The Miami Marlins host the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with hopes of finishing 2026 with a winning record. The Marlins have 43 wins at home but stand at 72-75 on the season with only a few weeks to go. 

Friday is the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The Marlins are holding First Responders Appreciation Night this evening to pay tribute both pregame and during the game. 

The Marlins will send RHP Ryan Gusto to the mound for his 16th start (21st appearance) of the season. Gusto is 1-4 with a 4.23 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched this season. He has a 4.05 ERA in 11 starts at home this season.

Gusto recently threw a season-high 100 pitches in a 6-5 loss against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 5. This will also be his second career start against the Dodgers. He went six innings in a 5-1 win last year back when he was pitching for the Houston Astros. 

Gusto has been much better in August than the rest of the season. He put up a 1.88 ERA in six starts last month compared to a 5.60 ERA through July. 

Marlins center fielder Jakob Marsee is batting .406 with a 1.049 OPS through nine games since the start of September. Marsee has gone from batting .197 before the All-Star Game to slashing .285/.391/.444 (41x144) in 47 games since. 

Marlins utility infielder Javier Sanoja enters Friday with a career-best 10-game hitting streak since Aug. 31. He is batting .415 with a 1.076 OPS during that stretch. 

Marlins catcher Joe Mack is tied for the lead in Major League Baseball with 23 caught stealings this season. More impressively is he didn’t make his big league debut until May 4. Mack has also hit 12 home runs this season.

Marlins first-round draft pick and No. 4 prospect Jacob Lombard hit a two-run home run to help Single-A Jupiter win the Florida State League East Division Series with a 13-2 win over the Daytona Tortugas on Thursday. 

Marlins No. 10 prospect Brayden Taylor hit a home run and scored both runs for Triple-A Jacksonville in the Jumbo Shrimp’s 10-2 loss against Gwinnett on Thursday. 

Marlins No. 2 prospect Aiva Arquette and No. 27 prospect Max Williams each hit a solo home run, in Double-A Pensacola’s 7-2 win over the Biloxi Shuckers on Thursday.