After San Diego vanquished the Miami Marlins, 8-2, from the playoffs, the Fish will try to bounce back
Coming off a loss that officially knocked them out of the playoff picture for good in 2026, the Miami Marlins will try to avenge that defeat against the San Diego Padres.
The two teams continue their three-game series after the red-hot Padres posted an 8-2 win in the first tilt. The Padres (now 85-69) have won 11 of their last 12 games and are five games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks as they have gotten hot at the right time of the year. Their streaky September continues into Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Fish fell to 76-78 as they saw their 2026 efforts weighed and measured.
At one time, Miami looked like a favorite for the third playoff spot; now that team is San Diego. So, it was a bit fitting that they were the ones who delivered the knockout blow to the South Florida Nine.
So, while their postseason dreams have been shattered, fans of the Fish can be sure that their team is looking for a little bit of get-back against the Fathers. And there's an even pitching battle between to solid starters setting next on the slate.
For the Marlins, Eury Pérez, 7-11 with a 3.99 ERA and 155 strikeouts, will look to add to his record in what is likely his second-to-last start of 2026. Opposing him will be Casey Mize (6-9, 3.69 ERA). Game time is set for a 6:40 PM first pitch.
Perez is trying to finish strong, as he established himself as the third man in the Miami Marlins' pitching rotation, behind stars Max Meyer and Sandy Alcantara. In his last five starts, Perez is 1-2, with a whopping 8.31 ERA. He has 22 Strikeouts, 15 walks, and a 1.98 WHIP in 21.1 innings pitched. He will need to reverse that trend over his last couple of appearance before the end of the year.
For San Diego, this final week or so of play is really about staying hot and carrying that momentum into October. For the Marlins, it's a chance to audition a few faces, his=t some milestones, and get prepared for the 2027 season. It's the same year many baseball observers expected them to, anyway. They peaked a little early in 2026, before coming back to reality.
For San Diego, Xander Bogaerts will be out of the lineup. Jake Cronenworth is getting the start at shortstop, though Bogaerts isn't injured. On the Marlins side of things, their bullpen is decimated by injuries, a trend that helped lead to closer Pete Fairbanks being scheduled for surgery yesterday.
The Fish wasted a good effort by Tyler Phillips in Game 1 of this set, so the the question is: Will they go astray on Perez as well? The offense has been especially inconsistent in August and September. At the same time, on very few occasions has the team put the entire package - both offense and defense - together at the same time as the season draws to a close. We'll see if they can turn that around in southern California on Saturday night.
