MIAMI — The Marlins erupted for 10 runs against the Chicago Cubs, returning to .500 at 72-72 with 18 games remaining and pulling within 3 1/2 games of Arizona (75-68) for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
Six different Marlins drove in at least one run in the 10-3 rout. Heriberto Hernández launched his team-leading 24th homer of the season — a solo shot in the fourth — and added an RBI single during a five-run fifth inning that broke the game open. Javier Sanoja ambushed former Marlin Colin Rea’s first-pitch sinker for a two-run homer in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Miami jumped ahead 2-0 in the second against Cubs righty Clay Holmes. Jakob Marsee singled and Hernández walked before a double steal set up Joe Mack’s RBI groundout and an RBI single from Otto Lopez. The Cubs scratched across a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings against Marlins righty Tyler Phillips to knot the score at 3 before Miami’s decisive fifth-inning surge.
In that fifth, Graham Pauley walked, Sanoja singled and Kyle Stowers walked to load the bases. Griffin Conine was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and Owen Caissie — whom the Marlins acquired from the Cubs in a trade this past January — drove in a pair on a ground ball to right. Hernández and Mack each followed with RBI singles.
Lopez also stole his 30th base of the season, joining Esteury Ruiz as the second Marlin to reach that mark in 2026. They became just the fourth pair of Marlins teammates to accomplish the feat in the same season, joining Luis Castillo and Preston Wilson in 2000, Castillo and Andy Fox in 2002, and Emilio Bonifácio and José Reyes in 2012.
The Marlins have 18 games left to close the gap on Arizona, which was still in action against Houston at the time of Miami’s final out.