The Marlins head into this series in Chicago carrying a split identity: a lineup that has been steady enough to sit 16th in MLB with a 100 wRC+, and a pitching staff that has had a harder time keeping runs off the board, reflected in an 18th-ranked 4.17 FIP. That backdrop gets even tougher on the road, where Miami is 31-47 this season and has gone 4-6 over its last 10 games.
The Cubs, meanwhile, bring a much louder offensive profile into the matchup. They lead MLB with a 115 wRC+, even though their 26th-ranked 4.66 FIP shows there are still plenty of cracks on the pitching side. At home, though, they’ve been sturdy, posting a 45-33 record and going 6-4 in their last 10.
The pitching matchups are still taking shape, but the Marlins are lined up to send Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto and Tyler Phillips to the mound across the three-game set. Chicago’s probable starters are listed as Kevin Gausman on Tuesday, Shota Imanaga on Wednesday and Clay Holmes on Thursday.
Miami’s injury list remains long, with Anthony Bender, Owen Caissie, Pete Fairbanks, Ronny Henriquez, William Kempner, Adam Mazur, Andrew Nardi and Robby Snelling all on the shelf. The Cubs are dealing with a sizable list of their own, including Tyler Austin, Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, Porter Hodge, Gavin Hollowell, Cade Horton, Riley Martin, Phil Maton, Shelby Miller, Justin Steele and Trent Thornton.
For the Fish On First prediction game, a perfect series is worth three points: one for picking the series winner, one for getting the exact number of wins for each team, and one for naming the Series MVP based on FanGraphs’ win probability added. SuperSub David Fernandez is currently leading the 2026 season standings, which will continue to be updated between Marlins series. Submissions made before first pitch of the opener will count.
In Other News...
Marlins Keep Running Into The Same Problem This Young Core Must Fix
A rough night against the Padres put the Marlins right back at a familiar crossroads: a young roster with enough talent to hang around, but a defense that can still tilt a game the wrong way. Miami dropped a 7-3 decision as the fielding issues mounted, and manager Clayton McCullough was quick to underline what the club already knows well, that cleaner defense is going to be part of the foundation if this group is going to take the next step.
For players such as Javier Sanoja, the growing pains are tied to the ongoing adjustment to new positions, which makes every miscue feel a little more exposed. The Marlins are still working through that process, trying to sharpen the details while the lineup and pitching staff wait for the defense to catch up, and the larger question is how quickly a team built around youth can turn that work into something reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Just Hit A Brutal Point In A Lost Season
The Marlins reached the kind of late-September checkpoint no club wants to face, officially dropping out of postseason contention after being swept by the Padres. Sandy Alcantara gave Miami a steady six innings in the finale, but San Diego did its damage in bunches, with Jake Cronenworth powering the lineup by driving in four runs on a pair of two-run homers.
Miami now heads into a three-game series against the Cubs with little left in the standings picture and plenty of questions about how the rest of the season will be handled. Janson Junk is lined up to start the opener, another turn in a rotation that will spend the final stretch trying to find something worth carrying into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Have A Rising Power Bat With One Big Question Left
Brandon Compton has pushed his way onto the radar this season as one of the more intriguing power bats in the Marlins system. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter cleared at least 35 home runs in the minors, and his climb through the year was backed by a strong all-around line: a .271 average, 27 doubles and 27 steals in 124 games as he moved from High-A all the way to Triple-A.
For Miami, the appeal is easy to see. Compton has already shown he can adjust, coming back from elbow surgery in 2023 and later altering his swing after a hamate injury, and he has spent most of his time in left field with some first base mixed in. The next question is less about the bat than the rest of the profile, with his defense still a work in progress as he keeps trying to round out the game. [Read more 🡒]