Miami Marlins starting rotation takes shape entering second half
It has started to come together for the Miami Marlins.
That might sound strange after entering the All-Star break on the heels of a sweep to the Cleveland Guardians, but after spending much of the summer showing just how well-rounded they can be, the final piece is beginning to fall into place.
The starting rotation was the one area lagging when Miami first got hot. The Marlins spent much of the first half piecing together bullpen games because of injuries to starters Eury Pérez and Janson Junk.
Now, heading into the second half of the season, that group could cement itself as the team’s anchor.
Junk returned last Thursday and gave up just one earned run on three hits over five innings against the Seattle Mariners, and Pérez threw seven perfect innings against the Oakland Athletics on July 5 and continues to look more comfortable with each outing. He has posted a 1.57 ERA over the past 30 days, one of the best stretches of his young career.
Max Meyer, who was selected to his first All-Star Game but did not pitch Tuesday, is in the middle of the best season of his career. He enters the second half with a 9-1 record and 2.58 ERA after tying the franchise record with nine consecutive wins to open the season.
After recording a career-worst 5.36 ERA last season in his return from Tommy John surgery, Sandy Alcantara is quietly inching back into form. He has a 3.24 ERA over his past five starts while pitching at least seven innings in three of his last six outings.
Then there’s Tyler Phillips, who has made a strong case to lock down the No. 5 spot after holding his own as a spot starter amid the wave of injuries.
Pitching was supposed to be the strength
Heading into the season, pitching was viewed as the Marlins’ clearest strength before the staff was battered by injuries.
Even as things quickly fell apart on the mound, Miami kept winning, going 26-11 since June 1 and entering the All-Star break holding the National League’s third and final wild-card spot.
And for anyone familiar with the roster, one thought lingered in the background: If the Marlins were doing this with much of the pitching staff sidelined, things could get even better once they got healthy.
With the core now back intact, Miami still is giving up the fifth-lowest opposing batting average (.229) and sixth-fewest hits (734) among all MLB teams, while also ranking 10th in ERA (4.02).
The most notable strides have come from Pérez.
After growing four inches and gaining 45 pounds since his signing in 2019 before blossoming into Miami’s top prospect and earning his first call-up in 2023, he’s now pairing those rare physical tools with the poise and awareness needed to become a complete major-league starter.
During his near-perfect outing against the Athletics, Pérez worked through several full counts while showing more patience between pitches and greater consistency in his delivery. Then, against Cleveland, he escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning with a strikeout and a ground-ball double play.
Pérez leaned heavily on his sinker to escape that jam, throwing it more often than his four-seam fastball during the inning, according to Baseball Savant’s pitch tracking.
“It’s a pitch that has been helping me a lot through the first half of the season,” Pérez said. “When you have an inning like that, you have to focus and perform to your full potential.”
In Alcantara’s case, the former Cy Young winner has already demonstrated what he’s capable of on a regular basis. The question was whether he could return to that level after Tommy John surgery.
While his 3.99 ERA and 10-5 record might not jump off the page, the most impressive part of his first half has been his ability to carry a full workload when the Marlins needed it most.
The 30-year-old leads Major League Baseball with 130⅔ innings and 14 quality starts, while his 10 wins are tied for the third most in the majors.
“He’s been a huge part of how we’ve been able to play because every fifth or sixth day, he comes in and we know he’s going to bank six innings or more and either leave us with the lead or give us a chance to take the lead,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
Phillips might be the biggest wild card of the group.
Opening the season out of the bullpen, the 28-year-old hadn’t pitched more than three innings in an appearance until May 30.
But when injuries forced the Marlins to dig into their bullpen, Phillips, who made seven starts for the Philadelphia Phillies as a rookie in 2024, took advantage of the opportunity.
He enters the second half with a 3.48 ERA through 25 appearances, including nine starts, while holding opponents to a .255 batting average as a starter.
“We have a lot of fungible pieces, and he’s one of them,” McCullough said. “He’s really been helpful for us, coming in to start when we need him. He’s playing well, and I’m really happy for him.”
A deeper bullpen
The injuries also gave several Miami relievers valuable experience in expanded roles. Lake Bachar allowed just one run over 7⅔ innings across his first three starts, while Ryan Gusto made six starts and John King was also used as an opener.
Even pitchers such as Tyler Zuber and Michael Petersen, who did not start, were pushed into larger roles as the bullpen carried a heavier workload.
“While managing some of the losses we had healthwise, so many guys stepped up,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It’s been fun to watch the number of contributions we’ve gotten, just kind of scattered around.”
With the rotation healthy again, that extra experience should give Miami more confidence and flexibility in its bullpen during the second half.
“We trust the bullpen we have,” Alcantara said of the bullpen. “The fire to go out there and win games is there. We have a lot of pitchers who can do a great job.”
The bats might have cooled during the past few games, but with the pitching coming together, this is starting to look like a complete team.