88f0bc-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Needing a win to keep pace with the final NL Wild Card holder, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami found themselves in another low-scoring game in which they couldn’t buy a run against a starting pitcher. The Marlins were shut out by Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez over the first five innings. It wasn’t until the sixth inning when Jesús Sánchez, pinch-hitting for Garrett Hampson, hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2, setting up Stallings’ go-ahead homer in the following inning. Sánchez is hitting .350 with a 1.085 OPS in his career as a pinch-hitter. While clutch when it mattered, the offense was mostly anemic outside of those two at-bats. The Marlins racked up seven hits and only got three runners into scoring position. Marlins starting pitcher Eury Pérez gave up two runs over five innings—a solo home run to Trea Turner in the first inning and an RBI single to Bryce Harper in the third. Perez walked three and struck out four. With the game still tied at 2-2 in the sixth, David Robertson tossed a scoreless frame. Steven Okert then recorded two outs in the seventh but also hit a batter and allowed a single. With two outs and two runners on, Andrew Nardi came in relief, allowed a walk to Bryce Harper to load the bases, and induced a ground ball out to Nick Castellanos to escape the inning. He has stranded a league leading 88% (32/36) of his inherited runners this year. After Nardi went 1-2-3 in the eighth, Marlins closer Tanner Scott went 1-2-3 as well to close the game. Scott has 14 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run dating back to July 31. A Marlins victory in either of the two remaining games this weekend would clinch the season series against the Phillies. That would also serve as a Wild Card race tiebreaker between them (if necessary). Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Following the theme of the prior two games of their series against the Washington Nationals, the Miami Marlins jumped on the Nationals’ starting pitcher. The latest victim? Trevor Williams. Williams allowed nine runs (eight earned) in four innings on Saturday. He also allowed four home runs—two solo home runs to Jake Burger and three-run knocks to Jesús Sánchez and Bryan De La Cruz. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/02/fac44308-1ea509a4-0fda0f39-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/02/cfcea4e0-b2ebf69c-12b3e3e8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/02/b3737bf2-ba35d6ad-eca398e4-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4The Marlins have put up 17 total runs against starting pitching in the first three games of this series. Aside from openers for bullpen games and an injured Tony Gonsolin earlier in the month, the Marlins had only scored 26 runs against starting pitching since Aug. 6. Eight of Miami’s starters recorded a hit, with De La Cruz and Luis Arraez each getting four. De La Cruz entered the day slashing .306/.362/.529 in Sept./Oct. in his career. For Arraez, it was his seventh game of the year with four or more hits. Working with a big cushion from the first inning onward, Marlins starting pitcher Johnny Cueto had a solid outing. He allowed three runs and five hits in five-plus innings. He ended his day by giving up a leadoff home run to Nationals right fielder Lane Thomas. Making his seventh start for Miami, Cueto earned his elusive first win. Marlins reliever Geoff Hartlieb, making his first appearance in this current MLB stint, pitched three scoreless innings. JT Chargois recorded two outs in the ninth before allowing three consecutive hits and two runs. After a mound visit by pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Chargois was able to get the final out and avoid forcing the Marlins to burn another bullpen arm to close out the game. The Marlins are now 10-2 against Washington this year, and 6-0 at Nationals Park. Sunday will be their final head-to-head meeting of 2023. Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

It’s no secret that the Marlins offense has been fledgling over the past three weeks. They have scored 64 runs since being shut out 6-0 against the Texas Rangers on August 6, which is tied for the fewest in the majors in that span. Out of those 3.55 total runs per game, most of them are coming against relievers. Opposing starting pitchers—excluding openers for bullpen games and Los Angeles starter Tony Gonsolin, who was later found to be pitching with a forearm injury after allowing 10 runs against Miami—have only allowed 22 earned runs against the Marlins in the past 14 games. That’s a 2.30 ERA, a mark that would make a Cy Young candidate blush. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker acknowledged after Friday’s 7-4 loss to the Washington Nationals that it’s an issue they are painfully aware of. “It's not for lack of urgency,” Schumaker said. “It's not for lack of game-planning. We have to execute and we're just not executing right now.” Throughout the season, the splits have been glaring in how the Marlins perform in the first third of the game compared to the final third. In innings one through three, Miami is hitting .250 with a .693 OPS, which is 14 percent below league average in that split. In innings seven through nine, their average goes up to .273 while their OPS is .752, eleven percent higher than league average. Those numbers are even more staggering in the second half of the season, leading to their 12-26 skid since the break. “That’s part of the game is we have to execute the game plan,” Schumaker said. “All that stuff is ready for us. The preparation is there. Now we just have to execute out on the field. And we were really good getting to the relievers it feels like. But lately, attacking that starter and getting to the starter has been hurting us in the second half.” The Marlins have had two very exciting comeback victories during this span—one against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 9 in which Josh Bell hit a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth inning, and another against the New York Yankees on Aug. 13 in which Miami scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 8-7. In both those games, the Marlins did virtually nothing against starting pitching. Graham Ashcraft allowed one run in the first seven innings for the Reds, while Yankees starter Gerrit Cole allowed two runs in six innings. In Friday's series opener against the Nationals, the Marlins were shut out through six innings by Joan Adon, who came into the game with a 7.00 ERA. They didn’t even record a hit until the sixth. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/25/392cd8fb-fab0ee21-974a5e07-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4After Washington reliever Mason Thompson entered the game in the seventh, the Marlins put up four runs in the frame, but still fell short and lost 7-4. While exciting, Schumaker said those comeback wins were a product of not getting to the starter. “So as great as that is to get four in the bottom of the seventh, we have to get to the starter,” Schumaker said. “So that's going to be the mission. Not that we haven't been trying before, don't get me wrong. But that's kind of the mission going forward: how do we attack that starter, score first, and hold the lead?” Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

First baseman Josh Bell was not what many fans had considered to be the gem of the Miami Marlins trade deadline, coming from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for third baseman Jean Segura and minor league shortstop Kahlil Watson. The power-hitting switch hitter posted career lows in OPS+ in 2022 with the San Diego Padres (74) and in the first half of 2023 with the Cleveland Guardians (97). But in his first ten games with the Marlins, Bell is slashing .308/.372/.667 (12-for-39) with four home runs. One of those home runs was a game-tying three-run shot in the eighth inning of Miami’s game at the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 9. Bell also had a game-tying single in the 11th inning on Aug. 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies, his first game as a Marlin. The Marlins would go on to win both of those games. Since Aug. 2, Bell leads the Marlins in Win Probability Added With 0.87. “I think it was great for him to do it early, because maybe he can take a deep breath,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said prior to Saturday’s 3-1 win against the New York Yankees. “Being traded knowing that ‘alright, I'm part of this thing. I've already helped them win games and now I can just play’ and not feel pressure that he has to do something more than he's already capable of doing was big early on. So I think he's just playing his game now.” https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/09/dacb5f3a-28969343-675092a2-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Bell had been hitting the ball just as hard in the first half of 2023 as he had in previous seasons with a 10.6% barrel rate as of Aug. 12, his second-highest of his career behind a 12.7% in 2019. But the results just weren’t there. He was slugging .383 with a .233 batting average this year before coming to Miami. He hit 11 home runs in 393 plate appearances with Cleveland while he has four in 44 plate appearances with the Marlins. “I was hitting the ball really hard in Cleveland,” Bell told Fish on First. “Just didn't have a lot of luck. I don't know if it's the turf here, if it's the change of threads and being on a different lineup…I’ve definitely got to give a shout out to the hitting guys here. The preparation is on point. I go into each and every at-bat feeling like I know what to expect and know what to look for.” Having coached against him as a bench coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 and 2022, Schumaker knew Bell was a tough at-bat who could hit equally well from both sides of the plate, largely avoiding any extreme platoon splits throughout his career. But the first-year Marlins manager said he’s learned about Bell’s character off the field in the last week-and-a-half. “What I didn't know is his work ethic and what kind of person he was,” Schumaker said. “We're trying to provide and create a winning culture for not just this year, but for years to come. And when you add guys like him to this clubhouse, it only helps everyone else as well.” For now, Bell said he wants to be a “fly on the wall” and understand how things operate in Miami. He said catcher and former Florida State League teammate Jacob Stallings reached out and explained the culture of the team. While he hasn’t been here for long, Bell is already contributing to—and benefiting from—that culture that Schumaker and his staff have instilled this year. “I think just the trust coming over here, seeing that I was hitting third in the lineup on day one and playing first base,” Bell said. “I was (hitting) maybe fifth or sixth in Cleveland. Just knowing that Skip trusted me and the front office trusted me to have extra at-bats to kind of solidify the middle of the lineup definitely meant a lot, especially after having such bad luck. So you know, that kind of set a standard for me. I was like ‘alright, if you’re gonna hit third, you better be ready to go.’ So I feel good. And it kind of lit a fire underneath.” Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images

The Miami Marlins entered the All-Star break in mid-July with a 53-39 record, their highest win total at the break in franchise history. The team was outperforming expectations in multiple facets and entrenched in a wild card spot. First-year manager Skip Schumaker and his coaching staff were at the forefront of this drastic turnaround from last year in which the Marlins finished 69-93. Coming out of the break, though, the Marlins lost a season-high eight consecutive games. Suddenly, everyone was panicking as Miami seemingly turned back into a pumpkin. Well, everyone outside the clubhouse was panicking about the streak. Not so much internally. “It was just a little more attention to detail, a little more energy in the dugout, whatever little thing we could do to help get us back on track,” Jon Berti told Fish On First prior to Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. “But there was no panic ever amongst the players, amongst the coaching staff, amongst anyone in here.” That even-keeled nature of the clubhouse paid off, with Miami having snapped their streak on July 23 against the Colorado Rockies. The Marlins proceeded to win four of their last six games going into their pivotal series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. During that losing streak, Schumaker, who was on the radar for NL Manager of the Year going into the All-Star break, was faced with his biggest obstacle of his young managerial career. One of the keys he mentioned was giving guys a reason to smile when they come into the ballpark every day. “There's different things you try in the clubhouse,” Schumaker said on Saturday. “I think you just don't want monotony. You want to be excited to come in if you're a coach or a player, and you want to have fun coming to work.” The streak was a combination of bad luck, playing down to offensive slumps, and blown late leads. “I think when you're going through that, you kind of find out who you are as a player, manager, coach, whatever it is,” Schumaker said. “I think the last thing you want is to tell guys, 'you need to try harder, you need to have a little sense of urgency' when you have a clubhouse like that. It's one thing if they weren't going about it the right way. But these guys are going about it the right way. There's a care factor.” The Marlins brought in seven new coaches prior to the season, including hitting coaches Brant Brown and John Mabry. The new culture Schumaker and his assistant coaches have instilled has been noted as a factor in their successful season by several players, including sixth-year player Garrett Cooper. “I think the coaching staff has done a great job this year, regardless of wins and losses, to have the same attitude every day in the hitters meetings,” Cooper said Saturday. “I don't think there was too much of a panic even though maybe the fans and social media had a little bit of a panic.” At no point did the Marlins fall more than one game outside of playoff position. After their win on Sunday, they find themselves eight games above .500 and tied for the final NL wild card spot. Berti, in his fifth season with the Marlins, said the players and coaches have gelled together and have trust amongst each other that they “maybe didn't have in the past.” That camaraderie is what kept the streak from spiraling out of control. “I think it just comes back to us enjoying each other as teammates,” Berti said. “It makes it a fun atmosphere for us to want to come to the ballpark and see our teammates. It just makes it that much easier and doesn't make the losing hurt as bad or last as long.”

Up by three runs against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning, the Miami Marlins were eight outs away from snapping a season-long seven-game losing streak. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait at least one more day. Rockies right fielder Nolan Jones hit a three-run home run off Marlins reliever J.T. Chargois halfway up the second deck in right field. Just like that, their first win since July 9 was in peril. The Rockies subsequently scored the go-ahead run in the ninth on a Randal Grichuk RBI single in the ninth off Tanner Scott. Scott, who had been the Marlins setup man this year in front of closing pitcher A.J. Puk, had been given the ninth-inning role on Saturday, with Puk pitching a perfect eighth. “Puk has not lost his closing role,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “There's just certain pockets I want Tanner in. You know, higher leverage. Like the (Elias) Diaz, (Ryan) McMahon, the 3-4-5 hole, that I felt—this series, at least—was better suited for Scott over Puk. I talked to him about it a couple days ago to let him know that was the decision only if that pocket comes up. Otherwise it would’ve been flipped and Puk would’ve had the ninth.” Perhaps the most frustrating part of this loss was the wasting of a very productive start from Johnny Cueto. The 37-year-old was making his first start since early April where he allowed four runs over one inning before leaving with an injury to his right biceps. Coupled with an ankle injury during a rehab start, Cueto had a 10.24 ERA over seven rehab starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Cueto allowed zero runs in six innings on Saturday, being pulled after allowing a single to open the seventh inning (he was charged with one when Chargois allowed one of his inherited runners to score in the seventh). https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/22/c17bfe8a-452280dd-c050a9d6-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Cueto racked up eight strikeouts and 17 whiffs, 14 of those coming off his fastball. He had just one whiff in 50 pitches during his most recent rehab appearance last week. The Marlins offense got to an early lead thanks to a Joey Wendle RBI single in the second inning, followed by a Luis Arraez RBI triple and Jorge Soler sacrifice fly in the fifth. But it still felt like they left runs on the board. Garrett Cooper and Jon Berti each grounded into inning-ending double plays in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively. The Marlins lead the majors with 105 double plays grounded into this season, averaging more than one per game. The Marlins will send Jesús Luzardo to the mound on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to salvage the series finale.

Marlins pitchers held the Phillies scoreless over the final seven innings, with A.J. Puk redeeming himself from the night before by securing the save.The Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Saturday to stop a short two-game skid and set themselves up for a rubber match on Sunday. Jorge Soler had his fingerprints all over the victory, starting the scoring for Miami with a solo home run to left field in the first inning to tie the game at 1-1 and driving home Dane Myers on a sacrifice fly to center field in the fourth inning to give the Marlins the 4-3 lead—a lead they would not give up for the rest of the game. Myers himself went 2-for-4, the third multi-hit of his five-game career. One of those hits was a two-RBI single in the first inning to give Miami a temporary 3-1 lead. Luis Arraez, who was initially given a day off, hit a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Marlins an insurance run. A 1-2-3 eighth inning from Tanner Scott gave way to A.J. Puk getting the ninth inning. Puk had blown saves in his last two outings, most recently in Friday night’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies. Aside from a hard-hit ball off Puk’s wrist that resulted in a single for Alex Bohm, Puk breezed through the ninth and picked up the save. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/ddf110cb-3028-4169-8f7f-a8098c80544b.mp4“Blowing a couple of saves in a row, I mean there's really good closers—All-Star closers right now that made the All-Star team—that have blown two saves in a row,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Those are going to happen. I think it shows the resiliency of our team…All those guys wanted Puk out there again, guarantee it. They weren't thinking in the back of their mind like, ‘Oh man, here we go.’ I mean, losers say, ‘Here we go again.’ Winning teams say, ‘We want that guy out there again.’" Braxton Garrett was tagged with a lot of hard contact, particularly in the early innings, having allowed all three of his runs in the first two innings. “Kind of had to switch up the game plan there mid-game,” Garrett said. “Not even necessarily because of their approach but because of how I was throwing certain pitches…My slider I feel just hasn't been super sharp, and the cutter today just didn't stay up in the zone enough for me, so it just kind of went into that happy zone middle-middle for them.” Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins

It’s been a rare sight for the Marlins this year, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. A combination of usual-shutdown closer A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro allowed three runs in the ninth inning to cough up what would have been a 1-0 Marlins victory. Puk, who had not given up a run in nine consecutive starts dating back to May 6, allowed a leadoff single to pinch hitter Josh Palacios. After getting Ke’Bryan Hayes to fly out to left field, Andrew McCutchen singled. Palacios and McCutchen executed a successful double steal, which allowed Palacios to subsequently score the game-tying run on a Connor Joe ground out. Still at second base with cleanup hitter Carlos Santana at the plate, McCutchen stole third and later scored the go-ahead run on a Santana single to center field. “They got hits,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “But the stolen bases…we got exposed again today. We really have to clean that part of our game up.” The Marlins are allowing .91 stolen bases per game—fifth-worst in the majors. “We’ve had conversations all year long,” Schumaker said. “So I guess I have to message it a little differently to figure that out. Because it’s a real thing. Especially late in the game. You give guys chances to get back into a game. It kind of affected the outcome.” Dylan Floro came in relief of Puk with two outs and allowed an RBI single to pinch hitter Tucupita Marcano. Jesús Luzardo pitches gemIf I had a nickel for every time a Marlins left-handed pitcher threw a gem against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week, I’d have two nickels. One night after teammates Braxton Garrett gave up one earned run against the Pittsburgh Pirates and struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings, Jesús Luzardo tossed a seven-inning shutout en route to a 3-1 loss. Luzardo allowed a first-inning single to Connor Joe and proceeded to retire the next 10 batters before allowing a single to Henry Davis in the fifth inning. That single was then negated by a double play on the next at-bat to Rodolfo Castro. Those were the only two hits Luzardo gave up Friday night. It was Luzardo’s third time this season he completed seven innings, and the first time in his career he pitched into the eighth, although he was pulled after giving up his only walk all game to leadoff hitter Henry Davis. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/23/83adb5c3-5c64702d-6f7f89fe-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Luzardo looked equally effective on his four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. Five of his nine strikeouts were on the slider, with three of them being on the fastball, and one on the changeup. https://darkroom-clips.mlb.com/99267a89-f91d-4c46-824a-2c25c37292cc.mp4Luzardo said he wanted to get back to relying on all of his pitches this year instead of falling back on one of them. “I kind of got away from it,” Luzardo said. “Last year I felt like it helped me out a lot just being able to use both sides of the plate, going east-to-west, north-to-south instead of just pounding one side of the plate and relying on two pitches. Nick (Fortes) has done a good job with me just creating a game plan, following it, and being able to find certain areas to use both sides of the plate with all of my pitches.” Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was the only time this season that Marlins starters have gone seven or more innings in back-to-back-to-back games. On the Pittsburgh side, Luis Ortiz overcame early trouble to complete a career-high eight innings, inducing three double plays along the way. The Pirates' 10-game losing streak is no more.