Nate Karzmer

The perfect story was being authored during Saturday afternoon's middle game between the visiting Marlins and Orioles at a cloudy Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers was presented with the opportunity to face his former team for the first time, more than eight years after being Miami's top draft pick. Rogers was dealt to the O's on July 30, 2024, and the Marlins have been widely lauded for receiving starting third baseman Connor Norby and All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers in exchange for him. The southpaw rose to the occasion, forfeiting just two hits in six and two-thirds innings of work. Unluckily, Rogers played second fiddle to the man opposite him. Janson Junk stole the show with the first seven-inning outing of his career, shutting out Baltimore's offense in the process. Aided by a late avalanche from his club's bats, Junk spearheaded Miami's 6-0 victory, their first in four tries. Junk's five-hit, two-strikeout performance checked off all the boxes of a prototypical day from the 29-year-old. Tremendously commanded? Of course. Low pitch count? Yep. Pitching to contact? You guessed it, yes. Sticking to his calling card, Junk operated in the zone at a stellar clip—59 of his 89 pitches were strikes, including 17 of 26 first-pitch offerings. An aggressive Orioles lineup and Junk's philosophy of attacking hitters culminated in an average of a little over three pitches per plate appearance. Junk threw his four-seamer 45% of the time, mixing in his offspeed offerings—the slider, sweeper, curveball, changeup—in a variety of ways to keep a powerful offense off balance. With his first half now in the books, Junk boasts a 0.99 WHIP and 2.68 ERA, the latter being the lowest amongst arms who have started a game for Miami thus far. Although he entered the year with the résumé of an ordinary journeyman, his hard work and collaboration with the Marlins' pitching development minds has unlocked something. The out-of-nowhere explosion from the Marlins lineup was kicked off by Derek Hill in the seventh, who entered the at-bat hitless in 14 tries since returning from the IL on the first of the month. Jesús Sánchez, Javier Sanoja and Hill added insurance in the eighth and ninth, setting the stage for one of the best moments of the season. Xavier Edwards previously had belted just one long ball in his MLB career—July 28 a year ago, the day he hit for the cycle. Edwards had repeatedly threatened to end the home run drought dating back to a Saturday ago against Milwaukee. This time, he got just enough. All six of the Marlins' runs scored in two-out situations, continuing a season-long trend. With their 43rd victory under their belts, Miami returns to eight games under .500 with great momentum to secure another series victory in Sunday's rubber match at 1:35, with Eury Pérez facing off against Brandon Young. View full article

MIAMI—From Opening Day, the Marlins knew their identity. Moments after capping off a late push against the Pirates with a walk-off double, Kyle Stowers and Dane Myers made sure the baseball world knew the "Fightin’ Fish" were never out of a game. Fast-forward almost ninety games into their 2025 campaign, the youngest team in baseball has been arguably the best team in baseball in the past two weeks, with a major courtesy going to their ability to band together and come back late. Miami has scored in the seventh inning or later in eight of their past twelve games—ten of which they came out victorious. A two-run eighth capped off by Lake Bachar’s first save as a big leaguer pushed the Fish to another win in Saturday’s middle game against the Brewers, 4-2. Early signs indicated a potential late fireworks show on the offensive side—both teams combined for four runs in as many innings, leading to Cal Quantrill being pulled before retiring twelve batters—but three and a half scoreless frames later, the Marlins were in a position to strike. Back-to-back hits from the bottom of the order passed the baton to Xavier Edwards, who followed with a downright magnificent bunt to load the bases. “That was a sweet bunt,” raved his manager, Clayton McCullough. “Great touch, placement." w4cxqc_1.mp4 With ducks on the pond, pinch-hitting Connor Norby and Otto Lopez faltered with their chances to break the tie. That left rookie Agustín Ramírez in as intense of a situation as one could draw up. Down in the count and the heart rates of all 11,378 in the crowd up, Ramírez delivered. “We've seen maturity with Gus throughout this season,” said McCullough. “And yes, while he's a rookie, he's been in a lot of big spots and chased the first pitch. But to be able to collect yourself, and especially with how the previous couple of at-bats go...Real credit to Gus and his ability just to stay in the moment and control his heartbeat and put together a great at-bat.” “I've been through a lot of those emotions through the minor league level,” said Ramírez through translator Luis Dorante Jr. “I think those are things that really prepare you for this moment, and at a point like that, you have to calm down and just put the pressure on the pitcher instead of you.” Adding yet another huge swing to his résumé, Ramírez's RBI total sits at 37, good enough for third among MLB rookies. His OPS of .749 ranks ninth among all qualified first-year players. As soon as he was called up in late April, Ramírez emerged as an impact bat for his team and must-watch player for any fan in attendance, roles that he embraces. “It's amazing,” Ramírez replied when asked what it meant to keep his team's run intact. “Everybody working hard. It's amazing and I’m happy for everybody. This is what I want, and everybody wants.” For the first time since 2017, the Marlins have the opportunity to win five consecutive series. On Sunday at 1:40, the chances look to be in their favor. Coming off possibly the best start of his MLB career, Edward Cabrera takes the mound. While Cabrera’s resurgence has been nothing short of incredible, he may be overshadowed by the Brewers' projected starter, Brandon Woodruff. The two-time All-Star will be making his return to the majors after nearly two full years of injury trouble. He posted a 2.79 ERA across 10 MiLB rehab starts. View full article

MIAMI—The strut to the visitors' clubhouse at loanDepot park feels “totally normal” for Christian Yelich. After all, he has now been a Milwaukee Brewer for seven and a half years, matching the length of his tenure in the Miami Marlins organization. Returning to his old stomping grounds for the only time in 2025, the former National League MVP and three-time All-Star had an opportunity to reflect on the memories he made with his original team. “I had a good time,” said Yelich on Saturday afternoon in an exclusive interview with Fish On First .”They gave me my first opportunity to play in the big leagues, drafted me and all that cool stuff. So, it's a part of my journey…a lot of your career-firsts—debuts, first hit, first homer, all that. Feels like a really long time ago, but some pretty cool memories.” Miami selected the sweet-swinging lefty with the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Yelich quickly justified that decision by putting up elite offensive numbers in the minor leagues despite consistently facing older competition. “You make a lot of good friends,” Yelich replied when asked what particular moments as a Marlin he holds dear. “You're chasing—everybody's chasing—the same goal of trying to make it to the big leagues. I met some really good friends here, myself and (J.T.) Realmuto are pretty good buddies—we met in the Gulf Coast League our first couple of days in pro ball.” In addition to Miami’s ex-backstop, Yelich mentioned a handful of other notable faces from the "what could’ve been" mid-2010s Marlins that he still keeps in contact with to this day. “Still talk to (Marcell) Ozuna, Justin Bour and Giancarlo (Stanton). Just all really good dudes.” Despite never winning more than 79 games in a season between 2014 and 2017, the uber-talented core that made up those squads is something that still impresses Yelich to this day. "It was great. A lot of those guys are still playing, which is pretty rare. All guys who have had pretty long careers and all kind of come up together at the same time. Still really good friends with them." Soon after the '17 campaign, new ownership made the controversial decision to throw in the towel on the core they had just inherited, adding to the lengthy track record of fire sales in South Florida. Stanton and Ozuna were dealt to the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. Another domino fell on January 25, 2018 when a disgruntled Yelich was traded to the Brewers in exchange for a bundle of top prospects. He concluded his Marlins career with 17.6 WAR and a slash line of .290/.369/.432, excellent cumulative production for a 26-year-old. Miami took a risk by trading such a well-rounded player who was in the midst of a cost-efficient, long-term contract. Their worst nightmare came to life almost instantaneously. With an uptick in over-the-fence power, Yelich exploded onto the scene, collecting his aforementioned MVP in the blue and gold not even a full calendar year after being dealt. A legitimate five-tool outfielder was destined to lead Milwaukee to perennial postseason contention, while his former team was burdened with four farmhands—Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto—who never flourished. Only Díaz is still playing professional baseball, having signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals earlier this week. The Brewers have reached October six times in seven years during the Yelich era, including four NL Central titles. He's done well against the Fish in head-to-head matchups, posting a .925 OPS in 27 games. He remains a key piece of Milwaukee's roster at age 33 as their everyday designated hitter and team RBI leader. Yelich is in the midst of the largest contract in franchise history which runs through the 2028 season with a mutual option for 2029. Despite a pair of miraculous playoff runs in 2020 and 2023, that Marlins rebuild did not come close to yielding sustained success. Rather, the front office was overhauled after the '23 NL Wild Card berth and another rebuild ensued. However, there finally appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. Entering Sunday's series finale, a Miami roster filled with young, controllable talent has won 10 of their last 12 games and surged into third place in the NL East standings. There are some parallels to what the Marlins had cooking a decade ago. The emergences of Kyle Stowers and Agustín Ramírez have solidified the middle of the lineup. The upside that Eury Pérez has shown in his early 20s is reminiscent of José Fernández. "To be honest, I'm just trying to get to know some of those guys. A lot of them are new to the league," said Yelich. "Just from last night and just watching, they play the game hard, play the game right. That's a good foundation to have to start building that good team." The Marlins have interesting decisions to make as the trade deadline approaches at the end of the month. They must recognize that there is still a gap between themselves and MLB's top-tier teams. However, in focusing on 2026 and beyond, they cannot forfeit another Yelich-like impact player who'd be so difficult to replace. View full article

MIAMI—Succeeding weeks of digging and assiduous effort, Eury Pérez finally uncovered his sought-after gem. Six innings of one-hit, seven-strikeout ball from the 6'8" right-hander in front of his family along with a towering 425 foot two-run long ball from fellow youngster Agustín Ramírez propelled the club to their fourth consecutive series victory with a 4-1 win in Thursday’s rubber match against the visiting Twins. “That's what we've been working for, and I can see the results,” Pérez told reporters through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I feel very happy, I feel healthy, and we will continue to keep working for more outings like that.” Pérez’s success could be found in swing-and-miss and inducing weak contact, as the 22-year-old prodigy recorded an absurd twenty whiffs on eighty pitches (25%). Minnesota bats produced a measly four hard-hit balls in 21 plate appearances, three of which were flyouts. When Pérez is at his best—as seen in 2023—these two statistics tend to be mightily impressive. Unusual, though, was the unorthodox usage of Pérez’s arsenal. 89% of the pitches thrown from the future ace of Miami’s rotation were either fastballs or sliders, leaving the curveball and changeup to be thrown a combined six times. The approach derives from Pérez’s supreme confidence in his two premier offerings. "I think that's my number one pitch of my arsenal,” said Pérez regarding his four-seamer. “I trust this pitch a lot, and I think it is one of the best in the league because it has a really high spin rate. I like being able to throw it in different locations of the plate and also get some strikeouts.” He entered Thursday with an average four-seamer spin rate of 2,655 rpm, which ranks fourth in MLB—the only pitchers ahead of him are relievers. Speaking of the slider, Pérez receives positive reinforcement from pitching coach Daniel Moskos. “That boost of confidence is something that we've been working with in the bullpens and throwing programs,” Pérez said. “Between innings, (Moskos) kept telling me to keep trusting the slider. This slider is something a pitch is going to help me, and it's going to help me to finish those batters.” The Marlins pitching staff compiled quality starts in each game of a series for the first time since August 18-19, 2023 (Pérez was involved in that series as well). Between Pérez, Edward Cabrera and Janson Junk, Miami starters were outstanding against a Twins offense with plenty of well-regarded bats, pitching a total of nineteen innings, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. A three-game run with such dominance earned heavy praise from skipper Clayton McCullough. “Daniel (Moskos) and Brandon (Mann) deserve a lot of credit. The players go out there and do it, and they have continued to take strides and get better,” said McCullough. "As the season has gone on, our pitching staff has stayed committed to hammering and doubling down on the importance of throwing strikes—the importance of getting ahead. We know how talented our group is and the type of stuff that they bring to the table, and when we're in the strike zone with the type of frequency that we have been recently, the type of outings and performances we've seen, we believe become regular.” Possessing an ERA now comfortably in the fours, Pérez believes this is just the tip of the iceberg for not just himself, but his club as well. “I think the results have been good,” Pérez said in response to how he evaluates his return thus far. “The confidence is coming back. I think what we want is actually to win as many games as we can and get this team to the playoffs.” While the end of Pérez's remark might have come across as asinine just two weeks ago, the Fish sit just 6.5 games back of a wild-card spot with their ninth victory in ten games, courtesy of an full-team effort and mechanically sound play. "Where we are right now, record-wise, who's in front, behind, less concerned with that, and just very pleased and proud of how we've played baseball," said McCullough. "If we continue to play baseball, and contemplate this brand, this style, clean baseball, then we're going to continue to win games. Miami returns to action on Friday night, kicking off a three-game set against the 48-38 Brewers on the Fourth of July. It's the third consecutive season loanDepot park has played site to patriotic baseball. Looking to extend their run of quality starts, Sandy Alcantara takes the ball for McCullough, coming off a rocky start in the desert. Hoping to contain the Fish is ex-top prospect Quinn Priester, sporting a 3.35 ERA in fifteen total games. First pitch from what should be a sea of red, white and blue in South Florida is slated for 7:10, with a postgame fireworks show in the wings. View full article

Beginning in 1999, MLB has conducted its annual Futures Game the weekend leading up to All-Star festivities, serving as a fantastic opportunity for fans and teams alike to witness the best young talent the sport has to offer go toe-to-toe before they become big leaguers themselves. Monday morning, the rosters for the 2025 edition of the game were announced to the public. Catcher Joe Mack (FOF #2) and LHP Thomas White (FOF #1) will be representing the Marlins at Truist Park in Atlanta, marking the third consecutive year the Fish have had multiple delegates. The latter enters rare air with his second nod, joining Miguel Cabrera (2001-02) and Christian Yelich (2012-13) as the only two-time selections in Marlins history. White pitched two-thirds of an inning a year ago in Arlington, forfeiting a hit, three walks and an earned run. Selected with the 35th pick in the 2023 draft out of Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, White has enjoyed success at every minor league level he's pitched. After nine starts in High-A Beloit to begin his age-20 season, the southpaw was most recently promoted to Double-A Pensacola. In his first 7 ⅔ innings as a Blue Wahoo, White has allowed five hits and an earned run, coupled with a 5/9 BB/K ratio. He is a top 50 MLB prospect, according to all major outlets. No Marlin has ever made three Futures Game appearances. White is unlikely to buck that trend, because health permitting, he should already be in the big leagues by July 2026. Mack had similar hype as an amateur, selected by the Marlins with the 31st pick in the 2021 draft. He has always been as solid as they come behind the plate, but the Williamsville, New York native floundered with the bat for the better part of his first three MiLB seasons. Since the beginning of 2024, though, Mack has made a complete 180. His .582 OPS in 2023 skyrocketed to .806 across two levels in 2024, courtesy of an adjustment in Mack's mechanics. In 2025, the 22-year-old earned a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville following 12 games in Pensacola where Mack torched seven extra-base hits in 44 at-bats. The transition to AAA was tough initially, but the backstop has settled in as of late with twelve hits in the last week of June, including three long balls. Mack is now ranked on many MLB top prospect lists, including 44th overall by Baseball America. The 2025 Futures Game is set take place on Saturday, July 12 at 4:10. MLB Network will have the live broadcast, with a simulcast on MLB.TV, MLB.com and the MLB app. View full article

Third base umpire Jim Wolf raised his fist to the roaring approval of 28,446 fans at Chase Field as a distraught Dane Myers looked up to the retractable roof in disbelief. A gutsy, perhaps over-aggressive steal of third with one out in the ninth and clutch rookie Heriberto Hernandez at the plate looked like, by all intents and purposes, the decision that would not only doom the Marlins on Saturday against the Diamondbacks. Their spirited rally was going to come up short, putting an end to their season-long five-game win streak. With a challenge in his back pocket and one out standing in the way of defeat, it was a no-brainer for manager Clayton McCullough to put it to use just in case Myers somehow snuck his hand in there before Eugenio Suárez applied the tag. After a two-minute review, Miami’s wish was miraculously granted. Replay showed the athletic, third-year outfielder pull off an unbelievable head-first slide, just barely sneaking his right hand to the corner of the bag, evading Suárez’s glove. If his offense’s late resurgence wasn’t already enough, Myers’ maneuver and Hernandez’s subsequent sacrifice fly shifted every ounce of momentum to the first base dugout. After Agustín Ramírez’s go-ahead single in the top of the tenth, followed by Anthony Bender’s scoreless inning in the latter half of the frame, the Marlins had come all the way back to win their sixth consecutive game and third consecutive series in exhilarating all-around fashion, 8-7. The late push came on the heels of an otherwise slow day at the office for Miami’s bats. Outside of an opening frame that saw the first five batters of the game reach base, they collected a scant three hits between innings two and seven. Hernandez, pinch-hitting for Jesús Sánchez, legged out an infield single in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for Otto Lopez. Lopez’s prior at-bat would’ve ended with him trotting around the bases in 17 ballparks, but not Chase Field, as a stung fly ball to the deepest part of the park in center was a can of corn for Alek Thomas. This time, Miami’s shortstop pummeled a Jalen Beeks fastball to the seats in right-center, inching his club closer on his second homer in as many days. The long ball additionally extended Lopez’s hit streak to nine games. Ramírez followed with a frozen-rope double three pitches later before the always-clutch Liam Hicks cut the deficit to one on a seeing-eye single through the shift. On the day, McCullough’s offense recorded double-digit hits for the sixth game in a row, lining up with the streak of victories. Every player in the Marlins lineup recorded a knock, omitting Connor Norby. Lost in the fray of the late innings was the disappointing outing from Sandy Alcantara, whose run of allowing three runs or less in four consecutive starts met its end. Arizona leadoff man Geraldo Perdomo shooting an Alcantara sinker to the opposite-field gap on the third pitch he saw ended up being foreshadowing for the rest of his outing. His fellow Diamondbacks were aggressive all afternoon, something they’ve garnered a reputation for in the past handful of seasons. Despite letting Perdomo cross early, Alcantara worked back-to-back clean innings before a disastrous fourth. On just twelve pitches, Sandy forfeited five hits and five runs, with Ketel Marte delivering the big swing on a lead-taking opposite-field blast. Alcantara eventually escaped and persevered through six innings, but finished with a final line not as encouraging as his preceding outings in June. Miami’s ace continues to struggle with missing bats—recording six whiffs on 53 swings—and putting guys away when ahead in counts. Following another up-and-down start, Alcantara’s ERA climbs back to 6.98, which would rank last in MLB if he had pitched enough innings to qualify. With the trade deadline just over a month away, barring an unexpected spike in performance, all signs point to Alcantara not commanding a haul in return like once expected in spring training. Valente Bellozo delivered two scoreless innings trailing Alcantara in the seventh and eighth before Bender entered in high-leverage. Bender, who had not completed two innings in a game since his rookie year in 2021, got the vote of confidence from McCullough to go back out after a 1-2-3 ninth against the heart of Arizona's lineup. The 30-year-old didn't disappoint, working another perfect frame, extending his scoreless innings streak to 5 ⅔. With their sights set on their second consecutive sweep, the Marlins send out Cal Quantrill to make his 16th start of 2025 in Sunday's series finale at 4:10. Getting the nod for Arizona is Eduardo Rodriguez, owner of a 5.40 ERA now three months into his second season in the desert. View full article

“I feel like the game finds a way to even itself out, and it will...It’s starting to get frustrating (with) how many guys are getting hit. As pitchers, we’ve got to do a better job protecting those guys." Those were the words of San Francisco ace Logan Webb and 2024 All-Star following his no-decision on Wednesday night. Webb took exception to Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher hitting back-to-back Giants with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth...in a two-run ballgame that the Fish eventually won in extra innings. "Hopefully, there’s a little bit of edge tomorrow because of some of the stuff that happened today. Hope we come out with a lot of energy". Webb's wish was granted in Thursday afternoon's matinee, and quickly. After retiring Xavier Edwards and Jesús Sánchez in swift fashion, second-year right-hander Hayden Birdsong delivered a 97.5 mph heater to the thigh of Otto Lopez. Umpires converged and decided to warn both teams, a verdict that didn't sit well with Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough. McCullough, understandably irate, demanded answers from home plate ump Alfonso Márquez. Moments later, McCullough was ejected for the second time in his managerial career. Whether it was McCullough standing up for his guys or simply outrage at Birdsong and the Giants, the controversial sequence threw gas on an already raging fire in the form of Miami's offense. The unit rattled off a combined twelve runs in the first two games of the set. One pitch following the debacle, Agustín Ramírez delivered instant karma with a frozen rope double. Then it was Kyle Stowers—who played college baseball an hour south at Stanford—sending a message to not only the veteran Giants, but McCullough. The ex-Cardinal channeled his emotion into power on a hanging Birdsong slider, mashing a three-run blast 440 feet to center field. The moonshot was the farthest-hit ball of Stowers' big league career. Stowers' tone-setting rocket was foreshadowing for what was to come the rest of the afternoon. An unexpected Janson Junk blow-up inning in the fifth saw San Francisco even things up in the middle, but contributions from every player in Miami's lineup coupled 5 ⅓ scoreless innings from their bullpen were enough for an eventual 12-5 rout and series sweep out west. Two innings after Stowers, Ramírez continued the fireworks with his twelfth homer, increasing Miami's lead to five while joining elite Oracle Park company. The rookie C/DH and Stowers were responsible for plating half of the Marlins' runs with three apiece. The duo of Xavier Edwards and Eric Wagaman added two of their own as well, with both coming on doubles in the later innings. Wagaman's knock in the fifth broke the aforementioned 5-5 tie. Thursday's all-around showing put an exclamation point on what has been an impressive month thus far for Pedro Guerrero's group. Miami's offense has a National League-best .268 batting average since June 1. As for Junk—making his second start of 2025 and was backpacking off a tremendous performance last Friday against Atlanta—his infamous strike-throwing ended up being detrimental. Innings one through three were smooth sailing outside of Rafael Devers' second homer as a Giant, yet Junk ran into trouble in the fourth after allowing four consecutive hits. Acting manager Carson Vitale made the decision to relieve the 29-year-old at just 73 pitches with two outs and the go-ahead run on third. Junk's final line (3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 73 NP) wasn't as pretty as his debut outing. The 89% first-pitch strike number shows that opposing hitters, simply put, made good swings on good pitches. Aiming to push their win streak on the road to seven, Miami heads to the desert for a date with the Diamondbacks. Merrill Kelly, riding an impressive previous two months, stands in their way for Friday's series opener at 9:40. Opposite Kelly and making his fourth start of 2025 is Eury Pérez, succeeding an outing in which he showed plenty of flashes of his vintage self even in a losing effort. View full article

MIAMI—Janson Junk has capitalized on every opportunity that has been presented to him in his short time as a Marlin. Signed as a minor league free agent with an invite to spring training in early February, Junk showed feel for every pitch in his arsenal in Jupiter. He spent the first two months of the regular season in Triple-A prior to having his contract selected in late May. The call-up came under unglamorous circumstances as Clayton McCullough needed a long relief arm to tail his starting arms. Junk, the 29-year-old right-hander, was everything Miami’s newest skipper could’ve asked for and more. In five outings across a handful of weeks, he boasted a 2.78 ERA, going a minimum of four innings in each appearance. With Ryan Weathers and Max Meyer both suffering injuries that would sideline them for a substantial amount of time, the biggest opportunity was presented to Junk on Friday night from Miami. Fresh off a sweep of the Mets, division rival Atlanta entered town to kick off a weekend set, and McCullough gave the much-deserved rotational promotion to Junk, lining him up for his first start on a big league mound since April 12, 2023. Sticking to the status quo, Junk once again showed why he was more than deserving of the nod. Just as he did in the bullpen, Junk was masterful with his command, throwing an absurd 61 of his 79 pitches for strikes in addition to 80% of his first offerings. Junk forfeited just one run across his five innings of work against an all-world Braves offense, setting the tone for an excellent 6-2 all-around victory for the Fish. “It was fun,” Junk said. “Throwing my offspeeds for strikes early and then playing the fastball off that. I think that's the biggest thing. I mean, I'm just trying to be aggressive in the zone no matter who it is, not really caring about who it is, but just getting that strike one, as it's way better throwing a lot of strikes, not walking guys. So that's my goal every single time going out there." Junk's ERA now sits at 2.60, and with more moments on the horizon, the former 27th-round pick can continue his momentum in his new role. "We saw the same today as what he has shown in the other roles he had been used in up to this point—was quality stuff, the ability to mix pitches, get misses, pound the strike zone," said his manager. "We expected he would be equally as prepared and would be able to go out there and throw like he has." Miami’s bats provided Junk with a cushion in the third after Agustín Ramírez tattooed a fastball from new 20-year-old Didier Fuentes, the youngest major leaguer to start a game on the mound since Julio Urías did it in Dodger blue almost nine years ago. Ramírez, additionally, was good for another RBI in the seventh, matching a career-high with four. Miami saw the youngster well all night, stinging ten hard-hit balls in Fuentes’ first five innings in MLB. Junk received additional help from his defense. Otto Lopez and Dane Myers delivered two of the most impressive plays from Marlins defenders all year, even with the high bar they’ve set as a group. Lopez was first, leaving his feet and making a throw from the ground to nab the speedy Michael Harris II at first. ”I was expecting that to be in the hole, but see him come up with it, make the throw from the knees on the line, or one hop, that was very impressive from him,” said Junk. Myers followed with a home run robbery of Marcell Ozuna in center. He was unable to secure the catch, but forced Ozuna to settle for a double on a ball that would have landed in the shrub-filled batter's eye. The inning ended with Ozuna left stranded in scoring position. The Marlins and Braves are back in action for game two of three on Saturday afternoon at 4:10. Eury Pérez, making his third start of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, toes the slab opposite Grant Holmes. Pérez conceded a lone run in four innings of work in his previous start a Sunday ago in D.C., but was unable to strike a batter out for the second time in his big league career. View full article

TAMPA—Anthony Veneziano trail-blazed an unfamiliar bullpen game for the Marlins in Sunday afternoon’s matinee from George M. Steinbrenner Field with a spectacularly commanded two-inning scoreless performance in his first start as a big leaguer. Ronny Henriquez and Cade Gibson followed with shutout innings of their own, before bulk man Valente Bellozo took the hill in the fifth. While the steady second-year righty allowed just two hits—both to veteran first baseman Yandy Díaz—they were crucial. Díaz reset the game in his third at-bat with a game-tying, opposite-field homer. In the ensuing at-bat in a still-tied contest, the Cuban first baseman crushed a 107.3 mph double to left before being pinch-run for by José Caballero. Kevin Cash’s judgment proved to be the correct move, as the eventual game-tying run in the form of the speedster came two batters later on a Josh Lowe sacrifice fly. Closer Pete Fairbanks got the day off, yet Edwin Uceta had no issues in the final frame, securing a 3-2 win and series victory for the home team. Courtesy of the loss, Miami falls to a cruel 1-6 in June and back to 15 games under .500. The 2025 Citrus Series officially ends in a 3-3 tie, marking the first time the Fish have not lost a full-season series to Tampa Bay since 2018. Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough had high praise for his ‘pen when addressing reporters postgame. “Veneziano, starting off, did a great job,” said McCullough. "With those kinds of games, things have to go your way. And guys have to go out there and get outs to make that work. Between what Veneziano did starting off, Ronny and Cade, coming back on back-to-back days...and then what Bellozo was able to do, going three-plus innings in that part of the game. They all did what we were hoping for—to be able to give us a chance there at the end”. Much like the 101-degree feel-like temperature outside, Miami’s bats came out of the gates still scorching from a day ago, as Otto Lopez drove in his fifth run of June three batters into the contest. The Fish tacked on an additional run in the fifth, courtesy of Jesús Sánchez’s sixth RBI in a little under 24 hours. Unlike Saturday, though, the Rays were able to contain the Marlins' offense, thanks to great efforts from starter Drew Rasmussen (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 74 NP) and a trifecta of relievers. Apart from Díaz, it was Heriberto Hernández, still just a week into his MLB career, who enjoyed the biggest day at the plate. Hernández became one of three players since the start of 2024 to record a 3-for-3 or better game in his first seven games, joining ex-Marlin farmhand and current Ray Jake Mangum and teammate Agustín Ramírez. “Bert's taking some really aggressive swings,” raved McCullough. “(He’s) someone that performed very well in the minor leagues in the past. Good hitter. I think it's good you're seeing him being aggressive on good pitches to hit”. After taking three games to adjust to pitching at the highest level, Hernández has been one of Miami’s most consistent bats. Dating back to the start of the month, the 25-year-old’s OPS sits at an even 1.000. Miami’s second stop in their three-city road trip is the site for potentially the most anticipated game all season. Monday night’s 6:40 bout from Pittsburgh sees the long-awaited return of phenom Eury Pérez to a big league mound, 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery. At the tail end of his press conference, McCullough praised Pérez’s for completing the challenging rehab, as well as singing the praises of the medical professionals who were vital in his star’s return. “Eury has put in a lot of hard work to get himself back to this point—medical team, the strength and conditioning team. Whenever someone's coming back from a long-term injury like this, it takes a lot of hands that are a part of that process to get back”. Across eight rehab appearances between Jupiter and Jacksonville, Pérez was masterful, sporting a sub-two ERA in 22 ⅔ innings. In his rookie year of 2023, the youngest player in the sport at the time finished his season with a 3.15 ERA in 19 outings. Opposite Pérez is right-hander Mike Burrows, making his fourth start. Burrows' second year as a Pirate has been subpar through his first three outings, forfeiting eight earned runs. View full article

TAMPA—The Rays faithful were bringing it. Behind a five-homer effort from their offense and a four-run comeback two innings prior, Tampa Bay had all the momentum entering the bottom of the ninth in a 10-10, exhilarating ballgame against their state-mates. A sellout crowd of 10,046 at George M. Steinbrenner Field took to their feet, waving baby blue Evan Longoria giveaway shirts as rally towels while "Let's Go Rays" chants echoed throughout the stadium. If you closed your eyes and just listened, it’d be difficult to believe that Saturday afternoon’s game between the Rays and visiting Marlins was in a minor league ballpark. Desperately needing outs with two elite bats looming in Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero and his team in the midst of a draining five-game swoon, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough put his faith in southpaw Cade Gibson, who entered the bout with only nine major league appearances under his belt. "Cade has thrown the ball extremely well to this point. He's been up here and been in some tough spots, and it doesn't faze him," McCullough proclaimed postgame when asked of his decision to go with the lesser-experienced Gibson. "He throws strikes. You knew he was gonna go out there and pound the zone." If anything, the raucous mob in the stands aided the rookie rather than fluster him. "[During the game] I was like, ‘this crowd's electric right now,’” Gibson told Fish On First postgame. “When you're in the industry of this and being a competitor, you want the ball in that situation.” Channeling his competitive mindset, Gibson displayed incredible maturity and composure in the ninth (and eventual tenth). Following a 1-2-3, six-pitch first frame that moderately muted fans, fellow rookie Heriberto Hernández provided Gibson with a one-run lead heading into extra innings. Two sensational plays up the middle from Xavier Edwards later, Gibson was chasing just a single out to secure his first big league victory. A swinging strikeout of Josh Lowe provoked a passionate scream and fist pump from the Ruston, Louisiana native. “I love it. That gives me confidence to go out there and execute,” a grateful Gibson said when asked what it meant to get the nod from his skipper. “I fully trust in my arsenal to get the job done…I'm grateful for the opportunity and that they trusted me in that moment.” TUE3RGRfQjFOTUZBMUFCVnBJU2s5QkQwbFJSMThEV2c9PV9BZ0ZTVVZSWEFBQUFYUWRVQUFBSEFBUlVBQUFCVzFVQUMxTlhVMWRVQndjSENWY0M=.mp4 For Gibson, that fierce state of mind has been ingrained from his time at Louisiana Tech, where he attended from 2021-22, succeeding a two-year stint at NAIA LSU-Shreveport. “I didn't have any siblings growing up, so I didn't get to compete with anybody like that. But I've just kind of had it my whole life. I just love being in the arena and getting after it,” said Gibson with a smirk. “I think at Louisiana Tech, my coaching staff there, they really instilled it in me. They're just fiery competitors. They want to win at all costs. They're kind of old school in the way that they don't look at the numbers as much. They just want to win the ballgame. However you do it, it doesn't matter. Just go win.” In his redshirt senior year back home in northern Louisiana, Gibson garnered second-team All-Conference USA honors following a 93/19 K/BB, 4.87 ERA campaign as a weekend starter. Miami’s front office was impressed enough to select Gibson with the 292nd pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. The ex-Bulldog’s passionate way of playing the game has led to extraordinary success thus far in the bigs. With his first win now in the books, plus another scoreless inning on Sunday, Gibson boasts a minuscule 1.00 ERA in 11 outings since his late April call-up. That mark is the lowest among all 21 Marlins pitchers who have appeared in a game this season. Even in a small sample, it's a stunning development for somebody who wasn't even invited to big league spring training this year. Gibson specifically credited the assistance he has received from Marlins coaches on his offspeed offerings. “When I needed to evacuate the zone, need to get it down—whether it be a curveball or sweeper—I need to get it off, or a fastball, I needed to get above the zone," remembered Gibson. "So, I just think it's just knowing where to put the pitches in certain situations that they've really honed in on." As McCullough continues his closer-by-committee approach, Gibson’s appearances by inning will likely continue to vary. However, the young left-hander’s recent outing confirmed that, no matter what situation, what opponent or what ballpark it’s in, he will be as fearless and cutthroat as any arm coming out of his 'pen. View full article

TAMPA—The Marlins' week-and-a-half long offensive struggle and five-game slide have met an exhilarating, relieving end. They entered Saturday having totaled eleven runs during their latest losing streak and just twelve in the past week. In game two against their in-state rival Rays on Saturday afternoon, they erupted for eleven more, tying a season-high in runs scored. Both the Marlins and Tampa Bay dug out of four-run deficits in thrilling fashion, culminating in a 10-10 stalemate heading into extra innings, where manager Clayton McCullough’s decision to pinch-hit Heriberto Hernández for the hot-hitting Liam Hicks paid off. Hernández’s run-scoring single ended up being the first game-winning hit of the rookie’s career, but it would’ve been all for not if not for two downright stellar defensive plays from Xavier Edwards up the middle. Rookie Cade Gibson finished things off out of the bullpen, recording his first big league win and sending a sellout Rays crowd home disappointed with a swinging strikeout of Josh Lowe. With the victory, the Fish collected their first since exactly one week ago, now sitting at a 24-38 record. “That was a real team effort today,” said McCullough. “I think just the resiliency to hang in there when it could have gone the other way early. To fight back and find a way to win, it’s a good day for us.” TUE3RGRfVjBZQUhRPT1fQWdGU1VWUlhBQUFBWFFkVUFBQUhBQVJVQUFBQlcxVUFDMU5YVTFkVUJ3Y0hDVmND (1).mp4 Unlike Friday’s game, game two was high intensity from the very beginning. You’d be hard-pressed not to find an Evan Longoria jersey in every direction you looked, as the greatest player in franchise history ended his 16-year big league career in Tampa. Longoria was honored on the field to thunderous applause and noise as the three-time All-Star threw out the first pitch. Just a half-inning later, all eyes would once again return to the pitcher's mound, but for all the wrong reasons. As Marlins starter Ryan Weathers was finishing up his warmup pitches, Nick Fortes released a strike to the top of his starter's head in an attempt to throw the ball down to second. Weathers immediately went down, but stayed in the game after being consulted by trainers. It appeared that the scare would fuel Weathers after a quick first, but it quickly became clear that something wasn’t right. The southpaw ran into trouble in the second and third, allowing a three-run shot to Christopher Morel and forfeiting plenty of baserunners. More worrisome, though, Weathers’ velocity saw a significant drop-off from innings two to three, with his four-seamer topping out around 93 compared to his season average of 97.5. The 25-year-old's shortest outing of the season came to a close after three frame for precautionary reasons. The Marlins training staff evaluated his head, not his arm, as theorized. “Right now we think everything is okay with Ryan,” asserted McCullough. “I just felt like, in that moment with how things were going, and what I was seeing there, that the best thing for him and us was to make a move there.” With Weathers’ departure and sudden four-run deficit, the burden fell on a struggling Marlins offense to pick up the slack. Miami’s bats hadn’t compiled more than four runs in a game since May 28, but it didn’t take long for the group to make its eagerly-awaited return. Pedro Guerrero's unit exploded for a combined ten runs in the third and fifth, utilizing the gaps, capitalizing with runners in scoring position and making solid contact against Rays right-hander Taj Bradley, who ran into trouble in Miami back in May. Edwards, Jesús Sánchez, Dane Myers, Connor Norby and Nick Fortes all enjoyed multi-hit efforts. Edwards and Sánchez stood out above the rest, with the former driving in two on a single and double, while the latter provided the biggest swing of the day—a three-run missile to knot the game at four in the third. Once reliever Mason Montgomery departed, though, Miami cooled, while Tampa Bay’s power-hitters swung the momentum back to the home team. Four homers from up and down the Rays order between the fourth and seventh chipped away just enough to bring the next-to-last game of the 2025 Citrus Series to the aforementioned 10-10 tie. After Hernández pushed Miami back ahead in the top of the 10th, Edwards made the plays of the day to lock down a win against his former organization. With zero outs, Edwards laid out on a play to his left, knocking down the ball and staying with it before recording an out at first on his backside. That was just the beginning. Edwards’ encore was as game-saving as it gets, with the new second baseman getting to a 97.7 mph rope up the middle, preliminary to a stunning, pinpoint jump throw to nab ex-Marlin farmhand Kameron Misner at the plate. For Edwards, who was visibly upset even hours after his ejection the day before, Saturday’s win is just what his club needed. “Great, great to bounce back…We're all excited to win,” said Edwards with a smile. “We were just talking about, we don't even know how we would have reacted had we not won that game, so definitely glad to come on the winning side and looking forward to taking the series tomorrow.” Right in the middle of his postgame presser, McCullough publicized that Anthony Veneziano would be the opener for Sunday’s bullpen game and series finale at 12:10. Veneziano has starting experience, most recently in Triple-A Omaha a season ago, but none in MLB. Miami’s mission to secure their first season victory over their friends to the northwest will not be easy, as Drew Rasmussen is set to go opposite Veneziano. The veteran's 2.14 ERA would sit ninth-best in all of baseball if qualified. View full article

TAMPA—"We're trying to win games, trying to play good baseball, and it sucks when you're stripped of that," said a dejected Xavier Edwards postgame. For Edwards, the usually calm and collected Marlins leadoff man, Friday's series opener against his former organization in Tampa marked a first in his big league career—and for good reason. Succeeding a Dane Myers hustle double in the top of the third, the 25-year-old wasted no time laying down a textbook bunt down the third base line. The speedster was just mere feet away from first when Rays starter Zack Littell threw errantly, giving Myers a free pass to tie the game at one. There was just one problem. First base umpire Ben May deemed that Edwards interfered with first baseman Jonathan Aranda, meaning Edwards was out and Myers would have to return to second base. Instant confusion set in, considering Edwards did not step outside of the baseline in the slightest. Edwards even made sure to show May the final mark his cleat made on the chalk, but May did not budge. The play was not reviewable. The subsequent reaction from the Marlins and their second baseman went exactly as one would imagine. Manager Clayton McCullough stormed out of the dugout twice, begging for answers. On his latter trip, home plate umpire Chad Fairchild ejected the Marlins skipper for the first time. "(Fairchild) had him out of the baseline there getting down the line and I didn't see that way," said McCullough. "X was upset about it as well and things led to what ended up happening". As McCullough alluded to, Edwards wasn't too far behind, as one too many comments was enough for Fairchild to send Edwards home early for the first time as well. "I said some things that ultimately got me thrown out of the game, but I think it's a big turning point in the game," claimed Edwards. "Being able to put up a run with the top of our lineup coming up, no outs and be on first base with our 2-3-4 coming up, it's a big deal. Tie game at 1-1, and instead it swings the whole inning". Of course, with baseball being baseball, the controversial call turned out to be critical. Edward Cabrera and the bullpen held Tampa Bay's offense in check, while Agustín Ramírez's eighth homer and Otto Lopez's 424-foot blast helped Miami keep pace. It wasn't enough. For the third time in as many games, the Marlins came up short by just one run, falling 4-3. Miami's starter was only able to complete four innings due to drawn out at-bats from the Rays order and shaky offense from new first baseman Liam Hicks, but only permitted one earned run to cross. Cabrera once again showed his maturity in high-leverage scenarios, wiggling out of jams in key moments. That included retiring Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero—two of Tampa Bay's best bats—with the bases loaded in his final inning. McCullough asserted postgame that's where he's seen his young arm grow the most throughout the season. The 27-year-old flashed his usual fastball-changeup combination 62% of the time, but recorded strikeouts on two other pitches as well. Cabrera's season ERA now sits at 3.99, nearly a full run better than last year's 4.95 mark. Of Note - McCullough informed media pregame that Kyle Stowers, who leads the team with 10 homers, is day-to-day with lingering hand soreness. Stowers was available to pinch-hit on Friday, but was not given the opportunity. - For the fourth time in his career, Jesús Sánchez wore the golden sombrero. Also taking on his ex-organization like Edwards, Sanchez went down swinging in all four at-bats. - Ex-Yankee farmhands Ramírez and Eric Wagaman both recorded three hits in their return to Steinbrenner Field. - Friday's 1:10 start is the earliest game on the slate by a stunning five and a half hours. First pitch was moved up due to a Metallica concert at Raymond James Stadium next door. Looking Ahead Saturday’s penultimate game of the 2025 Citrus Series features another set of starting pitchers enjoying recent success in Ryan Weathers and Taj Bradley. Since returning from the IL in mid-May, the former boasts an ERA of 2.49, even after a rough start by his standards a Sunday ago (4 ER in 6.0 IP). Bradley is fresh off a masterful seven-inning shutout performance against Houston. First pitch from Tampa is set for 4:10. View full article