This shouldn’t be happening, and it doesn’t make sense.
That is what I have been telling myself amid this late-season surge from the Miami Marlins.
And yet, despite still being four games under .500 and having a run differential of minus-82, the Marlins are still clinging to life in the NL Wild Card race as the last week of the 2025 regular season approaches. Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers (79-77)—who still had playoff aspirations of their own entering the weekend—extended the Marlins winning streak to six, including 10 of their last 11.Â
In conjunction with a Reds win and a Mets loss, the Marlins now find themselves for four games out of the third Wild Card spot. Miami is tied with the Cardinals (76-80) and also looking up at the Diamondbacks (79-77) and Giants (77-79).
Setting the tone, Eury Pérez proved imposing, striking out a season-high nine and allowing just a pair of hits in his four innings of work. Pérez threw 88 pitches on the day, generating 16 whiffs. The 22-year-old lost a potential fifth inning of work when a dropped third strike to Josh Jung got away from catcher Brian Navarreto, forcing Pérez to throw an additional nine pitches.Â
Despite pitching to a pedestrian 4.20 ERA since returning from Tommy John surgery, the former top prospect has a lot to keep fans salivating over. His .197 opponent’s batting average ranks eighth-best among pitchers to throw at least 90 innings this season.
Opposite of him, Merrill Kelly, making his third start of the season against Miami and first since being acquired from Arizona, was tagged for three runs over his 4 â…“ innings. Shortstop Otto Lopez opened the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the fourth, his 20th of the season. Lopez’s 77 RBI are the most by a Marlins middle infielder since Starlin Castro’s 86 in 2019.
Following him, Heriberto Hernández kept the train rolling, driving in López for his 10th RBI of the month. One inning later, AgustÃn RamÃrez knocked Kelly from the game when he doubled home Jakob Marsee and made a bit of history in the process. RamÃrez tied Iván RodrÃguez’s franchise record for the most extra-base hits by a catcher in a season, with 55.
In adding to the “this shouldn’t be working” narrative, first-year manager Clayton McCullough turned to George Soriano to lock down a save in the bottom of the ninth. Belying the 8.55 ERA that he carried into Sunday, it took Soriano all of 12 pitches to do just that.
Collectively, Marlins pitchers allowed only seven earned runs during their 30 frames at Globe Life Field (2.10 ERA), compiling 27 strikeouts compared to eight walks. Those are encouraging results for the club’s first series utilizing their new pitch-calling system.
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Looking Ahead
The Marlins will travel to Philadelphia, where they’ll start a three-game series against the NL East champion Phillies on Tuesday. NL Cy Young contender Cristopher Sánchez (13-5, 2.66 ERA) will look to continue his stranglehold on Miami, having posted a 1.27 ERA in 35 â…“ innings of work against them.
First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is slated for 6:45 EST.Â
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