League’s top middle-infield tandem not enough as Rangers edge Marlins 4-3
After Monday night’s 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, the Miami Marlins’ eight-game home winning streak came to an end.
Even in the midst of the stretch that has thrust them into being the hottest team in baseball in June, the Marlins have ranked middle of the pack in terms of runs scored.
They have squeezed out wins by pitching better than anybody in the league this month, leading MLB in overall ERA and bullpen ERA, but the bullpen isn’t going to be able to carry the load every night.
While starter Tyler Phillips held steady for six innings, giving up five hits and two runs while striking out four, Alejandro Osuna and Elias Díaz each knocked in runs in the top of the eighth that dug the Marlins a hole their offense couldn’t come out of.
A significant chunk of Miami’s expected production comes from the early lineup trio of the league’s top hitter, shortstop Otto López, his double-play partner Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks.
The issue is that Hicks, who entered Monday among the league’s top 10 in RBI, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain, and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough offered an updated on his recent MRI results
“Nothing structurally concerning from the MRI, he’s got some inflammation,” McCullough said. “So it’s good news. Over the next handful of days it’s about how he responds to the treatment, but imaging came back clean.”
During Monday’s loss, López was left stranded on third while the Marlins also didn’t capitalize on Edwards reaching base multiple times. The second baseman nearly took matters into his own hands by going for an inside-the-park home run, but was thrown out by a step at the plate.
Stretch needs more offensive support
López, Edwards and Hicks are the only players on the team with a batting average above .250, minimum 100 at-bats.
On Monday, López finished 2 for 3 with a double, while Edwards also went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a triple.
Players such as Heriberto Hernández, Joe Mack and Kyle Stowers have stepped up throughout the month, and are going to need to make that production a consistent thing if the hot start and wild-card push are to continue much past the All-Star break.
Stowers, the Marlins’ lone representative in the 2025 All-Star Game, has gradually rebounded from a slow start that began with him on the 10-day injured list and hitting .223 across April and May.
He has hit .275 the past two weeks, and he has hit five home runs in June.
While most of the Marlins’ bats weren’t hot Monday, Stowers provided a boost from the supporting cast, going 1-for-4 and cutting the Rangers’ lead to 4-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“He’s getting back to his plate discipline being strong. The balance in his swings, he’s getting the ball back in the air with more regularity, especially in the middle of the field,” McCullough said. “He’s really had a terrific month. It’s high bat quality and the timing of everything coming together
Besides Edwards, Lopez and Stowers, right fielder Owen Caissie and Mack each added singles.
Tartan army takes over
The Scotland takeover that had been teased leading into Monday night became impossible to miss, with an estimated 8,000 members of the Tartan Army helping lift the announced attendance to 20,008 at loanDepot park.
Excluding Opening Day, Monday’s attendance was the highest turnout at loanDepot park since July 4, 2024, against the Boston Red Sox.
Before first pitch, Scottish fans marched from Ball & Chain on Calle Ocho toward the stadium behind the sound of bagpipes, turning Little Havana into a sea of kilts, flags and chants.
Once inside, they walked a lap around the warning track before helping create one of the loudest environments of the Marlins’ season, reacting to nearly every pitch, ball, strike, fair or foul.
Fresh off one of his better outings of the season, Phillips said the atmosphere was noticeable before he even took the mound.
“From the second I walked out of the dugout, I felt it in my chest. It was electric,” Phillips said. “If I’m driving around tonight and I see anybody in a kilt that needs help, I’ll pull over and help them.”
The Scots did create some mischief, however, as play was briefly paused when a beach ball landed in right field. Owen Caissie tried a few times to toss it back over the wall before it was eventually confiscated.
“It was funny,” Caissie said. “The beach ball was filled with water, so it was impossible to throw it.”
