Edward Cabrera throws gem to lead Marlins to win over the Braves

The version of Edward Cabrera that dominated for the Marlins on Monday is the version of him people have dreamt about, manager Clayton McCullough said.

Cabrera was sensational on the mound for them on a night when offensively they needed him to be.

They hit for the cycle — as a team — and thanks to Cabrera that one single, double, triple, and home run combined were enough to beat the Braves 2-1 at loanDepot park.

The right-hander allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings and struck out 10 while issuing just two walks. And he did this coming off one of his worst outings — four earned runs and a career-high 11 hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings Aug. 19 against the Cardinals.

“Cabby’s had a lot of really good starts this year, but this one for me was right up there,” McCullough said after Monday’s game. “Ten strikeouts. The swing and miss he had tonight, his changeup was outstanding. Able to land breaking balls. Worked both sides of the plate.

“It felt like he was in control really from the outset of this outing. You could tell he had his stuff going and the location was much better than his last start. So, he was fantastic. … Just a phenomenal start. “

Cabrera struck out five consecutive batters spanning the third and fourth innings.

“Truly I wasn’t keeping track, but when you stay in the zone, it really works, and thank goodness it did today,” Cabrera said via team interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “Today was a positive outing. It was great. It was wonderful. But now we have to prepare for the next one and have another positive one.”

Cabrera’s counterpart Monday, Spencer Strider, also turned in a strong performance, allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings. The Marlins scored that run in the fifth inning on Troy Johnston’s RBI double to center field. That brought home Otto Lopez, who walked and stole second.

In the eighth, Maximo Acosta drove reliever Pierce Johnson’s pitch 404 feet over the center field wall for a solo home run and a 2-0 lead. All three of Acosta’s major-league hits have been home runs.

“We were kind of joking about it, laughing when he did it,” McCullough said. “But really, I mean, the run was really important. Insurance run going into the ninth inning, certainly, as it turned out.

“So, to show power to all fields, we’re very excited about Max and what we think Max is going to be able to turn into as a player, what he can do on both sides of the ball. Happy that he came through with another big hit that turned out to be the game winner.”

That’s because rookie Drake Baldwin took Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher deep for a solo home run in the ninth, accounting for the Braves’ only offense.

Monday marked just the third time in Marlins history that the team’s only four hits were a single, double, triple and home run. The other two instances — Aug. 23, 2013 against the Rockies and Aug. 15, 2008 against the Cubs — both were losses.

The last time it happened in the majors was May 24, 2023, when the Rockies hit for the cycle against Miami.

THIS AND THAT

• Xavier Edwards started the game by snapping a 0-for-17 slump with a triple to right. However, he was thrown out at home trying to score on Agustín Ramírez’s grounder to third.

• Injured left-hander Ryan Weathers (left lat strain) said he will throw three innings in a minor-league rehab start Saturday, and if all goes well, he will make one more rehab start before he rejoins the Marlins’ rotation. Weathers pitched to hitters Monday for the third time since going on the 60-day injured list June 9. He threw three innings and 50 pitches. “I’m excited. This is the best I’ve felt all year,” he said afterward. “I felt good throughout. [Velocity] stayed good throughout. All the pitches felt really good. Now it’s just building volume back up.”

• Third baseman Connor Norby (wrist surgery) is scheduled to play rehab games with Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday and Wednesday.

• Reliever Jesús Tinoco’s right forearm flexor surgery is set for Sept. 3.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 10:30 PM.