The Marlins offense vanished in a 7-1 loss to the Cardinals on July 28, 2025. Andre Pallante dominated, holding Miami to one hit, wasting a solid start by Cabrera.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Just when it felt like the Marlins were building momentum, they ran into a buzzsaw in St. Louis. The bats went completely silent on Monday night, as the Fish were held to a single hit in a lopsided 7-1 loss to the Cardinals. The defeat wasted a solid outing from starter Edward Cabrera and slammed the brakes on what had been a promising stretch, raising familiar questions about this team's offensive consistency as the trade deadline looms.
Just one hit. That's all the Marlins could muster against Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, who silenced Miami's bats over seven scoreless innings.
Andre Pallante was simply unhittable. The Cardinals starter carved through the Marlins lineup, retiring the first 10 batters he faced before a fourth-inning walk. The only blemish on his line was a lone single by Graham Pauley in the sixth. Meanwhile, Edward Cabrera did his part, navigating six innings while allowing just one earned run. But the wheels came off when the bullpen took over, as the Cardinals exploded for five runs in the seventh, punctuated by a three-run double from Masyn Winn that put the game far out of reach. A meaningless ninth-inning run was all Miami could salvage, dropping their record to 50-55.
With the offense sputtering and the trade deadline just three days away, the front office appears to be exploring internal solutions. Reports surfaced that the team is considering giving corner outfielder and DH Heriberto Hernandez a serious look at first base. Hernandez has been taking grounders there, and the move could give the Marlins a chance to evaluate his bat in a more regular role for the remainder of the season. It's a classic build-or-buy question: do they trade for a veteran bat, or see if a player like Hernandez can be part of the solution for 2026 and beyond?
While the big-league club struggled, the farm system provided both fireworks and frustration. Triple-A Jacksonville put on a power display, launching six home runs in a 12-6 victory. Down in the Dominican Summer League, 19-year-old third baseman Diwarys Encarnación is turning heads with a breakout season, slashing .305/.399/.534 with seven homers. However, the news wasn't all good. Double-A prospect Jacob Miller's struggles continued, and slugger Ryan Ignoffo landed on the injured list with hamstring tightness. It’s a reminder that player development is a marathon, not a sprint, with promising highs and concerning lows.
The Marlins will need to have short memories as they send their own ace, Sandy Alcantara, to the mound on Tuesday. It's a daunting task against the Cardinals' Sonny Gray, especially for an offense that just got one-hit. Snapping this two-game skid will require Sandy to rediscover his Cy Young form and the bats to wake up from their slumber in a hurry. The pressure is on to avoid digging a deeper hole as July comes to a close.
