Takeaways as Marlins win series against Brewers to set up key final week of season
The Miami Marlins once again found themselves having to rally around each other with another key player sidelined during their playoff push.
Earlier this month, it was the Marlins going through a two-week stretch without slugger Jorge Soler.
On Saturday, it was ace Sandy Alcantara announcing he was done for the season with a UCL sprain in his right elbow and 20-year-old rookie phenom Eury Perez going on the injured list with left SI joint inflammation.
And then on Sunday, it was Miami playing without All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez, who twisted his left ankle (the same one that has been hobbling him all week) when he slipped on the stairs going into the dugout after the eighth inning on Saturday.
And just like they had before, the Marlins took a collective effort to get a key win on Sunday, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 at loanDepot park to cap Miami’s regular-season home schedule.
Miami (81-75) went 46-35 at home this season, the most wins at home in a single season for the franchise since the World Series-winning 2003 team (53-28 at home that year). The Marlins are also guaranteed to finish with at least a .500 record in a full season (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) for the first time since 2009.
Miami took two of three overall in the series against Milwaukee (88-68), which is important considering the Marlins will most likely face the Brewers in the wild card round of the playoffs should they advance to the postseason.
The series capped a homestand in which Miami went 6-3 overall, also sweeping a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves before dropping two of three against the New York Mets.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Jon Berti, Josh Bell with big hits
The Marlins tallied 17 hits in the series-clinching win over the Brewers, but it was three big swings that provided the bulk of their offense on Sunday.
Jon Berti hit two home runs — a solo shot in the second and a two-run homer in the fifth — while Josh Bell had a solo home run of his own in the third.
For Berti, it was his first multi-home run game of the season and the second of his MLB career (also May 4, 2022, against the Arizona Diamondbacks). His first home run of the game, a 428-foot shot to center against Freddy Peralta, was the second-longest of his MLB career. The second home run went 411 feet.
Berti is the fifth Marlins player with a multi-home run game this season, joining Soler (four times), Jake Burger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bell. The Marlins are 8-0 this season when a player has a multi-home run game.
As for Bell, he gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead with his leadoff home run in the third inning. He reached base all four times on Sunday, also hitting a pair of singles and drawing a walk.
In 48 games with the Marlins since being acquired from the Cleveland Guardians, Bell has hit .276 (50 for 181) with 11 home runs, 21 RBI and 26 runs scored. The home run and runs scored totals match what he did in 97 games with Cleveland.
Bryan De La Cruz drove in the Marlins’ other two runs with a third-inning single that scored Burger and Chisholm.
Edward Cabrera steps up when Miami needs him
With the Marlins down to three reliable starting pitchers heading into the final week of the regular season (and, if they make it, the playoffs), they are relying on that trio to be effective each time they take the mound.
Right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera, who has struggled with command this season and was even sent down to Triple A for a month to work on his mechanics, did his job on Sunday. Cabrera pitched five strong innings against the Brewers, holding Milwaukee to one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five.
Matt Moore, David Robertson, Andrew Nardi and Tanner Scott followed Cabrera out of the bullpen for the final four innings.
Where things stand in the playoff race
With the win, the Marlins remain one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the NL’s third wild card spot and one-and-a-half games behind the Diamondbacks for the second wild card spot.
The Marlins have six regular-season games remaining, a three-game road series against the Mets that starts Tuesday and a three-game set at the Pittsburgh Pirates that starts Friday.
This story was originally published September 24, 2023 at 4:27 PM.
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