Cabrera shines as Marlins top Twins, extend season-high win streak to eight

Miami Herald

14 hours ago

It was a sweet homecoming for the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
The Marlins extended their season-high win streak, and longest since April 2022, to eight in a row following a 2-0 shutout over the Minnesota Twins. Now, just one win away from tying the franchise record of nine consecutive wins, which they last accomplished in 2008.
Despite the streak, the Marlins kept their cool.
'We had a nice road trip, but what's happened, has happened,' manager Clayton McCullough said before first pitch. 'It's about starting a new series, sticking to the things that have made us successful, and moving forward… Tonight will be another good test for us.'
And a test it was.
The Twins, reeling from back-to-back losses to Detroit, came into the series hungry — but Miami set the tone early. The top of the second featured highlight-reel defense: Connor Norby's full-extension dive and Jesus Sánchez's clutch catch in right field.
Then came the spark on offense.
After Kyle Stowers was awarded first base on a hit-by-pitch, Minnesota challenged the call successfully. Stowers returned to the box with purpose, and on the second pitch, he crushed a 369-foot home run, his fourteenth of the season, putting Miami on the board and lighting up the crowd at loanDepot park.
Stowers, the Marlins' season home run leader, has been focused on mindset over milestones, he said.
'Early in the year, we talked a lot about playing with no expectations,' Stowers said before Tuesday's game. 'And, you know, there was a little bit of a stretch there [where I] was starting to put some expectations on myself, put some pressure on myself. And so [I'm] just getting back to no expectations, and going for it each day.'
He's been grounding himself with We Who Wrestle With God, a book by Jordan Peterson, which he described as a kind of meditation.
'That's been my way of re-establishing the right aim — making sure I'm playing for the right reasons, with the right motives.'
That clarity seemed to permeate the entire team. Tuesday's win marked the Marlins' fifth shutout of the season and a statement start to the homestand.
Much of that statement came from Edward Cabrera.
The right-handed starting pitcher delivered arguably his best outing of the year: seven shutout innings, six strikeouts, and a rediscovery of the dominant form that had eluded him much of the season. He struck out three in the seventh alone, ending the inning by shutting down Brooks Lee and firing a fist into the air as the crowd roared.
'Cabrera has premium stuff, and he's got a lot of weapons,' McCullough said after the game. 'The third inning on, it felt like he really just locked in and was ahead of every hitter. [He had a] lot of first pitch strikes, [he] had to count in his favor, the change up was terrific, [the] use of the breaking balls. I mean, this was a really front line outstanding effort today.'
It was the first time this season a Marlins starting pitcher completed seven full innings. Cabrera notched six strikeouts during Tuesday's game which brought him to over 400 strikeouts throughout his career.
'I felt a lot of emotion,' Cabrera said afterward. 'Moments like that just bring it out naturally. I was very excited.'
Sánchez sent one soaring to center that lit up the stadium with fireworks and a 411-foot home run display — until a replay showed it had barely missed the wall. He was awarded a triple instead, but the Marlins kept pressing forward. After Otto Lopez was intentionally walked, Nick Fortes lined a single into right, scoring Sánchez and padding the Marlins with a 2–0 lead.
'You pray for those,' Fortes said.
Right-handed relief pitcher Ronny Henriquez closed it out with a clean ninth against his former team, sealing the win.
THIS AND THAT
▪ The Marlins picked up RHP Nick Nastrini off waivers from the Chicago White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville.
▪ Outfielder Derek Hill has returned from rehab and was reinstated from the 10-day IL.
▪ After surgery on his left hip, Max Meyer has been transferred to the 60-day IL.