SAN DIEGO — A 20-6 record in June that put the Miami Marlins in early position for a National League postseason berth gave way to a 12-game losing streak in July and a cascade of injuries that proved too much to overcome, officially ending Miami’s 2026 playoff hopes following a loss to the San Diego Padres.
The Marlins entered the season with genuine expectations after improving by 17 games and avoiding elimination until the final Thursday of the 2025 regular season. Miami signed closer Pete Fairbanks to a franchise-record deal, added veterans Chris Paddack and John King to the rotation and bullpen, and brought in Top 100 prospect Owen Caissie as a power threat. None of the four finished the season healthy. Fairbanks, setup man Anthony Bender and All-Star Max Meyer will all end the year on the injured list, with Fairbanks and Bender soon to undergo surgery. Paddack, King, Christopher Morel and Austin Slater were already gone.
“That’s a lot to process here right now,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Certainly, hearing that, knowing what we were up against here these last 10 days or so, we’re disappointed. We came into this season wanting to, expecting to be one of the six National League teams that would play beyond the regular season, and we’re not going to be able to do that.”
The numbers tell the story of a team that ran out of answers in the second half. Miami went 52-45 in the first half, averaging 4.53 runs per game while surrendering 4.28. In a 24-33 second half, those figures flipped to 4.28 runs scored and 4.67 allowed. The Marlins scored three or fewer runs in 27 games — 47% of their second-half contests.
Outfielder Jakob Marsee, one of the few bright spots down the stretch, turned a .614 first-half OPS into a .875 mark after the All-Star break but was blunt about the team’s collective performance. “I don’t think we won enough games, to be honest,” Marsee said. “I think we didn’t play good team baseball down the stretch, really. It’s either pitching was dominant and we weren’t producing on offense, or vice versa. Not really one area you can point at. It’s not an effort thing or anything. I think it’s just [we] didn’t play clean baseball together.”
Miami now stands at 76-78 with eight games remaining against three contending clubs — the Padres, Cubs and Braves. The Marlins need three more wins to match last season’s total. McCullough said his focus remains on the games ahead. “I’m going to continue to think more about tomorrow,” he said. “We have eight games left in the regular season, and try to go win as many of those eight games as we can. Right now, just disappointed that we’re officially eliminated. But I know better days for all of us ahead.”