Burger leads trio of Marlins seeking second-half spark

MIAMI -- If there’s one thing a club managed by manager Skip Schumaker isn’t going to do -- it’s mail it in.

The Marlins might’ve opened the second half with the worst record in the National League, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to fight for through the end of the season. With 65 games to go, Miami can play spoiler to contending teams. It can also get a better idea of where personnel stand moving forward.

“There's decisions that [president of baseball operations] Peter Bendix and the front office are going to have to make,” Schumaker said pregame. “‘Are some of these guys going to be traded, or [are they] going to be guys they want to build around and [be] part of the future?’ All that stuff is real. There's a lot of guys that are hurt as well, so you're excited about some of those guys that are going to be coming back off the IL either this year or in the offseason heading into next year.

“I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves and thinking about next year, because we still have a lot of games left. But the reality is individually, like, ‘Are you part of it or not?’ I think that's what you have to showcase while you're here.”

Miami got the second half off to a nice start, as Jake Burger homered and All-Star closer Tanner Scott recorded a four-out save in the Marlins’ 6-4 victory over the Mets on Friday night at loanDepot park.

Rookie Xavier Edwards, who has been the everyday shortstop since the organization designated for assignment veteran Tim Anderson, produced an RBI single in a two-run second inning. With nothing more left to prove at Triple-A Jacksonville, Edwards is batting .345 with an .829 OPS through 16 games this season.

Burger then knocked an RBI double before Josh Bell drove him in with an RBI single in the third to extend Miami’s lead to 4-0. Burger added a solo home run in the fifth against lefty Sean Manaea.

Acquired ahead of last year’s Trade Deadline as a controllable bat with considerable pop, Burger has struggled in 2024. He has gone from a career-high 34 homers and an .827 OPS in ‘23 to 11 homers and a .653 OPS this season.

“I think just getting back to myself,” said Burger, who also missed time with a left intercostal muscle strain. “I felt like in Cincinnati right before the break, 5-for-9, homer, double, four RBIs, I kind of felt like I was back there. And the tricky part is you get four days off. I was trying to maintain that kind of momentum going. I felt like I did a good job over the break, getting to hit a couple of days.

“And then, obviously, the most important [thing] is just being a dad to Brooks. That mental checkout, I guess, for lack of better words, to be able to hang with him and be a dad for a couple of days, definitely helped me reset.”

Another player with something to prove over the final 2 1/2 months is right-hander Edward Cabrera, who allowed two runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 innings. Command once again gave him trouble as he walked five and struck out just one.

Schumaker said Miami was fortunate not to give up more early runs. The 26-year-old flamethrower is often able to limit the damage because his stuff can fool hitters, generating swing-and-miss. But through 49 starts into his MLB career, he needs to not only be more consistent but live up to his potential.

“We've got to figure it out,” Schumaker said. “He's got to figure it out, and not only for us, but for himself and his career, because it's such good stuff. [It] feels like a broken record that we've just got to figure out how to pound the zone and trust it more than what he's doing lately.”

On top of that, Cabrera has landed on the injured list twice this year with a right shoulder impingement, a diagnosis that also sidelined him in 2023. He has not gone a season without an injury in his professional career.

“Staying healthy, like you said, I think is one of my priorities,” Cabrera said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “Doing that and just finding again, that comfort zone on the mound. I think those two things will help me help the team.”