MIAMI — The Miami Marlins returned from their series against the New York Yankees to face the Cincinnati Reds back at home on Monday night. However, it seems that all of their offense missed the flight and remains back in the Bronx. The Fish struggled to put anything together against left-handed starting pitcher Brandon Williamson in their series-opening 2-0 loss.
Starting pitcher Janson Junk had a very efficient outing in his second start of the 2026 season. Junk pitched 7 ⅓ innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. He improved his season ERA to 3.09.
“I’m happy with what I did today,” Junk said postgame. “I feel like I did not have my best stuff, but I was able to go out there and compete and get through quick innings to get back in the dugout and give the guys a chance.”
Right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Phillips took over for Junk and was able to keep a runner stranded. Phillips punched out Matt McLain and got Elly De La Cruz to ground out to Otto Lopez at shortstop. Phillips also pitched a scoreless ninth inning to keep the ballgame within reach.
The Marlins offense had a putrid night. Otto Lopez was one of the few hitters who did well against Cincinnati’s pitching staff. Lopez went 2-for-4 and boosted his season batting average to .351. It was his third consecutive multi-hit game.
Second-year catcher Agustín Ramírez was the only other Marlin to record a hit. Ramírez went 1-for-3 with a triple and drew a walk. His triple was about a foot or two away from being a solo home run to right field.
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“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get much going offensively to back (Junk) up,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “The ones we did square up, they just didn’t fall.” The Marlins totaled 12 hard-hit balls, according to Statcast, compared to 10 for Cincinnati.
The Reds are now 4-0 on the road this season. The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other MLB team that also remains undefeated in away games.
What’s next?
The Marlins will look to rebound and even the series versus the Reds. On Tuesday, Miami will hand the ball to their ace pitcher, Sandy Alcantara. The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner has been stellar to kick off the 2026 season. Alcantara is coming off one of the best starts of his career, a complete-game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. It was also the second “Maddux” of his MLB career.
The Reds will hand the ball to left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott. In two outings far this season, the 2025 National League All-Star southpaw pitcher has recorded a 3.09 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, and a .674 opponent OPS.
The first pitch for Tuesday’s game is at 6:40 pm EST.