As the Miami Marlins' season comes to a close, 2026 has been a weary yet wonderful year.

It's been a turn of the calendar where young players like Joe Mack and Otto Lopez stepped forward in their pro careers, while veteran starter Sandy Alcantara has added to his South Florida legacy. In the meantime, the team as a whole blossomed a bit early, threatening to qualify for the postseason in the midst of their rebuild.

In the meantime, the Marlins (73-76) will look to close out their three-game weekend series with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (90-58) on Sunday afternoon. It will be their final home game before embarking on their final road trip on the schedule.

The Fish are currently 15 games out of first place in the National League East, and they trail the final Wild Card slot by 7.5 games with just 13 games remaining. That's where things stand at this point in 2026; Clayton McCullough's club has less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN.com's official playoff tracker. Still, the South Florida skipper is staying the course.

"Certainly not as great [of a shot] as it was three days ago, five days ago," McCullough said recently, according to the Miami Herald. "But it's the spot we're in.... We're running out of time.”

Righthanded starter Eury Pérez brings a 7-11 record, along with a 3.94 ERA and 150 strikeouts, to the mound for the Marlins. He'll be opposed by LA's Emmet Sheehan, a fellow righty who has a 5-8 mark, 5.08 ERA, and 118 Ks. Both men will be looking to grab a decision that pushes their individual records to the .500 mark as the curtains close.

For Perez, every appearance is important; he's looking to nail down that third spot in the rotation behind Alcantara and Max Meyer. For the Fish, it's a chance to take two-of-three from the most talent-laden team in the game.

“Eury’s come a long way," McCullough said last month, as he looked back on the young hurler's performance. "I think we’re talking about it differently now on those kinds of days where it’s a little more scattered -- he’s still tough to hit.”

“And keeping the ball in the ballpark now at a much different rate than he ever has in his career. He’s still able to go five innings even on days we could all see he certainly wasn’t his sharpest.”

On a side note: The Fish might face some fury and fire from the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, who will return to action after sitting out two games with a minor injury. The Los Angeles slugger turned 37 today, and he might blow out the candles and then bash a homer over the fence at loanDepot Park. Keep an eye on how he performs on his special day.

Following the conclusion of the game, the Fish will focus on their next three series, all on the road. They have a trio of three-game sets against playoff contenders Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs. They will then return to Miami for their last three contests with the Atlanta Braves to turn out the lights on 2026.