The Miami Marlins may be staring up at the Atlanta Braves in the standings, but they’re still playing for something bigger, with a shot at the 2026 playoffs in view. At 62-60 as they opened a series against the Cincinnati Reds, Miami still has ground to make up to get into the dance.
A big reason the Marlins have kept themselves afloat through stretches of losing has been the offense’s youth movement. And if there’s one player who has taken that and run with it, it’s Griffin Conine.
Conine spent 30 games with Miami before the All-Star break and gave the club a solid first half. In that stretch, the third-year outfielder hit .266 with an .869 OPS, along with five home runs and 12 RBIs.
Since the break, though, he’s taken things to another level. Conine entered the Reds series with the third-best OPS in Major League Baseball in the second half, posting a 1.012 mark across a minimum of 80 plate appearances.
Ahead of him in that category are only Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros at 1.043 and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres at 1.032. Conine has also put together a .293 average since the break, with eight home runs and 15 RBIs.
The one area where his line could be a little fuller is doubles. He has just two in the second half after four in the first half. Still, when the power is showing up and the OPS sits near the top of the league, that’s a small gripe.
Conine, a former second-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2018 MLB Draft, has been making his mark in Miami since debuting in 2024. At 29, he could be part of the Marlins’ near future, though he’s also the kind of player the front office could consider moving if it decides to add prospects.
August has only sharpened the picture. Conine is hitting .314 with a 1.114 OPS this month and arrives at the Reds series on a five-game hit streak. Cincinnati is under .500, so if Miami was looking for a series to seize, this is the one.
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Marlins Have A Real Chance To Build Momentum In Cincinnati
The Marlins head into Cincinnati with a chance to make a little noise against a Reds club that has struggled to produce at the plate, even while both teams are juggling injury lists. Miamis offense has been closer to league average this season, and the matchup offers a useful measuring stick as the club tries to turn a solid stretch into something more lasting. With probable starters lined up for each game, this series has the feel of one that could set the tone for the next phase of the schedule.
For Miami, the opportunity is simple enough: play cleaner baseball, take advantage of a vulnerable lineup on the other side, and see whether the momentum starts to stick. Cincinnati has not generated much offense, and the prediction contest around the series adds a little extra intrigue for readers tracking how it all unfolds. Even in a long season, these are the kinds of road series that can quietly change the mood around a team if the Marlins come out of it with the right results. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Pitching Has Found An Edge MLB Still Isn't Matching
The Marlins have built their pitching identity around making hitters uncomfortable, and Daniel Moskos has helped steer that approach toward a heavier diet of non-fastballs. Miami leads the majors with a 51.9% non-fastball usage rate this season, and the results have followed, with opponents batting .231 against the staff, a mark that sits below the league average.
Tyler Phillips and Sandy Alcantara have both shown how that plan can work when secondary pitches are landing, using splitters and changeups to keep opposing bats from settling in. The broader question now is whether Miami can keep leaning on that edge as the season wears on, or whether hitters across the league will eventually force the Marlins to adjust again. [Read more 🡒]