Historic hot streak turns Marlins into NL powerhouse

Recently removing Eury Perez after seven perfect innings against the A's elicited massive amounts of criticism for the Miami Marlins.

The decision was based on Perez's return from a hamstring injury. These days, getting criticized for pulling a pitcher from a perfect game qualifies as one of the few things to go wrong for the Marlins in manager Clayton McCullough's second season.

Miami has secured 52 wins through 95 games, though the Marlins hung on for dear life when Perez's nine-run perfect game lead turned into barely a 9-8 victory. Miami's 26 wins since June 1 and 26-9 mark in that span is the best in baseball and puts them in a wild card spot behind the Braves, who top the NL East.

Why are the Marlins so hot lately?

When a team surges, it often means the offense is heating up. In Thursday's 8-4 win over the Seattle Mariners, the Marlins totaled 12 hits, and that marked the 17th time in this hot streak that they finished with double-digit hits.

For context on how good it is getting double-digit hits in 50 percent of your games, compare it with the Yankees. The Yankees also had double-digit hits in their 12-4 win at Tampa Bay Thursday afternoon, and it represented only their seventh time with at least 10 hits since June 1, a span during which they have played without Aaron Judge due to his fractured right rib.

A further example is simply looking at the stats, and all of them are good.

The Marlins are hitting .273 in their 35-game hot streak with 51 homers and averaging a little over five runs per game while striking out about eight times per game.

This hot streak represents the first time the Marlins won more than 25 games in a span of 35 contests in team history.

During their World Series title season in 2003, their best 34-game stretch was going 24-10, a period that coincided with Miguel Cabrera starting the legendary career that will earn him a Hall of Fame vote from me when he is eligible.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this hot streak is that none of the wins occurred against the Mets, whom the Marlins are known for derailing seasons such as 2007, 2008, and 2025.

The Marlins were 26-34 after getting swept by the Mets in New York, and it did not seem a 26-9 run was on the horizon.

Otto Lopez, Max Meyer Deliver All-Star Performances

Otto Lopez and Max Mayer are the All-Stars for the Marlins, and with good reason.

Lopez is doing his best Luis Arraez impersonation by leading the majors with a .341 average.

Lopez also leads Arraez by double-digits in the hits race, and his 127 hits are the most by a Marlin before the All-Star break.

Coincidentally, Lopez broke Arraez's mark of 126 set during the 2023 season and ranks 109th in average exit velocity (89.7), though his 138 batted balls against 95-mph pitching or higher are in the top-10.

During the 34-game hot streak, Lopez is also hitting an astounding .379, including .410 in eight games this month. It is also continuing his run of consistency, though perhaps taking it to another level.

Lopez has been above .300 since getting two hits in the rain at Yankee Stadium on April 5, and his performance is giving him a chance to win the first batting title while eclipsing the .354 clip Arraez produced in 2023.

Meyer will head into the break at 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA, and his 116 strikeouts are in the top-15 in baseball. In terms of his performance during this hot streak, he has a 2.83 ERA and 42 strikeouts while contributing to a pitching staff with a 4.03 ERA this season, including a 3.41 mark during this hot streak.

While Lopez was acquired as a waiver claim from the Giants in 2024, Meyer is a first-round pick and is finally doing what the Marlins expected after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022 and hip surgery last season.

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What about Xavier Edwards?

Xavier Edwards has yet to become an All-Star, and the case can be made that the infielder was among the biggest snubs.

Edwards is among eight National League players hitting at least .300, and his .301 average is enhanced by 104 hits, the third-best in the NL. He also rarely strikes out, as his 47 whiffs are tied for 10th-fewest in the National League and 93 fewer than home run leader Kyle Schwarber.

Edwards hitting well is hardly a surprise since he batted .328 in 70 games in 2024, .283 in 139 games this season and has been over .300 for most of this season, including two days in early May as a .336 hitter.

Is the hot streak impacting attendance?

The Marlins are averaging 12,565 fans through their first 49 home games, and only the A's are worse, though they play in a minor league stadium.

Miami's ballpark has existed since the 2012 season. In that season, the Marlins got a new park bump, finishing 18th with an average of 27,400 fans; this year, the average crowd is lower than last year's 14,276.

During this hot streak, Miami has played 16 home games, and its biggest crowd was 22,643 fans watching a 6-3 win over the Giants on June 20, which could be attributed to a special jersey promotion, and its second-biggest crowd was the 15,605 fans who watched their 3-2 loss to Cleveland on Friday.

It is why, before Lopez conducted his on-field interview on Thursday, Marlins announcers urged fans to show up for this weekend's series against Cleveland, even though the only promotion is a Billy the Marlin plush toy.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 10:47 AM.