THOMAS JOSEPH

MIAMI, FL — For Miami Marlins starting pitcher Chris Paddack, his struggles on Sunday weren't subject to bad luck or being BABIP'd—he just wasn't good. Paddack allowed six runs to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning and was removed in the top of the third. The Marlins remain winless in games that Paddack has started this season, and in this case, they were forced to use much of their bullpen during a stretch of 10 straight games with no days off.
Trea Turner led off the game with a double. Paddack proceeded to walk both Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Alec Bohm grounded into what would've been a fielder's choice, but the Marlins were not able to get any outs out of it, allowing Turner to score and give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Paddack then walked Brandon Marsh with the bases loaded to allow another run. J.T. Realmuto sac fly got the first out of the game, but the Phillies added their third run of the game.
The big blow came from Bryson Stott when he took Paddack deep for his second home run of the season. Both of Stott's home runs have come in this series. It gave the Phillies a 6-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, Justin Crawford knocked in his club's seventh run.
"I just sat on the bench and kind of reviewed the game on the iPad," Paddack said. "A lot of uncompetitive pitches with two strikes is what I saw the trend was. What I mean by that, is just some pitches that were just completely out of the zone led into those 3-2 counts, the three walks there I felt like I never could get into a groove. I noticed I was pulling some fastballs early. Never drove any fastballs to the bottom of the zone. They were able to lay off some changeups below. Being a guy that commands the baseball, throws the ball where I want to, I just felt off tonight."
As Paddack was coming off the field, fans let him know their feeling, booing him. This was not only a sign of frustration amongst the fanbase boiling over, but likely what could be a sign that the decision to continue having Paddack in the rotation may not be the right one.
Right now, it wouldn't make sense to move on from Paddack altogether. A move to the bullpen could potentially benefit him. He has struggled to go deep into game, so using him in shorter bursts could be the best fit, as he seems to have found some success in that type of role.
Through seven appearances this season (six starts), Paddack has a 7.63 ERA, 5.01 FIP, 7.92 K/9 and 2.93 BB/9. Paddack has described his season as a "roller coaster."
"I've been here before. It definitely sucks," Paddack said. "I feel like this year I haven't been able to allow things to continue over. Right when we think we're getting in a good place, I get hit in the mouth again. There's no excuse for it. I'm a competitor. I work my butt off. Trying to be the best teammate that I can and a role model for some of our younger guys in the clubhouse. I got to look at myself in the mirror, and I have to clean some things up, and that starts with myself."
In Triple-A right now, Braxton Garrett has a 1.71 ERA in 26 ⅓ innings pitched. Garrett was originally sent down to build back up as he underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2025 season, but at this point, he has shaken off all of the rust.
Along with Garrett, Fish On First's No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling leads Triple-A with 44 strikeouts. He also has a 1.86 ERA, 290 FIP, 13.66 K/9 and 4.66 BB/9 in six starts this season. Just like Garrett, Snelling has nothing left to prove in the minors. His call-up may take a bit longer given he is not on the 40-man roster and Garrett has a half-decade of major league experience.
McCullough shut down any potential speculation regarding Paddack's future in the rotation, saying that he will be making his next scheduled start, which is on Friday in the series opener against the Washington Nationals.
"Outside of today, Chris is throwing the ball well," McCullough said. "He has probably ran against some tough luck in some outings, but he has thrown the ball and kept us in the games that he's pitched. Today it was a tough one from pitch one till it was over."
After Paddack, a group comprised of John King, Tyler Phillips, Josh Ekness and Calvin Faucher shutout the Phillies lineup, allowing five hits and striking out five.
Phillips, who had received most of the high-leverage situations after closer Pete Fairbanks was placed on the injured list, threw three innings, 47 pitches, essentially knocking him out for the next two days.
"He's been built out and he's done that on a number of occasions for us," McCullough said. "That's the best way for us to try to navigate through today, try to preserve as many options as we have for the next couple of days going forward. We have a really good bullpen, and we have guys that can throw in a lot of different places and can do things. Tyler has done that on a lot of occasions, as have a lot of other guys. His ability to also provide that type of length either way, but in a game like today, does a lot to just save everyone down there from getting taxed."
The Marlins offense didn't get much going until the bottom of the seventh inning. Leo Jiménez, who got the start at third base, was hit by a pitch and Esteury Ruiz took Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo deep for his second home run of the season. It also marked Ruiz's second home run this week, with his first coming on Wednesday in the series finale against the LA Dodgers.
Ruiz is now slashing .286/.286/.786/1.072 with two home runs, three RBI and a 189 wRC+. It has only been seven games for Ruiz this season, but early on he is making a strong impact when he's been on the field.
"He's been a performer in Triple-A," McCullough said. "He is someone that our group targeted this offseason. Certainly, the speed and ability to play all three outfield spots, but felt like offensively, there was some potential there for something to translate to the major league level if given the opportunity."
Fish On First's No. 20 prospect Josh Ekness made his MLB debut, tossing a 1-2-3 inning. His fastball topped out at 98.4 mph, averaging 97.9 mph. 
With the loss, the Marlins drop back down to two games under .500, 16-18. With Janson Junk on the mound, Miami will go for a series split. First pitch is at 6:40 pm.

The Miami Marlins are addressing an immediate weakness by promoting somebody who they hope will prove to be a long-term building block. Catcher Joe Mack is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, as first reported by Craig Mish of Marlins.TV following Sunday's loss. The corresponding roster move will be optioning Agustín Ramírez to Jacksonville. The Marlins won't be announcing the move until Monday.
Mack was the 31st overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. It wasn't until the 2024 season that he began emerging as an impact player in their farm system. Now ranked third on the Fish On First Top 30, he has spent more than a full year at Triple-A. In those 123 games, he is slashing .249/.334/.444 with 21 home runs and nine stolen bases.
But the 23-year-old projects to be even more valuable on defense. Minor League Baseball's 2024 Gold Glove award winner at catcher, Mack possesses a plus-plus arm and at least average ability as a receiver, blocker and framer. In 23 games at catcher this season, he has a 29% caught stealing rate (the International League average is 22%). Without Mack's services, the Marlins have allowed an MLB-high 42 steals. They also were the league's worst in that department in 2025.
Not only does Mack stand out among Marlins position player talent, he's ranked 50th overall on Baseball America's Top 100 MLB prospects list, 54th on MLB Pipeline's and 37th on Just Baseball's.
Meanwhile, second-year backstop Liam Hicks has dramatically boosted his stock, emerging as the Marlins' leading run producer. Mack figures to start the majority of games behind the plate moving forward, but Hicks should get ample playing time at designated hitter and first base while still catching about twice per week.
Although demoting Ramírez is entirely justified, the timing of this move came as a surprise because the Marlins had been continuing to give him regular reps. Playing in 31 of a possible 34 games, the "Gus Bus" is slashing .239/.328/.358 (86 wRC+). He has homered only twice despite being gifted with elite raw power.
Ramírez is a horrible defensive catcher and he has been since the moment the Marlins acquired him in 2024. The organization has stubbornly kept his full focus on that position rather than attempting to create some versatility with work at first base or the corner outfield spots. That makes him an awkward fit for their active roster now that Mack has been deemed fully ready.
Ramírez entered this year with all three of his minor league options intact.

MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins took a different approach to free agency last offseason compared to previous years of the Peter Bendix era. They signed four different veterans to major league deals (five if you also include Austin Slater at the end of spring training). Without question, left-hander John King has been the best of them all thus far, not to mention the top reliever on the entire team.
Through his team-leading 15 appearances entering Saturday, King has a 0.66 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 8.56 K/9 and 3.29 BB/9. His ERA is tied for 10th-lowest among qualified MLB relievers. He has allowed only two hits. That is $1.5M very well spent.
"He's shown he's been incredibly durable, and someone who always wants the ball no matter what," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said on Friday. "The situation is not always the greatest, but what John does and his ability to come in and collect outs helps us win games. It also helps keep guys fresh."
So far this season, the Marlins have used King in all kinds of situations. He has been especially effective in what Baseball-Reference defines as high-leverage moments, retiring all seven batters faced.
"I feel like as pitchers, you face those guys are kind of like are bigger than baseball itself," King said. "I just think that treating them like everyone else and just attacking, getting ahead—their numbers go down when you get ahead of one versus one. Obviously, they capitalize on mistakes. Even probably more so, they hit great pitches. I think putting yourself in the best opportunity for success is getting ahead. I just think that with experience, the game kind of has slowed down for me."
In the past series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, King was utilized in all three games. He tossed 2 ⅔ total shutout innings in a Marlins series win.
"I think going into it, it's something John had done in the past," McCullough said of using him three consecutive days. "Him coming into spring training, he can handle it. Generally, his workload, the amount of hitters asked him to face, is a little bit narrower than some other guys."
Previously a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, King's 2025 season was one of the worst of his career, where in 48 ⅓ innings pitched, he posted a 4.66 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 5.21 K/9 and 2.61 BB/9. King's agent is friends with Bendix and was encouraged by what the Marlins organization had been doing with player development on the pitching side, leading to an agreement.
"The hot run that the team went on last year and just being in Miami is sweet, too," King told Fish On First. "There's a lot of things that I was really excited talking to them about and seeing if we could work something out. I was fortunate enough they offered me a deal, and I took it right away."
Unusual for a reliever, King has a six-pitch arsenal. He also did last season, but relied heavily on his sinker, using it 59.2% of the time. With the Marlins, that usage has been cut in half to 28.7%. Although his sinker's velocity has dropped, its whiff rate has gone way up from 15.7% to 40.9%.
"I had become super predictable throwing it that much," King said. "In spring training, I had a meeting with some of the front office and pitching staff, and they told me how they want me to mix and they want me to throw a sweeper. I can command the ball pretty well, and I'm still learning to command the breaking stuff as well as the sinker and changeup. I think putting it all together just makes me a little bit more unpredictable and a little bit more uncomfortable with that, especially with righties."
King was terrible against right-handed batters last season, allowing a .374/.437/.542/.979 slash line. On the other hand, he's dominating them with the Fish (.050/.208/.200/.408 in 24 PA).

King has yet to enter in any save situations, but that may change in the coming weeks. With Pete Fairbanks sidelined due to nerve irritation, the Marlins are using a closer-by-committee approach. If favorable matchups present themselves in the ninth inning, King should be trusted to get the job done.

MIAMI, FL — Following the Miami Marlins' 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the team optioned left-handed pitcher Cade Gibson to Triple-A Jacksonville. The corresponding move was selecting the contract of Fish On First's No. 20 prospect, Josh Ekness.
A hard-throwing right-hander selected by the Marlins in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Ekness told reporters that he received a call Friday night at around 11:45 pm. "They were telling me I needed to come sign some paperwork for my passport, because I had an appointment I needed to get for that. Had just been putting it off for years, and they had me sign a bunch of papers, and all of a sudden he's got one more and he slaps a sheet down, saying, 'Congrats, you're gonna be a big leaguer.' Caught me a bit off guard, but definitely excited to be here."
This season with Jacksonville, Ekness has a 5.68 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 14.92 K/9 and 4.26 BB/9 in 12 ⅔ innings pitched. The timing of this call-up is unusual as he has allowed seven runs in his last 3 ⅔ innings pitched. Before that rough stretch, though, he had allowed only one earned run and struck out 15 in nine innings of work. Across 142 career innings in the Marlins MiLB system, Ekness owns a 3.30 ERA and 3.28 FIP.
The 24-year-old reliever boasts a 70-grade fastball, which in his most recent outing on Thursday topped out at 97.4 mph and averaged 96.8 mph. Along with the fastball, he throws a sinker, slider and sweeper.
While there is no questioning the quality of his stuff, Ekness has room to improve in the control department.
"I think mainly putting an emphasis on the execution part and being more external has helped me kind of limit some of the bigger misses and uncompetitive misses helped me just get focused on getting ahead and staying ahead in counts," Ekness said. "Usually, I'm pretty good at putting guys away when I get to the counts, but I just needed to be efficient and get to those counts to have that opportunity."
Ekness' role on the team will be interesting. He has been used in all sorts of situations during his rise through the minors. He is particularly effective against right-handed batters—none of them have recorded an extra-base hit against him since 2024.
"He has been stretched out some and gone multiple innings," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "I think right now that's how we'll look to use him. What maybe is best for that particular day and where the overall group is, but it is important that guys can come up here and do a variety of things."
Health permitting, fellow 2023 draftees left-hander Thomas White and outfielder Kemp Alderman will contribute to the Marlins this season. However, Ekness is the first member of that draft class to reach the big leagues.
The Marlins 40-man roster is now full. Game two between the Marlins and Phillies is at 4:10 pm on Saturday.

We're bringing you a bonus episode of Fish Unfiltered this week! Ely Sussman and Nate Karzmer react to the call-up of right-hander Josh Ekness, then do an overview of the first month-plus of the 2026 Miami Marlins season. Which players have boosted their stock since Opening Day and which ones have us most concerned? 
You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

The Marlins completed April with a 15-16 record, sitting in second place in the National League East division.
The historic start to Liam Hicks' sophomore season has been a bright spot. Hicks has already exceeded his home run total from 2025 while driving in more runs than any other MLB catcher ever has at this point on the calendar. Otto López and Xavier Edwards have also been in NL batting title contention, forming arguably the best middle infield in the sport. Sandy Alcantara is stabilizing Miami's starting rotation, Janson Junk is comfortably holding onto his own rotation spot, and John King and Michael Petersen are impressing out of the bullpen.
After being the Marlins' best right-handed hitter as a rookie, Heriberto Hernández slumped so severely last month that he's been demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville. Although there's no imminent threat of Agustín Ramírez or Jakob Marsee getting sent down, they have each taken significant steps back in terms of both results and underlying stats. Chris Paddack is easily the rotation's weakest link and Anthony Bender has been far too inconsistent to be trusted in high-leverage situations.
During the month of May, Ely predicts that Robby Snelling will make his major league debut. Nate predicts that former first-round draft pick Jacob Berry will debut and that Kyle Stowers will rediscover his power stroke with five home runs.

MIAMI, FL — Maybe we have not seen the best of Max Meyer as a starting pitcher quite yet. Meyer's efficiency was excellent on Saturday, and for the first time in his career, he completed seven innings in a 4-0 Marlins win.
Going into the game, Meyer had not even reached six innings in any start this season—the only starter in the Marlins rotation yet to do so. For Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, it was a no-brainer to stick with him considering the Philadelphia Phillies had not scored and his pitch count was only up to 71 through six.
"The way he was throwing the ball, he was so economical," McCullough said after the game. "He just had been ahead of so many people and with him having such a diverse repertoire, he's got so many options to go to throughout a game. I think the way that he was throwing the ball, he really hadn't been stressed a whole lot to send him back out for the seventh up. It wasn't a tough call."
Meyer finished his outing going seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks. The lone hit allowed came from Garrett Stubbs in the top of the third. He also struck out seven in the process.
"It's fun to go seven and help the team out save the 'pen a little bit in a four-game series," Meyer said. "I felt good, but obviously, the only thing I care about was trying to keep the team in the game and get the win at the end of the day."
Meyer's incorporation of the sweeper has been crucial to his success in 2026. Ahead of Saturday's game, Meyer was throwing it 26% of the time and it was his most-used pitch again in this start (27% usage). He generated five of his 10 whiffs and recorded four of his seven strikeouts on that pitch.
"Sweeper is similar velocity [to the slider], a little slower, but it moves at a totally different plane," Meyer said. "If they are sitting on spin, you got to pick which spin you're going to sit on. That's helped a lot, but I love that pitch. It's one of my favorite pitches. I'm just so happy with all the other pitches being around the zone too and competitive. Feels good having like a real fastball now with some ride on it."
Through seven starts this season, Meyer now has a 2.68 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 9.73 K/9 and 3.16 BB/9. These are all career-bests for the former number three pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
"I think Max is a different pitcher than he has been in the past," McCullough said. "He's got more weapons now than he's had. They're better and play off each other very well. Him having the ability to run his two-seam on righties, to continue to open up the spin lane on the outer half, and he can go down below versus left with the breaking balls. His changeup is a pitch that he can use as well."
Relievers Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi followed Meyer. They both threw shutout innings, not allowing a hit. It marked the Marlins' first one-hitter since May 18, 2019. It was also their first shutout of the Phillies since August 13, 2024.
The Marlins are the only National League club to have four different starters go at least seven innings in a game this season (only the New York Yankees have done it in the AL).
The Marlins offense wasted no time giving Meyer some run support, as in the bottom of the third inning, with the bases loaded, both Agustín Ramírez and Connor Norby worked walks, driving in a run each.
In the bottom of the fifth, Xavier Edwards hit his second home run of the season, going 392 feet to right field, extending the lead, 3-0. In nine games batting in the cleanup spot this season, Edwards has a .367/.513/.567/1.080 slash line.
Otto Lopez capped off the Marlins' four-run performance with an infield RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
With the win, the Marlins are 16-17, once again, a game under .500. Sunday will not be a rubber match as this is a wrap-around series (another game awaits on Monday night). Jesús Luzardo, a Florida native and former Marlins pitcher, will face Chris Paddack on Sunday at 1:40 pm.

Coming off a gutsy road series win against the reigning World Series champions, AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout bring you the 100th episode in Fish Unfiltered history. They cover a ton of ground on this one, including Xavier Edwards' game-clinching double play on Wednesday, how the Miami Marlins will navigate high-leverage situations while Pete Fairbanks is on the shelf, putting Liam Hicks' breakout in historical context and what to expect from Don Mattingly as Philadelphia Phillies interim manager.
You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

Next up for the Fish, they host Mattingly and the Phillies for a rare four-game wrap-around series, beginning on Friday and continuing through Monday. Last season, the Phillies went 9-4 against Miami in head-to-head competition.

MIAMI, FL — On Friday, before the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies kicked off a four-game set, outfielder/first baseman Griffin Conine was spotted putting his injured left hamstring through various baseball activities. Conine, who is only three weeks removed from suffering a hamstring tear and undergoing surgery, finds himself ahead of schedule in his rehab and has a target date for his reinstatement from the IL.
"The one thing I haven't done yet is defensive work outfield-wise, but I'm throwing and hitting again today," Conine told Fish On First. "I'm in a good spot. Just building up, stacking days like this—basically where every day running, we get a little bit faster, the strength just comes back a little bit more."
Before landing on the IL, Conine played in 11 games, slashing .273/.360/.591/.951 with two home runs, four RBI and a 160 wRC+. He suffered the injury on April 9 while playing attempt a diving catch in left field.
"It sucked, for sure," Conine told Fish On First. "I think the prognosis could have been worse, so I'm trying to look at the positive side. Compared to last year's rehab, this is super easy. It's very basic. I just don't want to get back quicker than the timeline says, which we're on pace to do that."
As Conine referenced there, he suffered a dislocated shoulder last season that kept him out for most of 2025. It was originally announced as a season-ending procedure, but he sped through the rehab process and returned in late September.
Fortunately, the hamstring tear won't cost him nearly as much time. Barring setbacks, Conine told Fish On First that his goal is to return during the month of May.
"I haven't talked to (the Marlins) about that, but just in my head with the timeline that the doctor gave me, I think that's very doable. That means I'm back in a big league game before June, which would mean [begin the rehab assignment] 10-12 days before that. That's what I'm shooting for and I don't know if they're on board with that, but I think that's doable. We're gonna take it week to week and see how it goes."
When asked about Conine, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough jokingly said that he "defies modern medicine," then acknowledged that the 28-year-old is "tracking to be back probably to the lower end of the timeline."

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins dropped their series opener to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in a ballgame that got very interesting at the end. The Phillies had a 6-1 lead in the eighth inning, but Miami scored four runs and were 180 feet away from tying the game in the bottom of the ninth. 
"We see with the group day in and day out, they will just continue to hang in there," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. "We came up short, but I loved how we were able to finish that one off."
The Phillies remain undefeated with Don Mattingly as their interim manager. They have a perfect 4-0 record since Donnie Baseball took over for Rob Thomson, who was fired at the beginning of this week. That includes three straight one-run wins.
Right-handed pitcher Eury Pérez got the start and loss for the Marlins in the series opener. Pérez was pitching well through the game, but got into trouble in the top of the fourth. After giving up a single to Brandon Marsh and walking Bryson Stott, Pérez gave up back-to-back RBI hits to give Philadelphia the lead. Third baseman Alec Bohm tied the ballgame with an RBI single to center field and rookie outfielder Justin Crawford scored Stott with an RBI double.
Overall, Pérez threw five innings, allowing four hits, two runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. The 23-year-old Dominican right-hander now has a 2-3 record on the season.
"In general, I thought I had a good outing," Perez said after the loss. "My pitches were working very well, but they got aggressive, mostly on the first pitch and there was some damage." 
The Phillies would add to their lead in the top of the seventh with two outs. Facing newly recalled left-hander Cade Gibson, Edmundo Sosa hit a liner to center that scored Bryce Harper, making it 3-1. The final dagger would come from Stott's three-run home run to right field, breaking the game open 6-1.
After laboring in his 50-pitch outing, Gibson is already headed back down to Triple-A Jacksonville.
Right-handed relief pitcher Lake Bachar pitched very well in his 2 ⅓ innings of work, allowing no hits, no runs, no walks, and three strikeouts. He improves his ERA to 2.81 on the season.
At the plate, the Marlins got to Zack Wheeler early. In the bottom of the first, Xavier Edwards doubled down the right field line and drove in Otto Lopez, who had hit a ground-rule double the at-bat before.
They didn't have any answers for Wheeler after that, as he retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced.
In the bottom of the eighth, Miami’s offense showed some fight and made it a much closer ballgame. Lopez drove in Jakob Marsee on an RBI single that deflected off Stott’s glove and rolled into shallow left field. Liam Hicks drove in Stowers on a sacrifice fly that was torched but directly at Adolis Garcia in right field. Agustin Ramirez kept the inning alive with a two-out RBI single through the right side that scored Lopez and made the game 6-4.
Connor Norby would enter the game as a pinch-hitter for Owen Caissie and delivered a double down the left field line. The Marlins had two runners in scoring position with the tying run 180 feet from home and the winning run at the plate. However, Christopher Morel watched three pitches go by and struck out without taking the bat off his shoulder.
After a 1-2-3 ninth inning from Bachar, the Marlins got an early baserunner with Javier Sanoja drawing a leadoff walk on four pitches. That was followed by back-to-back strikeouts of Jakob Marsee on a 3-2 check swing and Kyle Stowers on a borderline 3-2 pitch that grazed the outside corner. Stowers and McCullough were both ejected arguing the called third strike.
Lopez kept the game alive with an RBI single to RF. However, Edwards lined out to center, which ended the ballgame and prevented what would've been the biggest comeback of Miami's season.
 
What’s next?
The Marlins will look to even the series in game two of the four-game series. Right-handed pitcher Max Meyer will be on the mound for the Marlins. The former third overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has pitched well this season. Meyer has posted a 1-0 record with a 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, a .207 opponent batting average, and a 128 ERA+.
The Phillies will hand the ball to veteran right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola. The former All-Star right-hander has struggled dating back to the 2025 season, including a 1-3 record so far in 2026 with a 6.03 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and a .286 opponent batting average.
The first pitch for Saturday’s game is at 4:10 pm EST.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.

Wednesday's show was hosted by Alex Carver and featured panelists Kevin Barral, Jeremiah Geiger and Isaac Azout. The following topics were covered:
Sandy Alcantara's impressive outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers Liam Hicks' spectacular season The chaotic ending to Wednesday's game What to do with slumping Owen Caissie Who can be trusted in Miami's bullpen during Pete Fairbanks' IL stint Previewing and predicting the next series against the Philadelphia Phillies You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Saturday at approximately 10:00 p.m. ET midway through the Marlins-Phillies series.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sits atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff.  
 
Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Andrew Painter (PHI) on Saturday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (PHI) on Sunday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (PHI) on Monday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 99 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.96 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 10-6 record at home this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Pete Fairbanks (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL).
The Phillies rank 27th in MLB with a 85 wRC+ and seventh in MLB with a 3.77 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have an 4-9 record on the road this season.
The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Kyle Backhus (15-day IL), Jhoan Duran (15-day IL), Max Lazar (60-day IL), Zach Pop (15-day IL) and J.T. Realmuto (10-day IL).

Leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft, Fish On First brings you a series of scouting reports on top prospects in this draft class who could realistically wind up in Miami.
 
Overview
Position: 3B
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 pounds
School: Mississippi State
Ace Reese is a 6’4”, 220-pound third baseman who plays for Mississippi State University. Reese is one of the best power-hitting prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft class. He’s also one of the most consistent hitters in this class and continues to show growth after every season.
Reese was a mid-level prospect coming out of Canton High School in Canton, Texas. On Perfect Game, Reese was a top-500 prospect and the 208th-ranked shortstop in the Class of 2023. He was also the 95th-ranked prospect out of the Lone Star State. Reese went undrafted and signed with the University of Houston.
During his freshman season, Reese made an immediate impact and started for the Houston Cougars. Reese played and started in 48 games. He slashed .278/.395/.506 with 45 hits, eight doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .901 OPS. Reese was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team. He would later enter the Transfer Portal and sign with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
In his first season at Mississippi State, Reese had a massive breakout and was one of the top power hitters in college baseball. Reese played and started in all 57 games. He slashed .352/.422/.718 with 80 hits, eighteen home runs, 21 home runs, 66 RBIs, a 154 wRC+, and a 1.140 OPS. Reese was named the 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-American by Baseball America and D1 Baseball.
In his junior season, Reese continues to be one of the most consistent and productive hitters in the country. Reese has played and started in all 45 games this season. He’s slashing .318/.420/.682 with 55 hits, eighteen doubles, fifteen home runs, 54 RBIs, 15 BB%, 1.102 OPS, and a 144 wRC+.
At the plate, Reese is a left-handed hitter with a slightly open batting stance and keeps his hands quiet. He has a bit of leg kick, but doesn’t bring it up too high, and he gets his foot down on time to hit the fastball. Reese does tend to be too aggressive and chase pitches out of the zone.
Reese’s best offensive tool is his power. MLB Pipeline graded Reese’s power tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Reese has excellent bat speed and naturally hits the ball with leverage. His ground ball rate is a career-low 28.4%. His fly ball and line drive rates are also at an all-time high. Reese’s line drive is up from 14.4% to 20%. His fly ball rate is up from 43.9% to 50.7%, while his pop-up rate is at a career-low 3%, according to D1 Baseball.
Defensively, Reese doesn’t provide a ton of defensive flexibility. While he has solid arm strength, his hands have a lot of work to do, and he doesn’t move very well. Reese is mostly like a left fielder or first baseman at the next level.
 
Strengths
60-grade power Excellent bat speed Can hit both left-handed and right-handed pitchers Hits the ball with leverage naturally Consistently hits the ball in the air with authority to all fields  
Weaknesses
Below-average speed Very limited defensively Tends to be overly aggressive  
Pro Comparison: Chase DeLauter
Projection: Top 15 pick
 
Bottom Line
While Ace Reese is pretty limited defensively, his plus power and consistent lift give him an exciting offensive profile.
On Baseball America, Reese is the 14th-ranked prospect and fifth-ranked infielder in the 2026 MLB Draft. On MLB Pipeline, Reese is the 28th-ranked draft prospect and 21st-ranked collegiate prospect in this draft class.
The Marlins will have the 14th overall pick in the draft. Reese is a player who could be a legit candidate for the Marlins when they are on the clock, capable of becoming their first baseman of the future if he can’t stick at third.
 
More 2026 MLB draft profiles
LHP Carson Bolemon RHP Jackson Flora INF Jacob Lombard OF AJ Gracia   

There were zero homegrown hitters in Wednesday's Miami Marlins lineup. Seven of the nine starters were acquired by the organization via trade, including six in classic rebuilding transactions, with the Marlins sending away major league veterans in the process. The cheapest pick-ups of them all? Shortstop Otto Lopez, who's been rapidly accumulating value since coming aboard as a waiver claim, and catcher Liam Hicks, a former Rule 5 draft pick.
A Rule 5 pick is a glorified waiver claim, deemed undeserving of occupying a 40-man roster spot by their previous team—much less an active roster spot—and galaxies away from contending for an everyday MLB role. The process is sexier just because we have not seen these youngsters fail in the majors yet, but statistically, the vast majority of them will.
The Marlins took a flier on Hicks in December 2024. In the span of a year and a half, the former Detroit Tigers farmhand has come a long way.
Hicks opened the scoring in the Marlins' series-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and also helped manufacture the run that put his club ahead for good.
As a rookie in 2025, the left-handed-hitting Canadian made himself rosterable on the strength of great bat control and swing decisions; as a sophomore, he has put on physical strength and it has only enhanced his offensive profile. Hicks boasts a superb .315/.365/.576 slash line this season while seeing action in 29 of Miami's first 31 games. His solo home run off Tyler Glasnow in the second inning was his farthest batted ball to date (398 feet). As a result of it, he has surpassed his home run total from last season, when he played in 119 contests.

Before this uptick in power, Hicks had already established himself as a gifted contact hitter. That was on display again versus Dodgers right-hander Will Klein in the eighth inning. He caught up to an elevated 98 mph fastball and chopped it to the right side, advancing Xavier Edwards to second base. Hicks ranks in the 99th percentile among MLB hitters with a microscopic 7.7% strikeout rate. Edwards would later score on a two-out Javier Sanoja RBI single.
Hicks is on pace to produce approximately five wins above replacement in 2026. For context, multi-time All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla, who is the best Rule 5 pick in Marlins history and among the best picks made anywhere in the league so far this millennium, peaked at 4.6 fWAR and 4.4 bWAR.
Even anticipating some regression from Hicks as the season unfolds, he is a massive upgrade over every other Marlins catcher of the post-J.T. Realmuto era. From 2019-2025, the Marlins received a total of 4.2 fWAR from their backstops, ranking 29th in MLB, per FanGraphs.
Marlins fans continue to clamor for prospect Joe Mack, and understandably so—he has brilliant defensive skills and ample power at the plate. Even a few months ago, it was not unreasonable to view Mack as Hicks' eventual replacement, but that notion is now outdated. So is the notion that Agustín Ramírez is the bigger piece of the franchise's future. Hicks has leapfrogged him as an asset.
The best version of this team must have Mack and Hicks frequently in the lineup together, with the latter deployed at first base or designated hitter. We should be getting a peek at that configuration by July, if not sooner.
  Additional notes
- Prior to Wednesday, Sandy Alcantara's career numbers at Dodger Stadium had been hideous, with a 14.46 ERA and eight homers allowed in 18 ⅔ innings pitched. He chipped away at that by limiting LA to two runs in six innings, and that actually undersells his effectiveness because one of those runs scored on an Alex Call pop-up that Otto Lopez lost in the sun.
-  Sanoja relishes big moments. He entered this game with an elite .891 OPS in 98 career high-leverage plate appearances, as defined by Baseball-Reference. Consider that his overall OPS in the majors is just .680.
- In the absence of Pete Fairbanks (nerve irritation), Calvin Faucher has the most ninth-inning experience among active Marlins pitchers. He converted his 23rd career save on Wednesday, but issued three walks in the process (one of those being intentional). He's now up to 12 walks on the season, already halfway toward matching his total from 2025.
- The Marlins overcame Faucher's wildness thanks to Edwards' unassisted double play, which involving tagging out Shohei Ohtani, then stepping on first base to retire Freddie Freeman to preserve a 3-2 lead.
- In the top of the fifth, Esteury Ruiz took Glasnow deep for what was his first hit as a Marlin. Quite unexpected coming from the wiry outfielder, who had previously homered only twice in his life against MLB right-handers.
- Way back on March 28, Owen Caissie went 3-for-4 in a win over the Colorado Rockies, flying out to center field for his lone out of the game. Since then, however, Caissie has made 22 more starts and registered at least one strikeout in each of them. On Wednesday, Caissie broke a tie with Jeremy Hermida (2007) and Jorge Alfaro (2019) to establish a new franchise record: most consecutive starts with a strikeout by a Marlins position player.
 
The Marlins get approximately 49 hours to recuperate between games in advance of Friday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Their opponent, on the other hand, had their scheduled game postponed due to inclement weather, necessitating a split doubleheader on Thursday, so that'll create a nice rest advantage for the Fish in their attempt to return to the .500 mark.
Probable starters for the 7:10 pm game are right-handers Zack Wheeler and Eury Pérez.

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the final April edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which as always includes several important injury updates near the bottom of the page.
This report covers the games played from April 21-26.
 
Triple-A Jacksonville
Recently ranked as Fish On First's No. 8 prospect, Kemp Alderman finished the week with nine hits, capping off the week with a grand slam on Sunday, marking his fourth home run of the season. After a slow start to the season, Alderman is now slashing .253/.354/.458/.812 with four home runs and 10 RBI. The only downside for Alderman has been his 35.2% strikeout rate, which is the highest of his minor league career thus far.
Jared Serna finished the week with five hits and drove in five runs. He is now slashing .243/.312/.314/.626 with one home run and seven RBI. He has also stolen five bases, which is second-most on the team. Serna was one of three players acquired in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade back in 2024, and after a strong start to his organizational tenure, he has struggled, particularly in the slugging department.
An under-the-radar name on the pitching side has been Zach Brzykcy. The 26-year-old reliever was claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals. No longer occupying a 40-man roster spot, he has a 0.84 ERA with 11 strikeouts in eight appearances. On Sunday, his fastball averaged 94.5 mph and he closed out a Jumbo Shrimp win with a strikeout on his curveball. Brzykcy has MLB experience in each of the past two seasons and he's setting himself up for a return soon.
Another righty, Jack Ralston, impressed during spring training, and he continues to succeed with the Jumbo Shrimp. In nine games, he has a 1.46 ERA, 1.68 FIP, 15.32 K/9 and 5.11 BB/9. He possesses similar mid-90 fastball velocity, but his splitter is his biggest weapon—18 of his 21 total strikeouts have come on that pitch. Ralston has yet to make his big league debut.
This past week, Josh Ekness, who is now Fish On First's No. 20 prospect, surrendered three runs in one outing, then he allowed two more on the day of this article's publication. His season ERA has ballooned to 4.38.
 
Double-A Pensacola
It was a busy week for the Wahoos, who played seven games in six days against the Biscuits, including one game that was made up from a previous rain out. Pensacola got the better of Montgomery during the week, taking foir of the contests despite losing the run differential battle by one. Despite being thin in the pitching department,
After a bit of a slow start with the stick, Ryan Ignoffo found it during this series. In four games against Montgomery, he went 7-for-16 with a home run, two doubles, and two RBI. In the first game of the seven-inning doubleheader on Thursday, he came within a triple of the cycle.

A 20th-rounder from 2023 who only converted to catcher after turning pro, Ignoffo spent most of the offseason and spring training honing in on his defense, particularly with blocking and framing. Those exports have shown up well for Ignoffo so far as he’s allowed just one passed ball in 110 innings. He also owns a strong arm, contributing to his 32% caught-stealing rate last year. He is off to a 25 CS% start this season.
Drafted as a two-way player, Ignoffo came out of the draft with catcher being one of few positions he had never played. The Marlins challenged him with it and he continues to improve with age. Offensively, Ignoffo has a good feel for the barrel, keeping CSW%s in check year over year, including 24.6% so far on the young campaign. His ability to at least fight strikes off limits his strikeout rates and he’s got some good gap-to-gap pop which allotted him 20-plus doubles in both 2024 and 2025. Ignoffo has seen his walk rates shrink a bit as he’s matriculated to the upper minors, but overall, he’s been an above average hitter at the Double-A level; he has a 106 wRC+ on the young season. A good athlete with a sneaky-good bat, Ignoffo should take over as the primary catcher once Joe Mack is called up. On current track, he should be able to stick as an at least serviceable backstop with potential positional flexibility to fill in at the corner infield or corner outfield spots.
Karson Milbrandt keeps rolling. His latest exports this week were six innings worth of one run ball on six two hits and six strikeouts. His only run came on a home run. In his first four starts, Milbrandt owns a minimal 1.96 ERA, which ranks third-best in the Southern League. His 23 strikeouts are fourth-most on the circuit.
Maintaining control and command particularly deeper in starts will continue to be Milbrandt’s MO as he rounds out his development and attempts to realize a mid-rotation ceiling. Because of the command dipping later in his outings and due to his just-average size, there is some reliever risk, but with great raw stuff and improving fastball velocity, he should have no problem finding the middle ground of that equation.
 
High-A Beloit
It was a very rough week for the Sky Carp who dropped four of six games in their series against Great Lakes, only taking the first and last games. Run scoring wasn’t an issue for Beloit who plated over six runs a game and 40 total including at least nine in three of the contests, but their pitching continued to struggle. The team now owns a 6.57 ERA, third-highest in the Midwest League. They now lead the circuit in walks with 136.
It was a solid series at the plate for Cam Clayton who went 3-for-12 with a home run, seven RBI, and six walks while striking out three times. A 14th-round pick from 2024, Clayton spent 2025 mostly at Low-A where he slashed .242/.356/.390 with a 48/36 K/BB. The solid on-base numbers have followed him to Beloit this year where he is currently slashing .188/.480/.344. Clayton was drafted as a shortstop, but he quickly made the move off of the position as a pro. He’s spent time as a third baseman, but just-average arm strength befits him best for first base where he has played 88 ⅓ innings. 
Clayton, 6’1”, 205, isn’t built for much power, but as long as he is seeing pitching as well as he historically has as he continues to rise through the minor league ranks, he provides intrigue. He’s also a crafty baserunner, having stolen nine bases already this season. If Clayton can improve contact rates, he will be a pesky bat off the bench at the next level.
Another offensive catalyst this series was the 2025 second-round pick, who was hitting everything in sight. On the series, Brandon Compton went 8-for-14 with two homers and five RBI. Arguably most impressive of all is the rate at which Compton walked. In these six games, he took a whopping 11 free passes while striking out just six times.
 
Like Clayton, the ability to see pitching extremely well will give him a decent floor, but his defensive inflexibility could limit his ceiling. What will drive Compton’s future will depend on how much he can tap into solid raw strength while not straying too far from his patient roots. If he can become a consistent power threat while continuing to walk, he has a starter’s ceiling. Keep a close eye on his power numbers as he continues to develop and climb through the levels. Upper minors pitching will be a good measuring stick for the lefty Compton. That promotion could happen later this season, especially if he continues to build on his 170 wRC+.
 
Low-A Jupiter
A 21-year-old left-handed pitcher, Julio Mendez was named our FOF Minor League Player of the Week after striking out 11 through five innings of work in his most recent start. His fastball topped out at 95.2 mph and averaged 93.1 mph. Mendez's performance has been phenomenal dating back to the 2025 All-Star break, allowing a total of nine earned runs over those 11 starts.
Andrés Valor had been ice cold at the plate until this past series. The athletic outfielder slashed .250/.464/.400 with three steals, including three batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 105 mph. Maintaining that throughout the month of May could earn Valor a ticket to Beloit considering he already has a full year of Low-A experience under his belt.
 

Injuries/Rehab
Following Christopher Morel's return to the Marlins active roster, there are no longer any injured big leaguers currently on rehab assignments.
It looked as though Jacksonville's Jacob Berry had suffered a significant injury when he exited Friday's game early. Fortunately, he returned to the lineup on the day of this report.
Aiva Arquette (core muscle surgery) is scheduled to make his 2026 season debut during this upcoming week.
For complete Marlins MiLB injury updates, bookmark this page.
 
This week's MiLB schedule
Triple-A Jacksonville at Durham Double-A Pensacola vs. Biloxi High-A Beloit at Lake County Low-A Jupiter at Dunedin  

After a ninth-inning implosion on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Miami Marlins came back the next day and won by a final score of 2-1, primarily thanks to their pitching staff.
They were without the services of Pete Fairbanks, and they will continue to be for at least 15 days. Fairbanks was placed on the injured list prior to Tuesday's game with nerve irritation. Tyler Phillips entered in relief of the struggling closer in the series opener, allowing the game-winning hit to outfielder Kyle Tucker with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Phillips again entered in the ninth again on Tuesday and this time got the job done to pick up the save.
"I was fired up," Phillips told the Marlins Radio Network following the game. "I was thinking about the outing from last night. If you saw me down in the bullpen, you probably would've thought that there was something wrong...just very excited to get back out there."
After inducing a fly ball to Teoscar Hernández, Phillips surrendered a base hit to outfielder Andy Pages. After that, Hyeseong Kim flew out and Alex Freeland grounded out to end the game.
"Tyler can go to a different place when he is on the mound," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "You couldn't find a nicer person, great dad. But when the gates open, Tyler has a switch that he has found and he is going to go out there and be incredibly aggressive and is a great competitor. For me, there was no hesitation to put him in that spot and we've seen him get so many big outs over the last couple of years, so he got right back out there tonight and did a great job."
While Fairbanks is out, the plan is for the Marlins to go closer by committee, which we saw plenty of in 2025. However, Phillips has gotten off to an amazing start this season and now has a 1.47 ERA with two saves in 18 ⅓ innings pitched, suggesting he should be the leading candidate to pitch the ninth in these situations.
It all started with Janson Junk, who had never faced the Dodgers in his career. On Tuesday, he turned in another strong start, going six shutout innings, striking out four in the process. Through six starts this season, the Marlins' fifth starter has a 3.00 ERA (best mark in Miami's rotation), 3.46 FIP, 5.73 K/9 and 2.18 BB/9.
It was Junk's fastball that made a difference on Tuesday night. Three of his four strikeouts came on that pitch and he landed it for six first pitch strikes. His fastball topped out at 96.3 mph and averaged 94.7 mph. He also generated two whiffs with that pitch. Just like his last start, Junk was extremely efficient, averaging about 12 pitches per inning. 
"He set the tone on the mound," McCullough said. "They came out aggressive, and he really mixed things up. Moved the ball around, executed and was able to get through six innings very efficiently. After the first, he was able to settle in and threw well."
The Marlins bullpen followed Junk and for the most part, kept things at bay. As a group, they allowed one run on four hits. They did not walk anyone, but also did not strike anybody out either. The Dodgers grounded out and flew out three times each after the Marlins turned to their bullpen.
Thankfully, Junk and the pitching staff had just enough run support to win it. In the top of the second inning, facing Shohei Ohtani the pitcher, Owen Caissie drove in the games first run on a sacrifice fly. Agustin Ramirez, who was hit by a pitch in his at-bat, scored the run.
In the top of the fifth inning, outfielder Kyle Stowers drove in what ended up being the winning run, an RBI single that scored Christopher Morel from second base. It gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead.
Morel was making his Marlins debut, hitting eighth and playing first base. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored. He was activated off the injured list on Monday before the first game of the series and Heriberto Hernández was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville.
Ohtani, who only participated in this game as a pitcher, went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, three walks and a season-high nine strikeouts.
Before the start of the game, the Marlins made a lineup change, scratching Liam Hicks, who was set to catch Junk due to an illness, moving Agustin Ramirez behind the plate and Connor Norby into the designated hitter spot in the lineup.
"He's feeling better," McCullough said. "It was right as he was getting ready for the game. His stomach was bothering him wasn't going to be able to go."
Tuesday's win snapped the Marlins' nine-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium, which dated back to 2023. They improve to 14-16 on the season and are in search of the series win on Wednesday with Sandy Alcantara taking the mound. For LA, it'll be Tyler Glasnow. First pitch is at 3:10 pm ET.

As reported on Monday by Fish On First's own Alex Carver and Isaac Azout, first baseman Christopher Morel has completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville and is meeting the team in Los Angeles ahead of their three-game series against the Dodgers. In a corresponding roster move, the Marlins are optioning outfielder Heriberto Hernández to AAA. The club has not yet made the move official.
Morel, 26, signed a one-year, $2M deal this offseason. With the 2025 Tampa Bay Rays, he slashed .219/.289/.396/.684 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI and a 90 wRC+. He was designated for assignment at the end of the season and elected free agency.
In 16 spring training games, Morel slashed .150/.239/.200/.439 with five RBI. The club's plan was to have him break camp as their primary first baseman, but during batting practice on Opening Day, he suffered a left oblique strain and was scratched from the lineup. He was placed on the 10-day IL a day later.
On April 21, the Marlins sent Morel on a rehab assignment with Jacksonville. In four games (including three starts at first base), he went 3-for-14 at the plate.
During Morel's absence, Connor Norby has gotten most of the reps at first base. He has a solid 105 wRC+ with mixed results defensively (like Morel, he's brand new to the position). Norby's playing time will likely be reduced moving forward.
Heriberto Hernández was the best right-handed hitter on the 2025 Marlins. Splitting time between left field and designated hitter, he was pretty much an everyday player during the second half of his rookie season.
However, it has been a completely different story this year. In 22 games before the demotion, he slashed .159/.284/.190/.474 with no home runs, nine RBI and a 44 wRC+. Hernández has improved both his strikeout rate (18.9%) and walk rate (13.5%), but he's been putting more balls on the ground and making weaker contact overall. His production has been equally poor against right-handers (.480 OPS) and left-handers (.467 OPS).

The Marlins will be facing three right-handed starting pitchers during the Dodgers series: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. Game one is on Monday at 10:15 pm.

If the Miami Marlins are going to make a run at the postseason in 2026, trust in their starting pitchers would be something to zero in on. In what has become a borderline running gag at this point, Clayton McCullough and his coaching staff were foiled by their reluctance to do so on Sunday. 
Max Meyer cruised through four innings on just 54 pitches against the San Francisco Giants, working around a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the fifth in what would wind up being his longest inning of the day, in terms of pitch count. McCullough relieved Meyer at just 77 pitches with Miami leading 3-1.
Although the pitchers have vastly different résumés, one could not help but think back to the Sandy Alcantara incident earlier this month. For those unaware, Alcantara, vying for his second consecutive shutout, was relieved with one out in the top of the ninth after just 93 pitches for Anthony Bender. Bender, who entered with a pair of men on base, quickly coughed up the lead in what would ultimately be a 6-3 Marlins loss.
The result on Sunday would prove no different, as the Giants won 6-3.
"I thought Max had done his job, gotten us through five...we thought we had the right combination of guys to get to Pete (Fairbanks), but the game quickly turned on us, and the offense couldn't get it going outside of the Pauley homer...but it happens," explained Clayton McCullough.
Calvin Faucher occupied the Bender role this time. For the fifth time already this season, his erratic command led to a leadoff walk. Rafael Devers would double home Casey Schmitt four pitches later, and Drew Gilbert would tie the game at 3-3 two batters later.
The aforementioned Schmitt rubbed salt in the wound one inning later when his second home run in as many days landed into the left field stands of Oracle Park. San Francisco, which entered the series tied with the Red Sox for the fewest home runs in baseball, blasted six long balls in the weekend set.
Making his second career appearance and first career start against the Marlins, Landen Roupp would be tagged for a three-spot in the second when Graham Pauley hit his first home run of the season. From then on out, though, Roupp went into cruise control, retiring the next 18 batters faced. It wasn't until a Heriberto Hernández walk with two outs in the top of the eighth that Miami would have another baserunner.
In a season-high 7 ⅔ innings of work, Roupp allowed just two hits and struck out six. In his six starts to begin the season, Roupp owns a 2.55 ERA. The Pauley home run marked the first allowed by Roupp in 2026. 
Kyle Stowers was one of many Marlins players who were silenced offensively, but it was a notable game for him nonetheless. Making his first career start as a first baseman at the major league level, he collected an assist on a throw to second base and five putouts.
Meyer, on the other hand, would punch out five in his five innings of work, lowering his season ERA to 3.30, and wrapping up a month of April where he posted a mark of 2.88. In 15 career starts in March/April, Meyer owns an ERA right at 3.00. Working around a first-pitch, leadoff triple from Jung Hoo Lee, Meyer would quickly find his groove, allowing just three hits the rest of the way. His one run allowed Sunday would be unearned due to an error on his part when trying to complete a double play.

The aforementioned Lee collected nine hits in the weekend series, marking just the seventh time this decade that a player had nine or more hits in any three-game span against Miami. 

In defeat, the Marlins fall to 13-15, retaining a one-game lead over the Nationals for second in the National League East.
 
Looking Ahead
The Marlins will continue their tour of the west coast on Monday when they travel to Southern California to begin a three-game series against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38 ERA) will look to improve his fortunes against the Dodgers in the series opener. In nine career starts, Paddack owns a 5.91 ERA. He'll go up against the 2025 World Series MVP in Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.48 ERA). 
First pitch from Dodger Stadium is slated for 10:10 EST.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.
Sunday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelists Ely Sussman, Alex Carver and Isaac Azout. The following topics were covered:
Max Meyer receiving an early hook on Sunday Potential Marlins roster moves to address the bullpen A deflating end to Eury Pérez's outing Fish On First Top 30 risers, fallers and takeaways Previewing and predicting the next series against the Los Angeles Dodgers You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

 
The first FOF Top 30 update since January includes the additions of Double-A infielder Payton Green and Low-A Jupiter left-hander Nate Payne. Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (previously ranked No. 4) has graduated from prospect eligibility.

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Dodgers series finale.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sit atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff.  
 
Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SF) on Monday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) on RHP Shohei Ohtani (LAD) Tuesday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (SF) on Wednesday The Marlins rank ninth in MLB with a 104 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 4.02 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 3-9 record on the road this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL). Christopher Morel was just reinstated from the 10-day IL prior to the start of this series.
The Dodgers rank first in MLB with a 130 wRC+ and fourth in MLB with a 3.57 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have an 11-4 record at home this season.
The following Dodgers players are on the injured list: Mookie Betts (10-day IL), Ben Casparius (15-day IL), Jake Cousins (60-day IL), Edwin Díaz (15-day IL), Tommy Edman (10-day IL), Brusdar Graterol (60-day IL), Kiké Hernández (60-day IL), Gavin Knack (15-day IL), Bobby Miller (60-day IL), Evan Phillips (60-day IL), Blake Snell (15-day IL), Brock Stewart (15-day IL) and Gavin Stone (60-day IL).

Over his two seasons with the Florida Marlins, outfielder Eric Owens hit just nine home runs. Three of those, however, came in his first month with the club.
On this day 25 years ago, Owens had perhaps his biggest blast with the Fish. His solo shot in the 10th inning off future Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner lifted the Marlins to a thrilling 9-8 win over the Houston Astros.
The Marlins had raced to a 5-0 lead at Enron Park on April 27, 2001. By the end of the fifth inning, however, that advantage had become an 8-5 deficit, thanks in part to a grand slam by Houston infielder Julio Lugo.
Scoreless for four innings, the Florida bats came back to life in the seventh inning. Álex González’s RBI double cut the deficit to 8-6 before Cliff Floyd tied things up with a two-run home run off Mike Jackson an inning later.
On the mound, Braden Looper and Antonio Alfonseca were able to work around errors in the eighth and ninth innings to keep the score tied. As the contest went to extra innings, Houston turned to Wagner.
To open the 10th inning, the hard-throwing lefty got Luis Castillo to fly out. That brought Owens to the plate.
With the count 2-2, Owens was able to drive Wagner’s fastball to right field and over the wall for the go-ahead home run. Wagner bounced back to retire Floyd and Preston Wilson, but the damage was done. In the bottom of the 10th, Alfonseca sealed the win with a 1-2-3 frame, striking out former Florida World Series hero Moisés Alou and Richard Hidalgo.
On a night where the teams combined for 17 runs, they also combined for 23 hits. Owens had five of those, finishing with four runs scored. Floyd added three hits and three runs scored in the win. Mike Lowell drove in three runs.
Hidalgo had a nice night for Houston, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Alou was 2-for-5 with two runs.
Over nine seasons in the big leagues, Owens hit just 26 career home runs. His lone blast in extra innings came off a Hall of Famer and as a member of the Marlins. It happened on this day a quarter-century ago.

The Miami Marlins didn't exactly attack the 2025-26 offseason with an urgency to turn themselves into contenders. Should the team take a step forward and qualify for the playoffs, it will be largely because their youngest players improved organically. Meanwhile, the acquisitions from outside the organization lacked both imagination and quality. You could argue that the Marlins would've been better off retaining an even higher percentage of last year's squad.
It begins with the starting rotation. Anticipating the 2026 debuts of top pitching prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling, the Marlins traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers to the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, respectively.
Infuriatingly, Cabrera would seemingly open every season with some kind of injury. This has been an exception. Through five starts with the Cubs, he's been available and consistent. Cabrera has posted a 2.73 ERA and 3.63 FIP while averaging six innings per outing. The Cubs have won all but one of his starts. The 28-year-old right-hander is also uncharacteristically controlling the running game to an extent. Two would-be base-stealers have been thrown out on six attempts, compared to only four on 39 attempts last season.
The Marlins did their best to spoil Weathers' home debut as a Yankee on April 4 (3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). However, the left-hander wriggled off the hook thanks to offensive support from his teammates.
Weathers has turned the page on that to help propel the Yanks to the American League's best record. He owns a 3.21 ERA and 3.39 FIP in six starts with 33 ⅔ innings pitched. He's on pace for career-bests in both strikeout rate (29.2%) and walk rate (5.8 %).
It's easy to project how the Marlins would be better off had they kept either Cabrera or Weathers. They'd be occupying the rotation spot that currently belongs to free agent signing Chris Paddack (6.38 ERA and 4.63 FIP with losses in all four of his starts).
Those trades brought back a total of seven prospects to Miami. Only one of them, Owen Caissie, is expected to have a significant major league impact this season. Thus far, that impact has been negative—Caissie has been MLB's most strikeout-prone hitter, with overall contributions that are slightly below replacement level.
Caissie is five years younger than Troy Johnston with significantly more raw power. His long-term ceiling is higher, but that does not guarantee he'll ever reach it, and there's no comparison between them production-wise right now. Waived by the Marlins following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Johnston has settled in nicely with the Colorado Rockies. Splitting time between right field and first base, he's slashing .315/.371/.449 with a 119 wRC+ and 16 runs batted in.

The most eye-popping rate stats among former Fish belong to Joey Wiemer. Discarded for cash considerations in November, he's slashing .320/.414/.580 through 22 games with the Washington Nationals, generating 0.9 fWAR to practically match his career total from the 2023-25 seasons. Wiemer is running circles around the right-handed-hitting outfielders that the Marlins have used instead, Heriberto Hernández and Austin Slater.
Here are quick hits on each of the other players who finished the 2025 regular season on the Marlins 40-man roster and wound up with different organizations:
- Dane Myers (Cincinnati Reds) is on the small side of a center field platoon. Facing predominantly lefties, he has slashed .263/.404/.341 (118 wRC+). An encouraging sign moving forward: he is chasing pitches outside of the strike zone at approximately half of his career rate.
- Working as a middle reliever, George Soriano (St. Louis Cardinals) has a 4.76 ERA and 4.54 FIP through 12 appearances (11.1 IP). He's done well in terms of limiting hard contact, surrendering only one home run for his new club.
- Freddy Tarnok asked out of his contract to pursue a rotation job with Japan's Hiroshima Carp. He has logged 28 innings pitched in five starts with a 3.86 ERA and 23.3 K%.
- Valente Bellozo (Colorado Rockies), Victor Mesa Jr. (Tampa Bay Rays), Christian Roa (Minnesota Twins), Josh Simpson (Seattle Mariners), Eric Wagaman (Twins) and Jack Winkler (Houston Astros) are playing at the Triple-A level. The best performer of the bunch has been Mesa (.323/.417/.565, 2 HR and 157 wRC+ in 16 G), though he is currently injured, as was the case all too often in recent seasons.

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

It's difficult to hide when you're 6'7" and have a fastball that touches 100 mph, but even the most obsessed Miami Marlins fans may have missed seeing Michael Petersen on the team in 2024. The rookie right-hander made only five appearances for the Marlins that season, all of them in September after they had been eliminated from playoff contention. Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a 4.76 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 4.76 K/9 and 4.76 BB/9. He was waived again at the beginning of the ensuing offseason.
In Petersen's second stint in Miami, he is quietly establishing himself as an important piece of the bullpen. Before we get to that, this is a good opportunity to dive into his unusual background.
Petersen was born in Middlesex, United Kingdom, located in a historic county in southeast England. He is the only British-born player on an active MLB roster, and the league's first since P.J. Conlon in 2018. Baseball is far down the list of popular sports in the UK, but Petersen's dad loved it and introduced it to the family. As a child, Petersen remembers playing with his twin brother, Thomas, and their friends in the house, creating balls out of wrapping paper and using a cardboard bat.

The Petersens moved to California and Michael played at St. Francis High School located in Mountain View, California. That's only about 40 miles south of Oracle Park, where the Marlins are currently playing against the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted four separate times, ultimately signing with the Milwaukee Brewers as a 17th-round pick in 2015.
Petersen remains proud of his British roots. He represented his homeland at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was committed to do so again this year. However, the 31-year-old made the hard decision to sit out the tournament to prioritize making the Marlins Opening Day roster.
"I love Great Britain, and I love that team," Petersen told Fish On First. "I wanted to be a part of it, but I have this new pitch that needs to be worked on in front of my team, so I had to make that decision."
Team Great Britain went 1-3 and did not advance beyond pool play.
"I could've helped," Petersen said. "I was looking at it, and there were games that I wouldn't say they were a pitcher away, but I could have definitely helped. The guys there are still fantastic and I think they were dogs and it would have been nice about to go to battle with them, but making the team was my top priority, and I think being here really did help do that."
So far in 2026, Petersen has a 3.38 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 9.28 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 in nine appearances. His average fastball velocity of 96.9 mph leads all Marlins relievers. Opponents are hitting only .136 against his four-seamer with a 28.0% whiff rate. He ranks in the 85th percentile among MLB pitchers with a plus-three fastball run value, per Baseball Savant.

Petersen's "new pitch" is his changeup. After throwing only 11 changeups in the majors from 2024-25, he has already tripled that total this season. There's been only one hit off of it so far.
"Just something that goes the other way, so I can face both lefties and righties," Petersen said.

Petersen collected his first career save on April 8 against the Cincinnati Reds while Marlins closer Peter Fairbanks was on the paternity list. Petersen struck out two in a 7-4 win.
"It was awesome just to get that situation," Petersen said after that game. "A lot of trust from my team and my coaches to say 'hey, get out there and see what happens.'"

The all-time MLB saves record for a UK-born player is Tom Waddell with 15, so that is potentially within reach for Petersen a few down the road.
Petersen has thrown only one inning this week, so there's a high likelihood of him appearing during the remaining two games of the Giants series.

Dismal months of June and August ultimately did in the Florida Marlins in 2011, but early on that year, the Fish had the look of a contender.
On this day 15 years ago, the Marlins kicked off a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in thrilling fashion. Omar Infante’s walk-off single capped a two-run ninth as the Marlins rallied for a 5-4 victory.
Through six innings at Sun Life Stadium on April 25, 2011, a pair of solo home runs from Chris Coghlan had accounted for all the Florida offense as the Marlins led 2-1. After struggling against Florida starter Ricky Nolasco, the Dodgers were able to find some offense against the Florida bullpen.
Los Angeles took the lead with two runs in the seventh with Jamey Caroll’s RBI single serving as the go-ahead hit. James Loney plated another run in the eighth as the Dodgers pushed the lead to 4-2.
The Marlins were able to get that run back in the bottom of the inning as Gaby Sánchez came through with an RBI single. The rally, however, came to an end after Infante was thrown out at third trying to tag up on a Giancarlo (then Mike) Stanton flyout.
Brian Sanches worked a 1-2-3 ninth for Florida, but in the bottom of the inning, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Broxton appeared on the verge of doing likewise. After striking out Greg Dobbs and getting John Buck to ground out, Broxton was one strike away from slamming the door. Emilio Bonifácio, however, kept Florida alive by taking a 3-2 pitch for ball four.
Hanley Ramírez followed with a single to put the tying run in scoring position. From there, the wheels fell off for the Dodgers defense.
As pinch hitter Scott Cousins hit a slow roller to shortstop, Carroll charged, but the ball rolled under his glove and into left field, allowing Bonifácio to score the tying run from third. After intentionally walking Coghlan to load the bases, Infante came to the plate looking to atone for his mistake on the basepaths the inning prior.
Infante lined Broxton’s 1-0 pitch into left field. Outfielder Jerry Sands originally came in on the ball and was unable to recover as it sailed over his head, allowing Ramírez to score the walk-off run.
Prior to the misplay, Sands was in the midst of a solid night, going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Coghlan finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Marlins in the victory.
Florida went on to clinch the three-game series with a 4-2 win the following night. The thrilling win in the series opener would serve as the second walk-off victory for the Marlins during the month of April and one of five for the year. It came on this day 15 years ago.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger currently sit atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
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Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Adrian Houser (SF) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) on LHP Robby Ray (SF) Saturday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Landon Roupp (SF) on Sunday
The Marlins rank ninth in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.87 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 2-7 record on the road this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Christopher Morel (10-day IL). Out for the past month due to an oblique strain, Esteury Ruiz is being reinstated for this series.
The Giants ranks 25th in MLB with an 84 wRC+ and 17th in MLB with a 4.03 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 5-7 record at home this season.
The following Giants players are on the injured list: Harrison Bader (10-day IL), Hayden Birdsong (60-day IL), José Buttó (60-day IL), Sean Foley (60-day IL), Sam Hentges (15-day IL), Jared Oliva (10-day IL), Joel Peguero (15-day IL), Randy Rodríguez (60-day IL), Reiver Sanmartin (60-day IL), Daniel Susac (10-day IL) and Rowan Wick (60-day IL).