The Cubs final performed the Marlins May 21, 2025. They won that game 2-1. That was 471 days in the past, so way back that it was the day of Cade Horton’s second MLB begin and Matt Mervis was the Marlins’ designated hitter.
Things are, clearly, very completely different now for each groups.
The excellent news right here is that the Cubs gained’t must face Miami’s finest starter (and probably the greatest within the league), Sandy Alcántara.
For extra on the Marlins, right here’s Ely Sussman, who runs the Marlins website Fish On First.
The 2026 Marlins are an incomplete crew, however that’s nonetheless adequate to hold round within the race for the National League’s third wild-card spot.
There have been excessive inconsistencies on a person degree. During the primary half of the season, Otto Lopez, Max Meyer and Liam Hicks did a number of the heavy lifting. Since then, Lopez’s bat has dramatically cooled, Meyer landed on the injured listing and isn’t anticipated again this 12 months, and Hicks was traded to Tampa Bay. As of late, Javier Sanoja and Eury Pérez have elevated their video games to compensate for that.
The Marlins quietly have baseball’s lowest beginning rotation ERA over the previous month, however except for Pérez and Sandy Alcántara, they hold their starters on a really brief leash. That applies stress to a bullpen which is missing in expertise with each Pete Fairbanks and Anthony Bender on the IL (and John King lately launched). Until Fairbanks will get again, it’s a closer-by-committee method.
In any matchup, the Marlins’ success largely hinges on how they navigate opposing right-handed batters with none dependable left-handed arms and the way a lot injury they do to the opposite crew’s southpaws given their very own lack of pop from the fitting facet of the plate.
The Cubs’ first go to of the 12 months to Miami has come even later than immediately’s date in 4 seasons:
2010: Sept. 17
2022: Sept. 19
2004: Sept. 20
2007: Sept. 25
Their Sept. 22 recreation at Wrigley Field can be their newest first assembly there, breaking the file of Sept. 10 in 2004.
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The Cubs are 56-59 in video games at Miami, together with 20-23 at loanDepot Park.
Since sweeping three video games there in April of 2019, the Cubs misplaced three straight in 2021, gained two of three in 2022, had been swept in 2023, then gained two of three in 2024 and 2025.
Two years in the past, the Cubs gained the primary two video games and misplaced the third. Last 12 months, they misplaced the primary, 8-7, then gained the following two, 14-1 and 2-1.
The Marlins’ eighth run on this 12 months’s series will make them the 14th crew to tally 1,000 vs. the Cubs. The solely different present National League crew with fewer than 1,000 is the Diamondbacks, with 935.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (8-10, 4.01 ERA, 1.144 WHIP, 4.80 FIP) vs. Janson Junk, RHP (6-8, 4.11 ERA, 1.301 WHIP, 4.15 FIP)
Saturday: Clay Holmes, RHP (2-2, 1.55 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 3.23 FIP in 5 begins with Cubs; 6-6, 2.09 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, 3.22 FIP in 14 begins total) vs. Ryan Gusto, RHP (1-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.330 WHIP, 4.01 FIP)
Sunday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-3, 4.05 ERA, 1.231 WHIP, 4.57 FIP) vs. Tyler Phillips, RHP (4-6, 3.43 ERA, 1,332 WHIP, 4.47 FIP)
NOTE: The Cubs don’t but formally have starters listed for Saturday and Sunday. Holmes and Boyd ought to get these begins primarily based on the present rotation.
Friday: 6:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Sunday: 12:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Honestly, I do not know. The Marlins have performed properly at occasions, not so properly at different occasions. They’ve been good at house, with a 42-27 file at loanDepot Park. But they’re 20-39 towards groups at or higher than .500 and for the reason that starting of August they’re 1-8 towards such groups.
Further, Miami is 16-23 towards left-handed starters.
So I’m going to say the Cubs ought to, and can, take two of three.
The Cubs journey to Milwaukee for a three-game series towards the Brewers starting Monday afternoon.
