Homefield advantage should ignite Miami's offense, especially against right-handed pitching. Key Marlins hitters are finding their stride, aiming for continued success.
The Miami Marlins return to the friendly confines of loanDepot Park on Friday for a six-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals.
While the sample sizes remain small, two trends from the 2026 season have held true since opening day: the Marlins have played better at home and hit better against right-handed pitching.
Miami (9-10) is 7-3 at home after series against Colorado, Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox. That could bode well this weekend, as both the Brewers (10-8) and Cardinals (10-8) are scheduled to start four right-handers over the next six games.
The Marlins are slashing .276/.345/.440 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI against righties. Against lefties, they have managed just one home run and 40 fewer RBI.
Recent examples came in the final two games of the Reds series and the opener of the series against the Atlanta Braves, when Miami broke out after several frustrating offensive performances with double-digit hit totals and lopsided victories.
“We’ve done a really nice job as a whole offensively this year,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said after Miami’s 10-4 win over Atlanta on Monday. “We’ve had some really strong performances from individuals and from our group.”
During the Braves series, the Marlins received major production from their catchers. Liam Hicks leads the club in home runs (four), RBI (18), slugging percentage (.545) and OPS (.900). Agustín Ramírez also broke out of an early-season slump, going 4-for-8 with a home run and five RBI in the series.
“Two really good hitters,” McCullough said. “We’ve all been waiting for [Ramírez] to break out and hit his first home run. He picked a fantastic time for that to happen tonight. [Hicks], since opening day, has been a really steady contributor. He’s come through in a lot of moments.”
First baseman Connor Norby has turned his season around during the road trip and returns home riding a team-leading eight-game hitting streak. He is batting .423, going 11-for-26, during the streak with four runs, three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and three walks.
Norby, who hit .277 (62-for-224) with a .730 OPS against right-handed pitchers in 2025, is batting .333 (13-for-39) with a 1.001 OPS against right-handers to begin 2026. The surge has raised his April average to .302.
No Marlin may be happier to return home than Owen Caissie. His solo home run April 3 against the New York Yankees was his only hit of that series, and he also went connected just once in 17 at-bats on the previous road trip. While batting .083 on the road, Caissie is slashing .370/.438/.630 with 11 RBI through nine home games this season.
The Marlins are scheduled to start Janson Junk in Friday’s opener, followed by Sandy Alcantara on Saturday and Eury Pérez on Sunday.
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