Nate Karzmer

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

MIAMI—A 7-1 record, top-five OPS and the second-lowest ERA in baseball. Few things go together like the month of June and Marlins baseball. That sentiment was echoed once more Wednesday night in a contest that was decided essentially within an hour and a half of first pitch. A six-run fourth inning and group shutout powered Miami to a dominant 8-0 series-clinching win over the visiting Diamondbacks, their seventh in eight efforts. They climb to just two games under .500 and remain 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot courtesy of the continued surge. "We dug ourselves a bit of a hole, but now we're playing much better here the last ten days or so" said manager Clayton McCullough postgame, "It's always going to go back to our ability to pitch and play and play defense. I think both those areas we can continue to get better, but right now we're doing a really nice job." The southpaw duo of Owen Caissie and Kyle Stowers headlined Miami's mid-game avalanche, blasting their sixth and fifth home runs of the season, respectively. Both shots registered an 110 mph exit velocity, although the latter was more majestic, finding the second deck and resulting in a rare bat flip from the slugger. Like his club, Stowers' stock has risen now a third into the month. 9 RBI and a .740 OPS in eight games have been just what the doctor ordered for a team desperate for the slug their All-Star of a year ago provides. "Kyle's been on the barrel a lot more of late, and what he can bring to our offense is no secret," said McCullough. "He has the ability to carry you with some swings at the right times with people on, and he certainly has shown that. He's certainly a huge part of our lineup in the middle there, and with how much the guys in front are getting on base, and his ability to drive them in is a big thing for us." Additional multi-hit nights from Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez, who tallied two more RBI as he builds his All-Star case, and Heriberto Hernandez tallied behind Caissie in Stowers in Miami's latest high-scoring day. "We've done it offensively in a variety of ways" said McCullough. "Otto again tonight with a couple more big hits, Liam had a really good night swinging the bat, and then you get the home runs. I think offensively, we've done a nice job during this stretch of getting done in a variety of ways." Not to be lost in the offensive explosion was the latest impressive bullpen game for a multitude of Marlins relievers. Ryan Gusto led the way with four innings of three-hit, four-strikeout ball, a solid step forward following two sideways outings in his return to the bigs. "I'm really happy about it," said Gusto of his outing. "I think it's something to build off of. I think they'll let that pitch count, getting comfortable to that starter role is something that's really good for me." "The work with the pitching coaches in between starts was huge," replied Gusto when asked what adjustments he made from his previous appearance. "I think that we were able to do a lot of quality work on my bullpen in between starts, and I mean that comes back to the routine that we're building, right? So, a couple like interesting outings out of the bullpen-shorter ones-and then now that we had like a full five days to line up for start, I feel like it was really helpful in that aspect to get some quality work in between." A three-man effort of Lake Bachar, William Kempner and Cade Gibson rounded out the superb day from Miami's arms. Kempner recorded his first win in the bigs because Gusto was removed to early to be eligible. "Our pitching staff overall, from starters to relievers, is nasty," said Kempner of the 'pen. "When you put our guys out there, we know they have a chance, no matter who it is. The stuff in there is absolutely gross." Making his third appearance as a starter, Tyler Phillips takes the ball for McCullough in Thursday afternoon's 1:10 EST finale opposite Merrill Kelly. A sweep and fifth consecutive victory in the matinee would mark Miami's longest winning streak of the season. View full article

MIAMI—An announced attendance of 12,443 took to their feet, while a confident Pete Fairbanks roamed the mound in the ninth with one out, a runner on first and a three-run lead. For all intents and purposes, Saturday afternoon's penultimate Citrus Series matchup between the Marlins and visiting Rays was just about over. Alas, the story didn't end there. A rare mix of chaos and collapse instead created destiny for a certain Marlins reliever. Prior to this week, Tyler Zuber was an unremarkable member of Triple-A Jacksonville's bullpen. He has spent parts of nine professional seasons in five different organizations, scratching and clawing for a consistent major league role and a specific moment at the top of his bucket list. With the "help" of a Pete Fairbanks meltdown and because Miami's other high-leverage arms had been deployed in earlier innings, Zuber got the opportunity he'd been craving. He was tasked with picking up his teammate opposite young phenom Junior Caminero and the bases loaded in what had devolved into a one-run ballgame. "It's the epitome of kind of what I want to be a part of as a team—just if someone doesn't get it done, it's a 'next guy up' type situation," said Zuber postgame. "I want them to have my back if I'm ever in that situation, so everyone just has each other's backs and just fights for each other." After dropping five in a row in Toronto and New York, Clayton McCullough's group has banded together just like they did a year ago, now winners in four of their last five. V0FXTHFfWGw0TUFRPT1fQVFOV1ZBWlJBQUlBQ0ZOUVZBQUhVQTRIQUFBQVZGTUFWd0VOQlFZQkFRSURDRk5l.mp4 Zuber left little doubt, as a five-pitch strikeout of Caminero ignited a yelling celebration and revival of the crowd as Miami held on for a 4-3 nail-biting win. "My whole pro career, I've closed a lot, but this is like one of those things that I wanted the most. I'm still shaking right now. I'm shaking now more than I was in my debut, so that tells me that this means a lot." “I just got ready as fast as possible, and it happened,” the 30-year-old continued. "It happened real quick. It was kind of like that one moment, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is it. I can see it. I can see it.'” As for the long awaited ball, it’ll have a home with Zuber’s parents. “Let them have it, put it somewhere in the house. It’ll be a good conversation starter,” he joked. If not for Zuber's heroics, super utilityman Javier Sanoja would be receiving a well-deserved spotlight. "El Chiquito" notched his fourth third-hit performance of the season, dropping down a pinpoint bunt in his first at-bat before blasting his second homer for Miami's first runs of the series. Additional RBI from Sanoja, Joe Mack (his sixth in five contests) and Liam Hicks rounded out a 10-hit day for Miami's bats. For the second time in four games, a group effort from the Marlins bullpen worked a combined no-hitter into the sixth inning. Although a flare single off the bat of former Fish Victor Mesa Jr. put the bid to rest, Rays hitters struggled to create much of anything before the aforementioned ninth. Hitless outings from Lake Bachar—who started the contest and gave Miami three innings—Anthony Bender and John King set the tone early before Calvin Faucher, Michael Petersen, Fairbanks and Zuber navigated the final frames. As noted on Marlins.TV, the Fish have won 173 consecutive games when leading by three runs or more entering the ninth inning. Sunday's rubber match features Marlins ace, Sandy Alcantara, succeeding an encouraging seven-inning evening in Washington. Alcantara goes opposite Griffin Jax at 1:40 EST. View full article

Max Meyer was brilliant on the bump in his most recent start, showcasing outstanding efficiency while shutting down the lineup opposite him. In other words, it was a day ending in "y". Meyer's seven-inning, two-hit outing on Wednesday afternoon kept an otherwise slumping Marlins offense around long enough for a late-game surge. Three runs in the final two frames were enough for the visitors to hold on for a 4-1 win, earning a much-needed series sweep in the process. Miami finishes their ten-day road trip at a respectable 4-5, a far cry from what seemed possible following last weekend in Queens. Pacing the Marlins in the matinee was their most consistent starting arm, who continues to live up to his third overall pick billing in what has been a breakout 2026 campaign. Entering Wednesday with a career 1.24 ERA in day games, the 27-year-old averaged a measly thirteen pitches an inning. That impressive enough number was actually inflated from a third inning that featured two walks and an earned run, Meyer's lone blemish. Miami's four-year veteran flashed his five-pitch mix to a tee while leaning on his signature sweeper/slider and four-seamer to keep Nationals hitters guessing. Six of Meyer's seven punchouts came courtesy of the off-speed offerings. Aside from the rugged beard, Meyer's most significant change from a season ago is the incorporation of that sweeper-a staple of Marlins' pitching development. While Meyer's slider was consistently pegged as one of the best in baseball, an over-reliance on the pitch plagued the right-hander in years past. 2025 saw Meyer throw 55% sliders and fastballs, with the changeup, sinker and sweeper in the distance. Now, with even a slight difference of spin on the sweeper, Meyer and Miami's staff have been able to couple the two beautifully. Per Baseball Savant, the advancement places Meyer's breaking pitches in the 100th percentile in terms of run value with eight. Although the All-Star fan vote was released to the masses an hour before game time, pitchers are instead placed in the hands of the manager. It'll be up to back-to-back World Series champion Dave Roberts to get Meyer and his superb 2.81 ERA to Philadelphia. Pitching and defense wouldn't win this game on its own, though. After Esteury Ruiz blasted his third long ball of the season and Miami's eighth of the series early-their most in a series since the infamous sweep of Atlanta in September of 2023-the rest of Pedro Guerrero's group went quietly until some patented small-ball set the table for Joe Mack in the eighth. While Owen Caissie and Javier Sanoja both failed to get the job done with the bases juiced and nobody out, Mack flaunted his clutch gene on the first pitch, lining a two-run, go-ahead single into right-center. The eventual sweep-clinching rope marked Mack's fourth and fifth RBI of the set, symbolizing the rookie's improved confidence at the dish. Miami's potential catcher of the future is 8 for his last 28 at-bats-including a multi-hit effort Wednesday-after adjusting to big league arms. Additional offensive standouts from Miami's ten-hit day include Xavier Edwards, who tallied a multi-hit game of his own, and Kyle Stowers. Stowers delivered welcomed insurance with an RBI triple (his first three-bagger of the year) in the top of the ninth. With their first three-city road trip of the season in the books, Miami returns home to loanDepot park this weekend for a date with the in-state Rays. Following an off day on Thursday, Clayton McCullough hands the ball to Tyler Phillips for Friday's series opener against familiar foe Drew Rasmussen. First pitch from South Florida comes your way at 7:10 pm EST. View full article

Through four innings of Tuesday's Lou Gehrig Day game between Miami and Washington, neither team could seem to muster any offense in a game started by openers, at that. Two-headed monsters from each club combined to work early no-hit bids, with what appeared to be a game-long offensive struggle on the horizon. Fortunately for the visitors, things changed quickly. Back-to-back-to-back homers from Joe Mack, Heriberto Hernandez and Otto Lopez in the fifth handed Miami a lead they would inevitably hold all night, while a late insurance blast from Hernandez supplied some cushion in the 7-3 series-clinching win. With their second consecutive victory, the Marlins improve to 4-1 over their division rival and 28-34 on the year. The fifth-inning power surge marks just the third time in franchise history the feat has been accomplished and the first since August 13, 2023, when Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and Josh Bell tormented Houston. For the tablesetter Mack, the more meaningful achievement was his swing-marking his first homer in 23 games at the big league level. Leading off for the first time since Low-A and leading Miami's offense was Hernandez, whose two homer-day and three-homer set continue what has been a monster stretch since getting his mind right in the minor leagues. In 39 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville in early May, the second-year outfielder is slashing an astounding .308/.317/.692 for an OPS over 1.000. Five of Hernandez's twelve hits have left the yard. After coming out of the gates especially slow, a run of this magnitude gives Clayton McCullough a platoon bat more than capable of flipping a game upside down at any time. In a near-180 from Sunday's 10-1 thumping, Tuesday's edition of a bullpen game was a fairly clean effort. Lake Bachar and John King worked the aforementioned hitless first four frames before passing the baton to freshly recalled Ryan Gusto. The 27-year-old's second look in the bigs this season wasn't as smooth as his first, as Gusto forfeited three runs across two innings of work. Fortunately, scoreless eighths and ninths from Michael Petersen, Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher kept Miami from sweating any more. Aiming to remain undefeated in June and clinch their third sweep of the season, Miami sends their most consistent starting arm in Max Meyer to the hill early Wednesday afternoon opposite Andrew Alvarez. First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 1:05. View full article

Unlike most sports, baseball is a game where a one or two-player effort won't push a team to victory, no matter how impressive it is. The Marlins were reminded of that the hard way on Wednesday afternoon. All-Star level performances from Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez put their club in prime position to secure back-to-back series victories for the first time since Opening Week and creep back to four games under .500, but a dreadful four outs on the bases and a 2-11 showing with runners in scoring position was too much to overcome. Miami dropped an upsetting series finale to Toronto and two-time All-Star Kevin Gausman by a score of 2-1 while clinching the fourth series loss of their past five. A team reliant on small-ball, the Marlins completely fell apart on the base paths in the later innings. A caught stealing of Jakob Marsee and mental gaffe by Heriberto Hernandez ended the sixth while a strike to nab Esteury Ruiz at second stopped Miami in their tracks an inning later. The most critical mishap, though, came in the eighth with runners on first and third, one out, facing a one-run deficit with Connor Norby at the plate. Needing at the bare minimum a sacrifice fly to tie, Norby watched a hanging slider for strike three while Marsee bolted to second where he was dead to rights. The strike 'em out, throw 'em out took all the remaining wind out of Miami's sails as they were sat down in order by Tyler Rogers in the top of the ninth. Beyond baserunning, the Fish squandered multiple opportunities to put runs on the board early. Leading 1-0. with the bases loaded and one out in the third, Kyle Stowers grounded into an inning ending double play. A frame later, Christopher Morel and Graham Pauley couldn't cash in their first chance with one away and runners on the corners. Taking credit for over half of Miami's hits was the budding star duo of Lopez and Edwards. The two combined for seven hits, four stolen bases and the lone RBI opposite Gausman and a trio of Blue Jay relievers. The two now sit alone atop the hit lead in all of MLB, with Lopez at 75 and Edwards close behind at 67. Now over fifty games into 2026, there should be little to no doubt where the best middle-infield in the league resides. Lost in the late-game malaise was the success and sudden worry for Marlins starter Eury Perez. Perez, who dazzled in his previous outing last Friday against New York, showed more of the same promise that he became renowned for as a top prospect. "Baby Goat" punched out seven through just three innings on his way to a season-high nine. It's a number that had the potential to be even higher if not for a bizarre situation in the middle of the fifth. The 23-year-old right-hander was shown on the broadcast to be writhing in pain out of seemingly nowhere before being helped to the clubhouse by team doctors and his mentor Sandy Alcantara. Shortly after, the team announced it was a right hamstring spasm. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reported postgame that Perez noted he would be getting imaging and the initial pain was a 10/10, but was a 7 during his scrum. Should the injury lead to an IL stint, it would sting that much more knowing Perez's recent adjustments have proved to be quite effective against formidable lineups. The incorporation of a two-seam pitch with sinking action has kept hitters off balance from a strong, but at times predictable four-seam offering. Increased command—Perez walked zero for the second consecutive outing—and trust in secondary offerings has been key as well. Toronto was able to grab the lead following the youngster's departure, capitalizing in back-to-back frames off Michael Peterson and Andrew Nardi, the latter surrendering his fourth homer of the season. The good news for Miami? A trip to Queens is on deck. Having just swept the Mets and enjoying success against their division foe dating back to 2025, the Fish enter Citi Field with confidence knowing they can mirror what happened at loanDepot park. Max Meyer, having dominated yet again against New York last Saturday with seven innings of scoreless ball looks to continue his sensational early-season campaign on Friday night opposite Freddy Peralta. First pitch is slated for 7:10 pm EST. View full article

MIAMI—"Trust yourself, because you know the tools are there, the talent is there, it's just a matter of trusting what you got and what you can do." That was the heartfelt message relayed from Miami's coaching staff to the struggling Heriberto Hernández before being sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville in late April. Coming off an encouraging 2025, the second-year outfielder wasn't all the way there at the plate, requiring tune-ups both mechanically and mentally to regain what Miami and Hernandez alike knew he had. Less than a month later, it's safe to say the 26-year-old's confidence has never been higher. Hernandez delivered the moment of the season for Miami thus far in the bottom of the ninth in Sunday's series finale over the Mets, blasting a walk-off grand slam to the roar of 23,018 screaming spectators at loanDepot park in a thrilling 4-0 victory. With the win, Hernández's club secures a sweep over their division rival climbs back to 25-29. New York did not lead at any point in the series after the second inning of Friday's game one. "Really happy for Bert," said Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough postgame over a raucous clubhouse. "We saw him do a lot of fantastic things for us last year—the big homer he had in Philly off [Jhoan] Duran. He's come through in moments for us in the past, and for him just to hang in there, and come back up, he's been ready to go every time his name has been called, he hadn't got a whole lot of starts to get into a rhythm, but I think he's always ready to come off the bench and hit. I couldn't be happier for him to have that moment there." "Amazing," responded Hernández with a smile when asked of his emotions. "It feels good that the team is winning and then the way that we've been fighting out there, it feels good." Deadlocked at 0-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the slumping Christopher Morel doubled to kick off what would be the game-winning rally. A sacrifice bunt from Javier Sanoja and back-to-back walks to Liam Hicks and Xavier Edwards—the latter being intentional—set the scene for Hernández, who didn't even enter the contest until the seventh. "I wasn't trying to do much—just trying to put the ball in play," said Hernández. "I knew that if I put the ball in play, we were going to get that run." Hernández still owns an ugly .193/.287/.284 slash line in 32 total MLB games, though his wRC+ spiked from 48 to 65 in this contest. One attribute of the Dominican's game that has never wavered is his attitude. Consistently, Hernández takes pride in any way he can assist in Miami winning ballgames. With the bat returning to rookie-year form, there's no reason why he shouldn't play a part in the coming weeks. "Just trying to help the team." said Hernández when asked what's been working since his return. "I know that I'm not playing every day, but in my heart that's what I want, just being able to help the team and contribute every time I'm out there." If It Ain't Broke... For as intense and stern as Tyler Phillips looks most times, Miami's standout second-year reliever has a simple approach to breaking the ice. "Go out there and relieve in the first inning. I guess they call that starting." Phillips stuck to his routine, coming out of the bullpen before taking the mound in the first while slapping himself in his patented pre-outing ritual. It worked. Phillips was impressive yet again, getting through 3 ⅔ innings scoreless innings before turning things over to his buddies in the bullpen. "I've started my whole career. Last year was my first year relieving," said Phillips. "The mentality that (Daniel) Moskos, Clayton (Brandon) Mann, everyone's been pushing to me is just go out there, do the same thing you've been doing, treat it like you're relieving in the first inning. Coming out of the 'pen has been kind of working for me. I get my little alter ego going and you're just attacking from pitch one. So instead of coming in in the sixth inning, I just did it from the first inning." Following Phillips, a sensational group effort from Calvin Faucher, John King, Anthony Bender, Michael Petersen and Pete Fairbanks kept New York quiet and things scoreless. The staff as a whole surrendered just three hits all afternoon. Notes and Quotes - Connor Norby was removed from Sunday's game with left elbow discomfort. Norby wore a 95 mph heater from Christian Scott in the fourth and stayed in the game for a half inning before Graham Pauley entered in his place. "He's sore," said McCullough of the injury. "I hadn't really got a check, got him in a tough spot there, around the elbow area, was able to play another inning of defense, but wasn't gonna be able to swing the bat, and it was starting to stiffen up. Probably have more on that tomorrow." - This was the Marlins' first series sweep of the Mets since May 17-19, 2019. - Hernandez's walk-off grand slam was Miami's first since Kyle Stowers hit his infamous blast off Mason Miller on May 4, 2025. - Miami improves to 1-9 in games when the fourth rotation spot makes a start this season. Chris Paddack, Robby Snelling and Braxton Garrett couldn't get it done, but a sensational effort from Phillips and Co. finally lifts the hex. On Deck Now riding sudden momentum, Miami embarks on a three-city road trip beginning north of the border in Toronto against the defending American League champions. Janson Junk toes the slab for Miami in Monday night's series opener against postseason hero Trey Yesavage. First pitch from the Rogers Centre is set for 7:07. View full article

Early Thursday afternoon, the Marlins announced the acquisition of 25-year-old outfielder Rece Hinds from Cincinnati in exchange for right-hander Zach McCambley. Hinds will report to Triple-A Jacksonville and was added to the 40-man roster following the additional transaction transferring Robby Snelling (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day IL. Hinds has one minor league option remaining. Selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2019 Draft out of IMG Academy, Hinds hit his peak as a prospect in 2020 and 2021, reaching heights as the eighth-best in the Reds system in both years as evaluated by MLB Pipeline. The industry was enamored by Hinds' stellar exit velocities, bat speed and strength, which resulted in a 60-grade for both power and his arm from the corner outfield. Those tools haven't faded yet as his exit velo got up to 115 mph with Triple-A Louisville this season. A lack of bat-to-ball ability continues to plague Hinds. His first campaign at the Triple-A level in 2024 was especially alarming, as the slugger owned the thirteenth-highest strikeout rate in all of Minor League Baseball at 37.9%. Hinds has had brief stints with the Reds in each of the past three years. The vast majority of his highlights were crammed into his first week, when Hinds homered five times and drove in 11 runs from July 8-13, 2024. Three of those long balls came at the Marlins' expense. In 51 total games and 131 plate appearances at the major league level, Hinds is slashing .172/.221/.426 with seven homers, three doubles and a grueling 6/55 BB/K ratio. The 6'3'', 215-pound, Niceville, Florida, native was designated for assignment on Sunday. Adding a right-handed bat became more of a priority for the Marlins recently. Their most promising Triple-A option, Kemp Alderman, just landed on the injured list earlier this week. Infielder Leo Jiménez suffered a concussion on Wednesday while Christopher Morel and Heriberto Hernández continue to provide sub-replacement-level production. With consistent playing time and a more analytical approach from Miami's hitting staff in Jacksonville, it's obvious that the front office believes they can shrink Hinds' swing-and-miss and tap into his trademark pop. It's a move that resembles the acquisition of Joey Wiemer a year ago, and perhaps this time around the project comes to fruition for a team desperately needing the slug that Hinds possesses. As for McCambley, the 27-year-old right-hander leaves the Marlins for the second time in a six-month span. A third-round pick in Miami's infamous all-pitcher 2020 MLB Draft class, McCambley was selected by Philadelphia this past December in the Rule 5 draft, but was returned prior to Opening Day. McCambley was impressive for the Jumbo Shrimp in 2026, utilizing his five-pitch mix effectively to the tune of a 2.36 ERA in 26 ⅔ innings pitched. However, he's walking 15.7% of opposing batters and projects to work in a relief-only role moving forward. View full article

MIAMI-Tuesday afternoon wasn't your average Marlins-Braves game. While most matchups between these division foes find Atlanta simply overwhelming the team they have 'owned' for the better part of eight years, game two of four from loanDepot park saw Miami beat themselves in a frustrating 8-4 loss. Footnoted by starter Braxton Garrett's three-walk first inning that saw Atlanta capitalize, multi-walk outings from Michael Peterson and Calvin Faucher set an already mighty Braves offense up perfectly to take back control. Notably, a one-out walk to a heavily slumping Ha-Seong Kim and a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for Mauricio Dubon in the eighth with things knotted at three and two outs. Dubon rolled a ground ball to Christopher Morel at first, who got pulled away from the base. Morel looked to second to get Ronald Acuna Jr., but neither Otto Lopez nor Xavier Edwards were there. Any chance Morel had to make a miraculous play back at first were stifled by Faucher being late to cover the bag. The back-breaking lapse was one-upped by two more insurance runs from Matt Olson, shifting all momentum to Atlanta and their tomahawk-chopping fans while draining their opponent. Lopez took the blame for not covering second postgame, saying " I couldn't get there on time, but that was the way that it should have been done... it's tough to anticipate those plays because he's had a good hitting the ball that way, and he actually pulled the ball (earlier in the at-bat), so it's difficult to cover both sides." "Watching it live, how far Morel had to go, the play at first was going to be difficult, just with the angle and how well Dubon can run and get out of the box." Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough said of the play. 'I think him going to look to second he felt moving that way was probably his best chance. We just weren't able to beat Acuna to the base." An early deficit didn't deter the Marlins' offense, who responded with three runs on three hits, including Xavier Edwards' sixth homer of his 2026 campaign and second in as many days. The remaining eight innings, though, were mostly quiet. Outside of Esteury Ruiz' s sacrifice fly in the fourth and MLB hit leader Otto Lopez adding to his total with three more, the bats were lulled to sleep by the three-headed monster of Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias. Excluding Kyle Stowers' first-inning double, Miami was 0-7 with RISP, including in the seventh with runners on second and third with one away. Déjà Vu? Desperately searching for a bounce-back outing after a sideways return to the bigs, Braxton Garrett was tormented by the same uncharacteristic issues that showed their head a week ago in Minneapolis. Just like his previous outing, Garrett instantly found himself in a bases-loaded, no-out jam following free passes to two of the first three batters he saw. Atlanta cashed in to grab the early 2-0 lead, but that would be all. Although Garrett was only able to get through three innings, improved location and conviction were enough to navigate them scoreless. "A little bit better, still not good enough, obviously," said the southpaw of his afternoon. "I just went back to thinking like my old self, pushing towards first a little bit to keep my front side closed, because that's kind of been the problem," Garrett said of his adjustment after the tumultuous first inning. "Just the body wanted to go, go, go, go very fast, and just pushing out towards first cleans that up, and it felt natural. So, I can definitely take that away and build on it". Shortly after the final out, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reported that Garrett would be optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Garrett's spot in the rotation would not come up again until the finale of the Mets series on Sunday. Ryan Gusto and Bradley Blalock come to mind as the two likely options, but a splash call-up of FOF #1 prospect Thomas White is not completely out of the cards. For the time being, a relief arm is all but certain to take a short flight from Duvall County and join the bullpen. Notes and (Non)-Quotes - Anthony Bender became the first Marlin in franchise history to record a 'hidden perfect game' following his clean top of the fourth. Bender retired his past 27 hitters in order, showcasing a tremendous leap from his early-season woes. - Miami tried their hand at an unconventional 4:10 weekday first pitch in hopes of drawing an after-work and after-school crowd. The experiment drew 7,521, a step down from the 6:40 average of 7,989. - Morel and Faucher both declined to address the media postgame. On Deck The Fish have another chance to secure a crucial series split against their league-leading rival on Wednesday evening. In that one, 2024 Cy Young winner and nine-time All-Star Chris Sale goes opposite Janson Junk at the traditional 6:40 start time. View full article

"Walks will kill you." There's a reason that baseballism has become so infamous: because it is true. Even when Braxton Garrett has struggled in the past, walks have rarely been to blame. Thursday afternoon, starting his first MLB game in nearly 700 days, Garrett and Miami succumbed to a quick death in what was ultimately a 9-1 waxing at the hands of the Twins. In his first major league appearance since recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, Garrett was visibly off from the jump. A tightrope act got through a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the first inning. He found himself in the exact same situation in the second, though. A total of five free passes and four hits were enough to chase the southpaw after just an inning and a third. By the time Garrett walked off the mound with his glove over his mouth, he had allowed four runs to cross and walked more Twins than he retired. Although Garrett's calling card is his command and ability to spot pitches, walks were an issue in the veteran's six starts in Triple-A Jacksonville, with all but one outing being a multi-walk effort. Positively, all of Garrett's five offerings featured an uptick in velocity. The sinker, most notably, rose from an average of 90 to 91.3 mph. Following Garrett's departure, the burden fell on Miami's bullpen to get outs and get the team out of Target Field as they continue their brutal 16-game, no off-day stretch through May 28. Low-leverage but nonetheless scoreless multi-inning efforts from Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Lake Bachar did what they could before Miami enters a brutal stretch going opposite the two best teams in the league. In uncharacteristic fashion, the usually steady John King forfeited three runs in the eighth, easily his most in any outing as a Marlin. If these Fish want any chance against said the increased competition ahead of them, the offense-specifically the middle and bottom of the order-must perform better. Outside of the consistent top three of Xavier Edwards, Liam Hicks and Otto Lopez, Miami's bats collected two hits whilst striking out eight times on Thursday. It was Lopez that ensured Miami wasn't shut out for the second time this set with a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth. On Deck Miami heads to the west coast of Florida, returning to Tropicana Field for a date with the AL-best Tampa Bay Rays and the first edition of the 2026 Citrus Series. Friday's opener featuring Janson Junk and Jesse Scholtens is set for 7:10. View full article

Outside of the teams that won World Series championships in 1997 and 2003, the 2023 edition of the Miami Marlins was perhaps the most adored in franchise history. Following consecutive seasons of 90-plus losses in 2021 and 2022, '23 was a breath of fresh air. Those fiery, resilient Fish blended both veterans and young stars with formidable pitching and hitting to clinch just Miami's third-ever playoff berth in a full season. You cannot tell the story of that team without a certain 5-foot-10 second baseman with fewer than forty career homers. Luis Arraez was the 2023 Marlins. Acquired from the Minnesota Twins a little less than a month away from spring training, "La Regadera" etched himself in team lore while simultaneously becoming a fan favorite. He achieved the first cycle in franchise history...in just his twelfth game. He proceeded to flirt with a .400 average deep into the season and set a franchise single-season record with his final .354 mark. Arraez was an All-Star, Silver Slugger and top-10 finisher in National League MVP balloting, the leader and face of a scrappy lineup that had Miami in the spotlight like they haven't been in years, with what seemed to be a promising future. On the heels of that prosperous season, Marlins ownership opted for a bold shake-up. General manager Kim Ng was out, replaced by new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. There were wholesale changes to front office personnel, but Bendix largely kept the club's major league roster intact—the most notable departures were letting Jorge Soler and his 36 homers walk in free agency and flipping super utility man Jon Berti on the eve of Opening Day. Given the dire state of Miami's farm system, a rebuild seemingly loomed, but not imminently. To reference Murphy's Law, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. On May 3, just 33 games into their 2024 campaign, the Marlins entered their cross-country trip to Oakland sitting at 9-24, set up by a brutal season-opening 0-9 skid. But hey, maybe this core could do the impossible again. Jesús Sánchez said it himself not even 24 hours ago following his walk-off that "Miami was back" and there were signs of stabilization with a 6-4 record in their last ten. Then, just like that, it was all over. Minutes before first pitch from the Coliseum, news broke that Arraez was headed to San Diego in exchange for a quartet of minor league talent. The reported blockbuster was met with shock and outrage, not just from Marlins faithful, but from all corners of the baseball world. Bendix had gutted the soul from his organization barely one month into his first regular season in Miami. He confirmed in the subsequent media session that this was waving the white flag on 2024, saying "we are unlikely to make the playoffs this year." Many more moves followed and the Marlins endured 100 losses that year. At the time of this article, two players that Bendix inherited from the 26-man postseason roster remain on the major league squad. Although the Marlins are not yet perennial contenders like Bendix aspires to be, their outlook is considerably brighter than it was two years ago. We now have the necessary context to evaluate the Arraez deal more fairly. It's fair to start with the man himself, whom after collecting another batting title in 2024 with San Diego, saw his name and what he brings to the table get more criticized amongst the general baseball population. The "one-tool player" label gained serious wheels following Arraez's first season as a Padre and a 2025 campaign that featured a league-lead in hits with 181, but an OPS of .719. Despite hitting free agency in the theoretical prime of his career (entering his age-29 season), Arraez lingered on the market until February. He ultimately moved north in to the division rival San Francisco Giants on a modest one-year, $12 million deal that literally any MLB team could've afforded (yes, even the frugal Fish). His first quarter of a season in the Bay has been mostly a continuation of his Padres tenure offensively—tons of singles and fewer strikeouts than any other qualified hitter. Interestingly, his defense has graded out brilliantly. Arraez still plays his role and does it better than anybody...except for one guy. We'll get to him later. The package sent to Miami included OF Jakob Marsee, RHP Woo-Suk Go, 1B Nathan Martorella and OF Dillon Head, with the final being considered the headliner. Thus far, Miami gets a 1.5/4. Go was the least desirable at the time of the swap and his stock only lowered since joining the Marlins organization. The Korean right-hander struggled as a low-leverage reliever in the minors and was cut 13 months after being acquired without ever tasting the majors. Martorella's hit tool had been a question mark when he came over and it's looking as questionable as ever now. He is OPS'ing .520 with a .135 average in Triple-A Jacksonville, a step down from an already discouraging .630 OPS a year ago. I'm giving Miami a generous half point for Dillon Head, the 70-grade speedster who was just 19 at the time of the deal. Head has been absolutely hampered by injuries ever since, including a season-ending hip injury a little over a month after joining the organization and has appeared in a limited nine games in 2026 after nursing a hand injury. It is entirely too early to write Head off, but this season in High-A will play a huge role when evaluating his future with the club. Finally-and most notably-Jakob Marsee, who was the first of the four to receive a call-up and did not miss his opportunity. The Dearborn, MI native went scorched earth in his debut month in the bigs, being honored with NL Rookie of the Month for August after posting a sensational .352/.430/.629 with eighteen extra-base hits and above-average defense. It's been a mixed bag since, most notably the start to Marsee's sophomore season—he currently holds a 67 wRC+ (league average is 100). What we do understand is that Bendix and the Marlins front office has supreme confidence in their potential franchise center fielder to figure things out, and there's reason to believe. Marsee boasts incredible plate discipline, still possessing an OBP over .307 with an average of .182. If you choose to view the trade simply based off the four players Miami received in return, it appears Bendix still won his first blockbuster, but not by a landslide. However, the true value of the deal can be seen when analyzing the other guy I was referring to earlier. Xavier Edwards, who had no way of finding consistent playing time with Arraez and Tim Anderson up the middle in 2024, was called up shortly after the departure of his predecessor. Instantly, the former first-round pick proved Bendix was right to deal Arraez in favor of his former Rays farmhand. While Edwards and Arraez both have elite hit tools, the former's value extends far beyond. An elite runner despite not swiping as many bags as one would expect, Edwards can take extra bases and keep balls in the infield at second base. In addition, since transitioning to the position full-time just halfway into 2025, Edwards proved to be elite, even being named a Gold Glove finalist. Perhaps most important to Bendix and Co., the switch-hitting Edwards is three years younger than Arraez and doesn't hit free agency until 2030. Edwards' production and future value chalks this trade up as a win for Miami already. Couple that with a potential franchise center fielder and an uber-athletic 21-year-old that simply needs to stay healthy? While Bendix took plenty of heat for getting rid of the fan favorite, he was just setting the tone for what was to come. View full article