Marlins Dominate Offensively, but Blown Perfect Game Steals the Spotlight
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Clayton McCullough made the toughest, least popular decision he's made as a manager of the Miami Marlins on Sunday night. After seven perfect innings of baseball thrown by Eury Perez, he was taken out of the game. The 23-year-old had thrown 92-pitches in his third start back from the injured list.
McCullough's decision nearly cost the Marlins the game, as the bullpen allowed eight runs over the final two innings after Perez's exit. What saved the game was the offense, which was completely overshadowed by the draw-dropping decision to pull Perez, and his start, of course. Miami's offense has been humming for some time now, but the last week has been a different story.
The Marlins scored 28 runs over the three-game sweep of the Athletics and crushed a record-setting dozen big flys. It was the most homers Miami has hit in a three-game set in franchise history, according to the Marlins' communications department, passing the previous record of 10 set back in 2023.
On Sunday, it was Heriberto Hernandez who smashed two, while Leo Jimenez and Otto Lopez each hit one. Home runs left the yard at a record rate over the weekend, but the Fish didn't stop there. They tied the franchise record for the most extra-base hits in a week-span with 38. Yes, 38 over seven games. Incredible.
The Marlins' Offense Is Clicking Constantly Headed Into the Break
A massive aid to the cause has been Kyle Stowers, who has slowly gotten out of his early-to-midseason rut. Just over a week ago, he was batting .224 with a .731 OPS, but he has caught fire over the last week. Since June 29, he's hit three homers, two doubles, a triple, and driven in seven RBI.
He did not play in Sunday's contest, but has been a huge contributor of late. Stowers now owns a .247 average and .805 OPS. Lopez has continued to crush the ball but has found more pop lately. He's hit four doubles, a triple, three homers, and driven in seven runs over his last six games.
As if he had anything else to prove, he's proven he's more than All-Star worthy with his .346 batting average and 25 doubles, each of which leads the league.
These two, among many others, have powered the Marlins into the playoff chase, and an amazing seven games above .500. Entering Monday's off day, the Marlins are .02 win percentage points behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild card spot, but have played four more games than them. With the trade deadline quickly approaching, there's no reason why the Fish shouldn't be aggressive buyers.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.