Winners of 26 of their last 35 games, the Miami Marlins are one of the most surprising teams in baseball. But the real shock is how the Marlins are getting it done.
Exhibit A is shortstop Otto Lopez, a first-time All-Star this season who was acquired in 2024 after he was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants.
The Marlins, who will host the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon, have won 16 of their past 19 home games. And Lopez leads the majors with a .341 batting average.
“He hits the ball all over the place,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “If he gets two hits in a game, you’re not surprised.”
But Lopez is not the only key player the Marlins have picked up on the cheap.
Liam Hicks, who leads the team with 57 RBIs, was picked up in the Rule 5 Draft.
Javier Sanoja, who won a Gold Glove Award last year as a utility player, was signed by the Marlins in 2019 out of Venezuela for only $90,000.
Second baseman Xavier Edwards was acquired from Tampa Bay for two prospects in a steal of a deal. Edwards has an .811 OPS, and he averaged 29 steals over the previous two completed seasons.
Outfielder Kyle Stowers became a first-time All-Star last year after being acquired from Baltimore for Trevor Rogers.
On Saturday, the Marlins will start right-hander Eury Perez (5-6, 3.84 ERA), who signed with the team out of the Dominican Republic for $200,000.
Perez, who is 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA in his one career start against Cleveland, has been hot over his past five outings, going 3-0 with an 0.99 ERA.
Cleveland will turn to hard-luck right-hander Tanner Bibee (2-9, 4.06 ERA) to start Saturday’s game.
Bibee set a franchise record this year by going winless in his first 13 starts; he went 0-7 during that span. However, Bibee pitched better than that record as he had six quality starts. Since June 1, he is 2-2 with two no-decisions and four quality starts.
Bibee, victimized by poor run support and a leaky bullpen, is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in his only career start against the Marlins. He has never pitched in Miami.
The Guardians, who are bidding for a third straight American League Central title, are not flashy. They entered this weekend ranked last in the AL in runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
However, they rank eighth in the majors in ERA, and they ended Miami’s six-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory on Friday.
One major issue for the Guardians is the injury to third baseman Jose Ramirez (hand). Ramirez, who hasn’t played since June 13, is a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
The Guardians also are missing left fielder Angel Martinez (foot injury).
Those two batters have combined for 21 homers this season, and their absence is at the heart of Cleveland’s offensive woes.
The Guardians are just 9-13 without Ramirez this season, and outfielder Chase DeLauter is looking for the team to turn things around.
“Hopefully, we can take a couple of games in Miami and roll into the All-Star break,” he said. “Then we can come back fresh, ready to rock.”
–Field Level Media
