Nate Karzmer

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

The 2026 edition of the Marlins' annual trip to Denver can best be described as a tale of two halves. Monday and Tuesday's opening bouts were a continuation of near-flawless baseball from the visitors, as evidenced by a combined 24-run effort and+14 differential over a lowly Rockies team. The latter two contests, though, presented a night-and-day difference. A disastrous 1-13 combined mark with runners in scoring position in both efforts proved insurmountable to overcome in the notorious hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. In Thursday's finale alone, Miami was 0-for-8 en route to a 12-4 waxing, marking their first pair of consecutive losses since June 15th and 16th in Philadelphia. Clayton McCullough's group falls back to four games over .500, but ends 2026 with a 5-2 mark over their 1993 expansion mates, a step up from a 3-3 split a year ago. Miami didn't go down without its chances, as a particularly ineffective Michael Lorenzen presented numerous occasions for a lineup with its best bats to strike. Although a pair of force outs and a sacrifice fly in two separate bases-loaded situations pushed three early runs across, the "big hit" that seemed to show up aplenty throughout their magical June never did. Pedro Guerrero's unit threw up four early runs across the first four frames, but were shutout by a trio of Colorado relievers the rest of the way. A short list of offensive standouts features Otto Lopez , who ended up tallying three legs of the cycle, missing the long ball just like Javier Sanoja in the series opener. For Lopez, it was his ninth three-hit performance of the year. As for Sanoja, he collected two more knocks to wrap up a stellar set in which he raised his season OPS to .741. While the veteran Lorenzen managed to skate by, allowing just four earned runs despite walking six across four and a third innings pitched, the Rockies offense made Ryan Gusto pay for his mishaps. Similarly to his counterpart, Gusto struggled with command, walking two and throwing 21 of his 50 offerings out of the zone. Unfortunately for the right-hander, Colorado's offense came through for their guy going 6-for-10 with RISP, chasing the Marlins' spot starter after three innings. Bad quickly turned to worse following Gusto's departure, as a back-breaking seven-run sixth off Calvin Faucher and Cade Gibson all but put the nail in the coffin. Miami continues westward to conclude their three-city road trip in the new confines of Sacramento. Taking the ball for McCullough in the club's first ever game at Sutter Health Park on Friday night is Tyler Phillips, coming off a stellar eight-inning outing a Sunday ago in St. Louis. First pitch for a vintage "Late Night With The Fish" is set for 9:40 pm EST. View full article

MIAMI—Brian Navarreto showed up to work Wednesday morning believing it would be a day to remember. While he would be proven correct, the path that took him there featured more twists and turns than he could have imagined. A sudden allergic reaction around an hour before first pitch threw a wrench in what was slated to be Navarreto’s 2026 debut at the big league level. The 31-year-old wasn't about to let that excuse prevent him from playing, though. "Nobody's gonna take me out of this game, not even the allergies. We took care of it, and right now I'm good, but if you saw me before, it was kind of like a fight with (Manny) Pacquiao." A pickoff, caught stealing, sacrifice bunt and walk might not be sexy on the stat sheet, but when it's in tune with everything else Miami did in the matinee, it proved vital. Navarreto's gritty performance paced Miami in their 4-2 series-clinching win over Texas, their sixth in seven games. The Fish improve to a league-best 16-5 in June and 42-39 on the season, now sitting just one game out of the third National League Wild Card spot. Navarreto detailed his morning as normal, from his eating to how his body felt, before sudden puffiness of the face and intense itches alerted that something was wrong. While he remained unsure what caused the issues postgame, his patented defense would remain unaffected. A back-pick of Ezequiel Duran and caught stealing of Nicky Lopez in back-to-back frames gave recently recovered Eury Pérez the boost he needed. Pérez, who worked 4 ⅔ innings of one-run ball in his first start in nearly a month, described his catcher as “incredible” “The commitment that he puts out there today, even though he had a weird allergic reaction before the game and he. went out there his best-is incredible.” Joining Navarreto on the offensive side were should-be All-Stars Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, both of whom padded Miami’s lead in the later innings. Griffin Conine delivered the early game-tying swing with his first RBI in nearly three months. “We’re doing things in a lot of different ways,” said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. “Playing right now a very clean brand of baseball and that's what you have to do to continue to win.” Following an off day on Thursday, McCullough's club returns to action Friday night in St. Louis to begin a set with postseason implications for both clubs. Max Meyer, who is expected to return from a stint on the bereavement list, toes the slab in the series opener. First pitch from Busch Stadium III is set for 8:15. View full article

PITTSBURGH — When Tyler Phillips and Scott Oberg crossed paths eleven years ago, the two had plenty in common. Both were pitchers in a major league organization, hailed from the northeast, and did offseason work at the same training facility in New Jersey. Oh, and wouldn't you know, Phillips was a recent alumnus of Bishop Eustace Prep School, where both Oberg's wife and sister-in-law graduated as well. What they didn't share, though, was ultimately responsible for where Phillips is today, as he explained in an exclusive interview with Fish On First. In the 2015-16 offseason following Oberg's rookie year in Colorado and Phillips' first few months as a pro, the former reached out to the latter in an effort to gain a workout partner for the winter months. On a podcast appearance in May 2019 with Eric Cressey of Cressey Sports Performance, Oberg detailed the makings of their initial conversations: "(Phillips) kind of just fell into my lap...He had been a kid working out at this facility for a long time. I started reaching out to him like, 'Hey man, congrats on being drafted and everything. I kinda know who you are, so let's get together and work out in the offseason. We're already going to the same place, so let's just do it at the same time—it'll be fun.' Nobody really likes working out by themselves over the offseason." When Phillips agreed, Oberg took it upon himself to help mentor Phillips, having seen first-hand the reality and business that is professional baseball. "Unfortunately, it's a business and a cruel world where they have zero problems just releasing you," Oberg relayed to his new protege. "I had seen plenty of guys go down that road, even guys that were drafted in-state by the Rockies, where they say, 'Hey, you're just not good enough. Goodbye.' That's just the reality of it. Knowing that—I was 24 at the time before I got called up to the big leagues—I'd been through a little bit of the thick of it, seeing a bunch of guys get released, and he has no idea what he's about to get himself into." Admittedly, things got off to a rough start for Phillips. Late arrivals and lack of seriousness didn't fly with Oberg, whose scolding wasn't appreciated by Phillips initially. "I would show up to the gym. Seventeen years old, he would tell me we're gonna throw at 10 o'clock, and I would show up right at 10. He would be fuming at me," recalled Phillips. "Because it's like, 'Just follow the schedule, be there on time, do your stuff the right way.' I'd be on my phone in between sets in the weight room, like is it really that important? He got on me, and I didn't like it." "A lot of the (issues) early on were discipline things," said Oberg. "I would have to get on him for him to reach out to (Cressey) and not have his dad do it. Like, no man, you need to care enough to call him. This is your job now, and your body is your number one asset. There were times when he'd show up late, and I'd be like, 'Hey man, we're setting times to get our stuff done. You need to show up on time. This isn't show up and do whatever you want. I have my own life with my own things going on, and my wife has her own life going on. You have to understand that this isn't just about you.'" Eventually, though, the accumulation of those moments left an impression on Phillips. Whether it be reading books together or simply sticking to their combined schedule, the two became close quickly. Phillips absorbed as much as he could from Oberg, including the routine that he so heavily emphasized. "As I started getting older, I realized how important it actually is," added Phillips. "I get two, three hours to work out in the gym and take care of business. That's my craft, that's what I want to do. My phone is going to be there when I'm done, so I started putting the phone up. I think just that consistency and finding that routine just really bled into who I am today." "Once some of the discipline started kicking in a little bit, then we could get into the baseball things," said Oberg. "Over the years, he's grown so much as a ballplayer and a person. It's been so much fun to watch. That's what these scouts saw in you when they drafted you. They saw a really good-framed kid and assumed you'd put on some weight. You're gonna be a monster and you have the potential to be a really good starting pitcher in the big leagues." Remember, Oberg was singing these praises in an interview that is now seven years old, while Phillips was moving between High-A and Double-A with Texas. There's been some change since. In an awful turn of events, Oberg was forced to retire in 2023 due to lingering blood clot issues in his throwing arm—a moment that weighed heavily on Phillips. "That broke my heart hearing that. He was unbelievably talented, and his mind was something else." Fortunately, Oberg and his wisdom didn't leave the game. Following the end of his playing days, he received his master's degree from Georgetown University and accepted a job with the Rockies as the minor league pitching coordinator in January 2025. As for the apprentice, Phillips has made good on Oberg's expectations after what was a rollercoaster couple of years post-COVID. The big right-hander was designated for assignment in July 2021 by Texas before being picked up by his hometown Phillies off waivers. Two seasons in the minors opened the door for a full-circle debut and instant, albeit unsustained success in his rookie year as a starter. Phillips was traded to Miami for cash days before the 2025 season began in a deal that got overlooked, but presented some opportunity to at least make an impression as a reliever. To say that the man capitalized on said chance would be an understatement. In 73 appearances across two seasons, Phillips has been another diamond in the rough for Peter Bendix and the Marlins, sporting a 2.43 ERA and an elite 175 ERA+ while being called into a wide variety of game situations. His run prevention combined with a distinct pre-outing self-slap routine made him one of the more prominent middle relievers in MLB. Recently, the window has cracked open for Phillips to fill an even bigger role. Following an avalanche of injuries to Miami's starting rotation candidates, he has been stretched out as a starter. Entering Tuesday, he is enjoying similar success (1.98 ERA in 13.2 IP). Phillips attributes his performance to being an "unhealthy perfectionist" and "figuring out" his old routine, an idea shaped and mastered years back in frigid New Jersey with Oberg. "To be honest, without him, I probably would have been out of the game a lot, a lot sooner. He just gave me this maturity that I don't think I would have ever found." View full article

PITTSBURGH -- Common tropes of the Marlins' scorching two-week stretch have been steady late-game pitching and timely hitting. On a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon in the Steel City, it was the same knacks that flipped for the worst. Miami's 2-for-13 day with runners in scoring position and struggle to secure a clutch knock in the final two frames proved fatal, as a rare sideways eighth from Anthony Bender ended up being the inevitable nail in the coffin of their season-long six-game win streak. Gregory Soto's tenth save of the year raised the Jolly Roger and sank Miami simultaneously, evening the weekend set with a 3-2 Pirates victory. "It was intense. It was a good game," said Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough postgame. "We had some chances, got the tying run there to second base in the ninth. It was just a good game, and they came through a little bit more than we did." Incredibly, Pittsburgh boasted even worse numbers with runners on, sporting an abysmal 1-for-12 with RISP and eleven men left stranded. The decisive run scored against Bender was the product of a two-out rally that featured two singles and a walk, before a 97 mph sinker drifted too far in, beaning Spencer Horwitz on the shin and plating the eventual winning run. Bender's rocky inning marked both his first loss of the season and first earned runs of June. Most notably, the 31-year-old surrendered multiple hits in an appearance since the end of April in San Francisco. "I thought Anthony threw the ball well," added McCullough. "Unfortunately, it was a hit by pitch with the bases loaded, but hey, you know what, they did their job, move some forward and push one across...Anthony's been on a really incredible run." Preluding Bender was Miami's latest bullpen game, started by Lake Bachar. Both Bachar and John King surrendered a run apiece in their efforts, but scoreless outings from Calvin Faucher, Cade Gibson and Michael Petersen held down the fort, keeping their offense in it. Miami's aforementioned chances in the eighth and ninth saw runners on first and second and a runner on second, respectively. Three strikeouts and the decision not to pinch-hit Owen Caissie for the slumping Leo Jimenez stifled the former, while a forceout, strikeout and putout of Liam Hicks spelled doom in the latter. "(We were) weighing the potential of (lefty Evan) Sisk versus Caissie or Leo, who's been in the game. Certainly trust him in that at-bat there against Yohan (Ramirez) in the eighth, so that's what went into that." It was team RBI leader Hicks and Heriberto Hernandez who cashed in Miami's only two runs earlier in the contest. Hernandez, who was a Bryan Reynolds robbery away from a sixth homer of the year, continues to shine in parallel with Miami's stretch. The sophomore outfielder's OPS sits north of 1.000, courtesy of seven RBI and base hits in eight of nine. "The swings he's getting off are incredibly aggressive," said McCullough of Hernandez's success. "Bert hits the ball hard, can handle velocity, and hits a mistake with spin. I think we've just seen a much more confident version of Bert since he's come back. He's cleared his head a little bit, and he's not as tentative as I thought his plate appearances were early in the season; there's more conviction behind it. This is the Bert-the type of swings he's getting off-that I think we saw last year." If you crave another mid-day, low-scoring affair, look no further than Sunday's series finale. Max Meyer, still sporting an undefeated 6-0 record, goes toe-to-toe with 2025 National League Cy Young winner and superstar Paul Skenes. First pitch from a likely rainy day in Pittsburgh is slated for 12:15. View full article