The Miami Marlins may not have had the best close to this season, but they still now how to find a spark from time to time; Monday was no exception.

The Marlins (77-80) were able to thwart the Windy City Nine from clinching a postseason berth with the win. For a team that was slowly ground out of that very marathon, it had to be a bit of a Pyrrhic victory for the Fish. They may be banged up and gagging all the way to the finish line, but Miami was more than willing to play the spoiler in this series. They did that in the opener.

The Marlins got a great start from righty Janson Junk, who pitched five scoreless innings, striking out six hitters while walking just one. He was followed by a whopping eight Miami relievers. Josh Ekness pitched one inning out of the 'pen to get the decision.

Miami struck first in the fourth inning, with Kyle Stowers providing a double and then coming around to score when Agustín Ramírez followed with an RBI single. Stowers continued his productive night in the sixth inning, launching his 20th home run of the season to extend Miami's advantage and add another milestone to his 2026 campaign.

Chicago answered in the bottom of the inning after putting together a promising rally. The Cubs quickly placed runners on the corners with nobody out, creating an opportunity to erase the deficit.

The game stretched all the way to the 12th inning, when a barrage from the Marlins' bats put a six-spot up on the scoreboard. The Fish would hold the Cubs scoreless and go away with a long, tough, and unusual victory.

As he battles for the NL batting title with just five games remaining, infielder Otto Lopez is hitting .304, ten points behind Luiz Arraez, who leads with a .314 average. The speedy middle infielder is running out of time, and he's in pursuit of a veteran who has already won three batting titles in the past.

With the loss, the Cubs (87-70) have now moved back into a three-way tie with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card picture. If the season ended today, however, Chicago would occupy the top seed, having won the season series against both Philadelphia and San Diego. 

The two teams will get right back to action in another night game as they continue the set. The Fish will send righthander Ryan Gusto, who has posted a 1-5 mark with a 4.14 ERA, to the hill. Fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.55) will make the start for Chicago.