Nate Karzmer

Given where the Marlins stand, dropping any game this late in the season hurts. Losing a crucial contest and your star, though? That's a gut punch. Alas, Clayton McCullough and his club had to live out that exact nightmare scenario on Tuesday night. Minutes before their eventual 7-3 loss at the hands of the Royals, news broke that All-Star and middle of the order bat, Kyle Stowers, was removed due to left hamstring tightness. If you're at all familiar with Stowers' injury history in 2026 especially, such a report is about as troubling as it gets. The 28-year-old missed the first 21 games of the season with a right hamstring strain before doing the same to his left in early August. While a diagnosis foretold a roughly four week absence, Stowers returned less than two weeks later. Now, it's that same left leg that seems to have reared its head again, although the true severity won't be known until sometime before first pitch on Friday. The inciting incident came in the top of the seventh with the Marlins trailing by just a run. On the first pitch he saw, Stowers took a 93 mph fastball from Craig Kimbrel off the foot. While trying to get out of the way, he made an awkward movement with his left leg and looked to be in visible pain while shaking it off. Stowers stayed in the game to run the bases, but exited before heading back out to the field. ZFh2V3FfQjFOTUJnVkFFbGRmRlJGYkFraENXRk1SX0R3QllWVmNOQUFJQUFRQUNWQUFIQUFaUUFBQUJWbFFBQ2daUUJRRU5VMWRXQUFvRQ==.mp4 The cruelest part of it all? Stowers looked especially good running the bases in the aforementioned early part of the ballgame, hustling out of the box to collect a double. Additionally, the veteran appeared to be ramping up at the plate at the perfect time, collecting four hits—including two home runs—and three RBI. If Stowers were to see IL time, he wouldn't be eligible to return until halfway through the month, a few days after his right-side infield mate, Xavier Edwards. Seeing the hypothetical reps at first base in his absence would likely be Griffin Conine and the newly recalled Deyvison De Los Santos against southpaws. As for the game itself, Miami wasted no time getting on the board. Three runs in four innings—including long balls from Heriberto Hernández and Agustín Ramírez—had McCullough's bunch sitting pretty against All-Star Michael Wacha. To their dismay, the six hits they collected early would be all they could muster against a settled in Wacha and three Royal relievers the rest of the way. Five unanswered runs from the home team, spearheaded by a three-RBI night from the scorching hot Carter Jensen, were more than enough to salvage the finale. Finishing what seemed to be a favorable road trip 3-4 and returning to three games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League, Miami returns home for a true test as they welcome the 79-62 Cubs. Janson Junk faces off against Shota Imanaga in Friday night's opener at 7:10 pm ET. View full article

Welcome to September. Entering Tuesday night's contest in Kansas City at 69-69, the clock ticks louder as the days roll on for a Marlins team desperately trying to stay alive in the NL Wild Card race—even more so coming off a 1-3 wraparound set in the nations capitol. If the themes from their 6-3 series-opening victory are any omen for what's in store, Clayton McCullough's squad is in for quite the month. The nucleus of Miami's offense all night was Graham Pauley, back due to expanded rosters for his sixth different stint in the bigs in 2026. He will need to be put on waivers to be removed from the active roster again. Should they make a June-esque run in the coming weeks, contributions up and down the roster will be pivotal. Pauley wasted no time in his first at-bat back, clobbering a two-run shot to give Miami an early lead. Five innings later, he drove in two more with his second career big league triple, setting a new career high with four RBI on the night. If that wasn't enough, Pauley didn't even land in Kansas City until the wee hours of the morning due to a delay on his connecting flight from Chicago, as he detailed postgame with Marlins.TV's Kelly Saco. "I might just have to travel every single day if that's what it takes," Pauley joked. Despite being in Triple-A for less than two weeks, the 25-year-old's swing is visually different when last seen in Cincinnati. Pauley now features a lower, wider base with his hands higher and more parallel to the ground. Additionally, he noted how thinking of "swinging down" has helped him keep his bat through the zone to counter changeups and spinners of which he previously struggled against. "I've been working on swinging down. It's just something that's helped me stay through the zone longer...That allowed me to hit the offspeed pitch tonight." Additional run support came from Kyle Stowers and Javier Sanoja. Stowers deposited his 17th homer into the Royals bullpen in the fifth, while Sanoja followed Pauley's triple with an RBI single of his own in the seventh. Tyler Phillips was brilliant in his five innings of work, forfeiting a single hit while striking out four. That continues a month-long trend for the Marlins, whose starters have combined for an MLB-best 2.59 ERA since the beginning of August. Miami turns to Eury Pérez in Wednesday's encore, now sitting just three games back of a playoff spot after San Diego's loss late Tuesday night. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is set for 7:40 ET. View full article

Mirroring his club, Eury Pérez's 2026 campaign has been one of extreme highs and lows. Slotted as the Miami Marlins' number two arm entering the season, Pérez was initially one of the weak links in their rotation. The byproduct of too many free passes and barreled balls allowed, the 23-year-old carried an ERA of 5.33 through 10 appearances. After a five-run outing in Tampa on May 17, Pérez cried due to extreme frustration, as he recently admitted to the media. Not only did the breakdown serve as a reset of the youngster's mindset—conditioning him to "enjoy" his starts regardless of their outcome—but also his approach on the mound. Since that humbling low point, it's been a complete 180 for the rising phenom dubbed "Baby Goat." Pérez shined yet again in Sunday's rubber match in the notorious hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park, tossing six shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds in an eventual 7-1 victory. Pérez's 1.80 ERA from May 18 onward is fourth-best in the majors among pitchers to log at least 60 innings. A revamped pitch mix has been the catalyst. To say Pérez has heavily relied on his fastball and slider in the past would be an understatement. Looking at the ten-start sample earlier this season, Pérez threw the two offerings a combined 78% of the time. Neither of them were performing as well as their raw pitch characteristics suggested they should. The solution? A sinker. It induces fewer whiffs than his other weapons, but Pérez can locate it consistently to his arm side. The movement on it reliably gets opponents to swing over the top of it and hit harmless ground balls. Though counterintuitive, limiting the usage of his four-seam and slider has made them so much better. The same four-seam that was predictable and unusually average has a value of 11.1 runs above average since, per Statcast, third-best in all of baseball. The same slider that was a beach ball to hitters for the first few weeks of the season now sits tenth-best at 6.6 runs above average. Pérez's dangerously elevated walk percentage and average launch angle have trended to upper-middle of the pack among qualified starters. Relatedly, perhaps most notable of all has been his ability to keep the ball in the yard. Truthfully, Pérez was not at his best on Sunday. He allowed baserunners in all but one of his innings. When that's the case, opponents will look to exploit his slow delivery—Pérez leads MLB with 25 stolen bases allowed. Against the Reds, though, he was just quick enough to the plate to give catcher Brian Navarreto a fighting chance. They teamed up to nab two runners, including the lightning-quick Elly De La Cruz. Zooming out, Pérez's numbers are extremely comparable to his exceptional rookie year. While both the 2023 and 2026 Marlins are contending, the training wheels are now removed. Rather than worrying about an inevitable early shutdown, the team is confidently testing his limits—he has reached 100 pitches in three of his last five outings while sustaining elite velocity. Even this deep into his MLB career, Pérez is one of the youngest starters in the big leagues. He might not fully reach his peak for another half-decade, but the Marlins are getting a glimpse of his upside at the perfect time. Along with his mentor, Sandy Alcantara, Pérez is carrying an inexperienced roster with a short-handed rotation to a winning record far ahead of schedule. View full article

MIAMI — On Saturday afternoon, Sandy Alcantara unseated Ricky Nolasco to become the Miami Marlins' all-time leader in innings pitched. Alcantara has spent all season rewriting franchise records, but this milestone means more than the rest. Alcantara took over the top spot with after recording one out in the top of the third, surpassing Nolasco's previous mark of 1,225 ⅔ when he struck out Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Lowe on a 2-2 cutter. He continued dealing through seven frames, adding eight punchouts to his line in yet another gem and leading the Marlins to a streak-snapping, series-evening 7-0 win. ''Innings pitched, strikeout, quality starts, I don't know how many more records they have,” joked Alcantara postgame. “I’m very happy about the opportunity that this organization gives me, to play the game out there with my teammates and amazing coaches that I've had for the past couple years.” "The burden he's shouldered this season and how much that's meant to us, what he's been doing since he's been a Marlin, I know this will be a special one for him when he looks back at all the things that he'll end up accomplishing in this in his career," said Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough pregame. Contrary to the club's much-maligned handling of his career strikeout record in June, the crew at loanDepot park was quick to announce the moment and flash a graphic on the scoreboard. A one-minute stoppage consisting of a standing ovation from the 16,045 in attendance and cap tips from Alcantara to each side of the ballpark was a more than well-deserved spectacle. For Alcantara, it means that much more considering his family was able to witness it themselves. "I'm glad that they're here. I'm glad that my son is here. He's getting old—he's 12. Hopefully he remembers this moment. I don't know how many more moments he will remember in 10, 20 years, but I'm very happy about the family. They've watched all the success that I have. I know my mom is not here, but I know that she's very happy about the way that we take care of my family and my job." Zooming out, Alcantara has been reminiscent of his 2022 Cy Young self recently. In seven starts since July 1, his 1.88 ERA stands fifth-lowest in the National League amongst starters with 25 innings pitched. In his past three outings, it's been even better—20 innings of shutout, 18-strikeout ball has provided some stability for a squad enduring a tough stretch. The nastiness of Alcantara's changeup has been a key. It was a slight liability for him during the first half of the season. However, in July/August, opponents are 2-for-29 against it. "I don't think today could have gone any better for him," added McCullough postgame. "To pass Ricky Nolasco, set the innings record in a game that I think so many people have seen him in the past do, where you're seven innings in and you know your team's winning when he's done." Backing Alcantara at the plate and inevitably turning the contest into a rout was Miami's offense, highlighted by familiar faces Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez. The middle-infield duo collected two RBI each five pitches apart during the bottom of the third, with Edwards collecting another on in the fifth. As a team, the Fish went 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Back sitting square at .500, Miami can take the series over a struggling Angels squad on Sunday. McCullough will hand the ball to Ryan Gusto, succeeding an impressive start at Truist Park earlier in the week. Gusto goes opposite former top prospect Grayson Rodriguez at 1:40. View full article

MIAMI -- In retrospect, it was too good to be true. The dark clouds that surrounded loanDepot park throughout Sunday afternoon cleared up to reveal a Miami skyline beaming in the July sun, serving as a light at the end of the tunnel for the 21,675 inside. The Marlins, amidst their dreadful eleven-game skid, stood a mere six outs away from avoiding infamy and crawling back to a respectable .500 even after a streak of such magnitude. While all signs pointed to a picture-perfect conclusion of a forgettable two weeks, the young Fish were instead gut-punched as hard as ever. Two homers in four swings from a duo of San Diego stars off Lake Bachar left Miami in disarray and without the lead they had held since the second inning. Minutes later, their fate was decided. A 5-3, franchise-record-setting twelfth consecutive loss in such brutal fashion has a team that was on top of the world less than a month ago desperately trying to stay afloat. "There's no hiding from it," Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough said postgame. "Does anybody feel good? Certainly not. But to come in here each day and cry about it or make excuses, I don't know what that's going to do. We have a very prideful group that is certainly upset, frustrated, angry about how things are going, but we're the only ones that can change that. When you turn it around and come back tomorrow, it's going to be staring at us again; we just got to meet this head-on and continue. For me, there's really no other choice." While McCullough's group jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, issues that continue to plague his club in this stretch showed their head late -- inefficient offense and a bullpen missing Anthony Bender. Following Kyle Stowers ' lead-extending blast in the third, the rest of Miami's offense mustered up two hits the rest of the contest. Through all twelve of their defeats, the Marlins have scored more than three runs in just two games. As a team, they rank bottom three in hits, average and OPS. Janson Junk , who tied his season high in strikeouts with six and conceded just one run through four and two thirds was more than good enough for Miami to win. Unfortunately, while four relievers combined to forfeit a single hit, Bachar was dinged for the remaining four of the five Friar runs in that back-breaking eighth. "It sucks," Junk said of the skid. "It's not fun going through it, but we just got to take it day by day." Although the aforementioned light seems as far away as ever, McCullough believes not only his players, but staff can pull themselves out of this rut against the terrifying trio of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo in their next three games. Game one against division rival Philadelphia is set for 6:40 pm EST Monday night. "I think more than just encouraged and continue to be that I watch how our staff approaches each day like nothing has changed," said McCullough. "Is that to say that guys feel great right now in (the clubhouse)? No, everybody's beat up right now. I mean that's just the reality when your job when you are frustrated at work and things aren't going well, you feel like s**t, and that's where a lot of guys are. But you know what? Every day, they come back here, guys are showing up, they're ready, guys are coming in still getting prepared, and you know when that game starts, all 26 of our players, every member of our staff believes that we're going to win that day's game. So, that for me is the encouraging part. As difficult as this has been, that each day when we come in, we're very much believing that you know today is going to be the day that we we turn it around." View full article

MIAMI — In a turn of events that would have been baffling to consider 72 hours ago, there might not be a team in all of MLB that welcomes the upcoming All-Star break more than the Miami Marlins. Fresh off sweeping a Seattle Mariners club that was a game away from playing in the World Series a season ago, Miami was thoroughly dominated by the visiting Guardians from pitch one on Friday to the final out on Sunday. Cleveland secured their sweep of the Fish in a 5-2 effort in the finale. It marks the first time that they'd been swept since the streak-igniting waxing at the hands of the Mets in late May. With the loss, Miami falls one game short of tying the franchise record for wins in a first half and cling onto the final Wild Card spot in the National League by just one game over St. Louis. Nevertheless, they still sit at 52-45, a mark that skipper Clayton McCullough and fans alike would have accepted without hesitation in the spring. "We would have certainly signed up for it," said McCullough postgame. "We did play to a level that put ourselves in a good spot this many games in—that part's great. On the other side, we know how much we have ahead of us. I don't like to look a whole lot backwards, but I do think that we've done a lot of really terrific things on an individual level in this half, and collectively as a team, and how we've been able to put this together. We just have to get back to it and have to play really well moving forward for us to continue winning games." Across all three games against Cleveland, McCullough's squad did not lead at any point, scoring only five runs courtesy of a 3-for-19 combined number with runners in scoring position. On Sunday alone, they went 1-8, including stranding the bases loaded with nobody out in the second. Guardians pitching, led by southpaw Joey Cantillo with nine, punched out fourteen Marlins with a steady dose of off-speed. "We just didn't really make a whole lot of adjustments against it," said McCullough. "We had the one inning where we were able to load them up with nobody out and were unable to cash in early on. They pitched well, we didn't do a whole lot offensively to make adjustments or really do a lot to stress them out during this series, which we've seen." It took Miami 26 outs to get a buzzing crowd of over 17,000, but in terms of majestic long balls, Griffin Conine made it well worth the wait with his fifth blast of the year. In addition to the surprise slump, a sudden injury bug continues to bite Marlins whom have played critical roles in the bullpen. Michael Petersen, perhaps the most encouraging late-inning arm thus far, exited his outing with right hamstring tightness. McCullough said removing Petersen was "precautionary" and that he will undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury. Petersen looks to avoid the list of relievers that have gone down in recent weeks in John King, Anthony Bender, Josh Ekness and William Kempner (a recent addition as of Sunday morning with a right elbow sprain). As for the break itself? McCullough's message to his players was simple and concise. "Go home and enjoy your families," McCullough relayed. "Everyone across the league has earned these few days to take a bit of a blow. We'll know when we come back from this that we have a sprint ahead of us. We certainly didn't finish and round out this half like like we had hoped to getting swept here, but I think we just got outplayed. We'll just have to go enjoy our time away a little bit, rest up, and get ready to start it back up in Milwaukee." All-Star festivities begin Monday night in Philadelphia with the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, followed by the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday. Both events are set for 8:00 EST. As McCullough alluded to, Miami returns to action on Friday night for a date with Jacob Misiorowski and the NL Central-leading Brewers at American Family Field. View full article

MIAMI -- For much of the past two seasons, the Marlins and their rising shortstop Otto Lopez have mirrored each other. A year ago, the two exceeded expectations. While it wasn't all pretty, there was serious reason to believe there was long-term hope--even if most of the baseball world overlooked them. As for 2026? They've been undeniable. On the same night Lopez tallied his franchise record-breaking 127th hit before the All-Star break, Miami won their sixth straight-an 8-4 sweep-clinching effort over the AL West-leading Mariners. The hottest team in the sport improves to ten games over .500 for the first time since July 17th, 2023, and secures a second consecutive sweep. "It's so much fun right now," said Lopez postgame. "When you win, you can celebrate, and this team has to give it their all until the end of the season. We're showing what we want from now on until October, because we want October here in Miami. That's what I'm focused on." Lopez's decisive knock to pass Luis Arraez's mark of 126 set in 2023 came in the midst of a four-run fourth. A sharp ground ball past a diving J.P. Crawford knocked around just enough in the corner for the 27-year-old to cruise into third for his sixth three-bagger of the year. Awaiting Lopez at third and his following at-bats were MVP chants from the crowd at loanDepot park, which caused an ear-to-ear smile when discussing the moment. "It makes me feel super good," said Lopez. "They motivate me to just keep going and be comfortable. So, I just want to continue to keep putting on." "It's hard really to describe," said skipper Clayton McCullough. "It's so many hits that he's collected -- I think 140 multi hit games. He's has a hit in every series, and just the way they've come, he's got a bunch of doubles, triples, and he's got homers. He'll hit the ball over the place, tonight down the third base line, right center, infield hits. It's been a real hitting display with his bat to ball and how he moves the ball around the field. He's hitting all pitch types so much better this year and getting a lot more balls in the air this year than he has in the past. I mean, if he gets two hits in a game, you're not even really surprised anymore. It just seems like it's every single night." With just three games remaining in the first half, Lopez has a commanding lead across all of MLB in batting average (21 points higher than #2) and hits (15 more than #2, who happens to be Arraez) as of this writing. His OPS now sits at a clean .900. In addition to their first-time All-Star, Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee enjoyed fine nights of their own at the plate. Conine shined with a three-hit, two-extra-base performance—including his fourth blast of the year in the second—while Marsee continues to show improvement, getting on base three times and notching an RBI. On the bump, an admittedly amped up Janson Junk settled in after an uncharacteristically wild first two frames. Making his first appearance since being sidelined with right shin inflammation in mid-May, the right-hander completed five innings of two-run ball, striking out five. The red-hot Fish return to action Friday night, playing host to the slumping Guardians in a rematch of the 1997 World Series. Ace Sandy Alcantara takes the mound in the series opener opposite Parker Messick. First pitch from LDP is set for 7:10 pm EST. View full article