The Miami Marlins enter Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals tied with the San Diego Padres for the third spot in the National League Wild Card race.

The Marlins (44-39) lead all of Major League Baseball with an 18-5 record through June. It is also the club’s best 23-game stretch in franchise history, and one that has fundamentally changed the course of their season. With a sweeping win over the Cardinals, the Marlins will tie their 2023 total for June wins with 19. 

Such a stretch has tied the Marlins' third-best record through the first 83 games of a season in franchise history. The last time the Marlins started this well was their most recent playoff appearance (2023). The only two seasons with better midway starts resulted in World Series championships (1997, 2003).

The Marlins have reached this point by outscoring their opponents by 40 runs (108-68). Kyle Stowers, who is slotted third in the lineup at designated hitter, leads the Marlins with 21 RBI in June, which is also the fourth most in the NL. 

The Marlins’ bullpen leads MLB in opponents' batting average (.200), and has allowed the second-fewest hits (212) behind only the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez continues to lead the big leagues with a .336 batting average and 109 hits. His 21 doubles are the third most in MLB, and he leads all NL shortstops with a 3.5 fWAR, yet he didn’t make the top two in NL All-Star voting. 

Tyler Phillips will take the mound for the Marlins after throwing his first quality start of the season. His six innings were the most innings he pitched in a single game since he tossed a complete-game shutout on July 27, 2024, when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

No. 5 prospect Karson Milbrandt allowed three runs on two hits with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings during Triple-A Jacksonville’s 4-3 win over Memphis on Saturday. 

Both No. 8 prospect Cam Cannarella and No. 18 prospect Brendan Jones each hit a home run during Double-A Pensacola’s 12-9 win over Chattanooga on Saturday. 

No. 25 prospect Dillon Head recorded a season-high three hits in High-A Beloit’s 4-3 loss against Peoria.

No. 11 prospect SS Andrew Salas (3x4, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K) homered twice during the Marlins 12-11 win over the Astros in the Florida Complex League.

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