D-backs Must Battle the Pesky Marlins at Beautiful loanDepot Park

The Arizona Diamondbacks salvaged the final game of a three-game series on Sunday to conclude a 3-4 homestand that included a four-game split against the Dodgers. Their record is 34-31 and they are just .001 percentage points out of the third NL Wild Card spot.

Arizona traveled to Miami Sunday and will have an off day on Monday. They play the Marlins at loanDepot park starting Tuesday.

Due to the East coast time zone, the games on Tuesday and Wednesday start at 3:40 p.m. Arizona time, while Thursday's day game begins at 10:10 a.m. Arizona time.

The D-backs split the season series with the Marlins last year in odd fashion, sweeping three in Miami but losing three at Chase Field.

The Marlins are coming off an impressive series win against the first place Tampa Bay Rays, including a 4-1 win on Sunday behind Sandy Alcantara. Miami has a 31-35 record and are 3.5 games out of the NL Wild card.

The Marlins have a 20-16 record at home despite ranking 29th with just 12,489 paid attendance in their beautiful ballpark. The D-backs have a 13-17 record on the road. The two teams rank very close together in team run scoring and run prevention.

D-backs and Marlins runs scored and runs allowed with MLB Rank | Jack Sommers

Diamondbacks-Marlins Hitters to Watch

The Marlins are lead by a dynamic duo in the middle of the infield. Shortstop Otto Lopez is second in MLB with a .336 batting average. He's slugging .480 and has a .845 OPS.

Second baseman Xavier Edwards is batting .302 and a .387 OBP thanks to 34 walks. Meanwhile Liam Hicks has split time at catcher, first base, and DH. He leads the Marlins with 12 homers and 47 RBI.

Jun 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates teammate Corbin Carroll — Jun 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates with teammate Corbin Carroll after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The D-backs offense continues to be led by Corbin Carroll. The speedy right-fielder is batting .285 with 10 homers, and an MLB best eight triples. His .928 OPS ranks fifth in the National League.

Star second baseman Ketel Marte cooled off this week after winning the NL Player of the Week award on June 1. He's run hot and cold this year, and currently sits with a .246 B.A. 11 homers, 37 RBI and a .746 OPS.

As go Carroll and Marte, so goes the Diamondbacks offense.

Diamondbacks-Marlins Starting Pitching Matchups

Zac Gallen and Max Meyer pitching stats | Jack Sommers

Many words have been spilled wondering why Zac Gallen has fallen on such hard times the last two years. The bottom line however is he will have to be aggressive in the zone and avoid nibbling and falling behind in hitter's counts, and hope the batted balls find gloves. Trust your defense.

Max Meyer was a first round pick for Miami in the 2020 draft. After making his MLB debut in July 2022, he injured his elbow in just his second outing, and required Tommy John surgery. After missing all of 2023, he came back in 2024 and also 2025, but missed the second half of last year. He came into 2026 with a 6-11 record and 5.29 ERA in 25 starts.

Now he's the ace of the Marlins staff with a 6-0 record and 2.81 ERA, and peripherals that mostly back it up. He dominates with a sweeper/slider combo to go along with a 95 MPH four-seamer that he throws just 24% of the time.

Right-handers are batting .208 with a .612 OPS, while left-handers are even worse, batting .169 with a .520 OPS against him.

Ryne Nelson and Ryan Gusto pitching stats | Jack Sommers

Ryne Nelson took advantage of a Dodgers lineup that did not include Shohei Ohtani last Thursday to toss seven inning of two-run ball. It was a solid bounce-back from his previous outing in which he allowed four homers.

Ryan Gusto has made one start and two long relief appearances. He's been pressed into the starting rotation due to injuries to Eury Perez and Janson Junk. Gusto went just two innings in that lone start, but the Marlins are confident they can get enough length out of him for this start. He was starting and stretched out in Triple-A.

Merrill Kelly and Tyler Phillips pitching stats | Jack Sommers

Merrill Kelly had a very poor outing against the Nationals last Friday, allowing seven runs in five innings and raising concerns about where he goes from here. Kelly's 5.71 ERA can't be simply chalked up to bad luck.

Metrics such as expected ERA and FIP indicate he's pitched even worse than that for the season as a whole. It's critical he gets turned around if the D-backs are to go anywhere in 2026.

Tyler Phillips has worked mostly in long relief for the Marlins this year. His most recent outing he was the bulk pitcher behind Gusto, pitching innings 3-7. He's thrown 59, 72, and then most recently 82 pitches, so he's stretched out enough to thrown 80-90 pitches in this game.

Closing Time

Jun 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Marlins signed Pete Fairbanks during the offseason to a one year, $13 million contract to be their closer. In 19 games, 17 innings, he has a 7.41 ERA and seven saves, with two blown and a 2-3 won loss record. His FIP is 4.81. The Diamondbacks were interested in Fairbanks this offseason.

The Diamondbacks instead signed Paul Sewald during the offseason for one year and $1.5 million to be their closer, at least until A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez return from elbow surgery.

In 26 games, 23.1 innings pitched, Sewald has a 3.47 ERA, with 15 saves in 16 chances and a 2-4 record. His FIP is 4.00, and he has 26 strikeouts against just six walks. He has allowed four homers.

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