The Miami Marlins (52-51) welcome the San Diego Padres (50-53) to South Beach this weekend. It is a crucial three-game set for both teams’ playoff hopes. Each club has struggled following the All-Star break. The loser of this series will kiss their postseason chances goodbye.
Thursday Results
The Padres fell short for a second consecutive day, as a late-game rally ended in a frustrating 6-5 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. The loss dropped them to 2-5 on their 10-game, three-city road trip.
The Friars began the scoring
with a three-run rally off of Braves ace Chris Sale. A fielding error by left fielder Mauricio Dubón aided the offense, as it was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Fernando Tatis Jr. and a two-run single by Luis Renglio. But that lead was short-lived.
After Padres opener Kyle Hart pitched a scoreless first inning, Griffin Canning came into the contest as the bulk pitcher. His struggles continued with the first batter he faced. Michael Harris II homered on the second pitch of his at-bat. The Braves scored four more runs in the fourth inning, as Ozzie Albies hit a solo home run and Dominic Smith followed with a three-run blast.
Atlanta closed out their scoring with Drake Baldwin hitting a solo home run off Matt Waldron in the seventh inning. The Friars came back with a two-run shot by Ty France. The bats tried to rally in the ninth inning, but to no avail.
Taking the mound: German Marquez (SD) vs Ryan Gusto (MIA)
The Marlins waited until this morning to name their starting pitcher for this afternoon’s game. The club is trying to fill a void left by star pitcher Max Meyer, who recently went on the injured list with a neck strain.
The team has chosen right-hander Ryan Gusto (0-2, 4.70 ERA), who has worked out of the bullpen and been a spot starter this season. He has a deep pitching repertoire, as Gusto does not throw particularly hard. But the right-hander will use his four-seam, cutter, and breaking ball to strike out left-handed batters. The movement keeps them off-balance during their at-bats.
The Marlins have struggled to begin the second half of the 2026 season, as the team is 1-9 in their last 10 games. At the All-Star break, the club held the final wild card position. But now, the Marlins find themselves two games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
German Marquez (4-2, 5.24 ERA) takes the ball and is determined to end the Padres’ recent slide. He has pitched better since coming off the IL. Marquez has become more effective by working on a pitch count that allows him to go through an opposing lineup once.
The right-hander has averaged three-plus innings since returning to the starting rotation. But to be effective, Marquez must avoid contact, which is impossible with the lowest strikeout rate (13.8%) among all major league starters.
The offense scored 21 runs in the four-game set against the Braves. The hope is the bats remain alive this weekend. It would be the perfect time for Miami native Manny Machado to put on a show for the home folks. He leads the Friars with 22 HRs and 59 RBIs.
