The Miami Marlins don’t need a reminder that July nearly wrecked their season. They lived it.
A 12-game losing streak - the longest in franchise history and one of the worst of all time - turned what had been a promising stretch into a full-blown mid-season meltdown. Miami had entered the month sitting in control of the final Wild Card spot after June delivered the best month the club has ever had. Then, with the All-Star Game nearing, everything unraveled.
That collapse pushed the Marlins into a familiar late-July debate ahead of the trade deadline: were they buyers or sellers, a real contender or a year away? President of baseball operations Peter Bendix answered by standing pat, deciding the risk of moving key young talent for short-term help wasn’t worth it. The core stayed in place, and now Miami has to make that choice look right.
The math is simple enough. The Marlins need a hot run - something in the neighborhood of eight to 10 straight wins - to climb back into the position they once held.
That kind of surge would do more than steady the standings. It would give second-year manager Clayton McCullough a major boost, too, as the man who guided the team back from the brink.
Right now, Miami sits 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies (64-56) for the final Wild Card slot. That makes next week’s three-game series between the two clubs a huge one for the Marlins, who are 60-59. If they’re going to make noise, they’ll likely need to take care of business in Philadelphia - ideally with a sweep that would also help them stack wins in the kind of streak they desperately need.
There’s still a path here. August can still be the month that wipes away the damage from July.
But the Marlins have to start turning it on now, because the ugly stretch they already endured isn’t going anywhere. They need a response.
As McCullough has framed it, the task is as basic as it gets: don’t get lost in the weight of the moment. Just play.
In Other News...
Marlins Deadline Trade Suddenly Looks Even Worse Than Fans Feared
The Marlins trade of Liam Hicks at the deadline was easy enough to talk around at the time, since the roster looked sturdy enough in a few spots to absorb the loss. But the move always came with some risk because the return was built around a prospect package rather than immediate help, and that has made the decision a sore point with fans who wanted a more direct upgrade for the present tense.
Now the margin for error looks a lot thinner. With Kyle Stowers on the injured list, Miami is suddenly stretched at first base and leaning on less experienced options to keep the position covered, which only sharpens the frustration around a deadline deal that already drew heavy backlash. What once looked like a calculated future-minded move has started to look, from the outside, like a gamble the Marlins could not afford to make. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Lose A Promising Young Arm As Max Meyer Gets Relief
A difficult week on the pitching front got a little brighter for Miami, but only on one side of the equation. Max Meyer, sidelined by a neck strain, is expected back this season after a cortisone injection, a welcome sign for a rotation that has already had to lean on depth. For a club trying to piece together innings, any help from a young starter matters, and Meyers timeline at least offers some hope.
The downside is the loss of another arm the Marlins had reason to watch closely. Manager Clayton McCullough said right-hander William Kempner will have elbow surgery, removing a pitcher who had just reached the majors and posted a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in his debut season. The team has not detailed the procedure, but the recovery is expected to stretch deep into next year, a tough blow for a pitcher who had begun to carve out a place in the picture. [Read more 🡒]