​MIAMI — Kyle Stowers connected on the very first pitch he saw, a 83.4 mph knuckle curve from George Kirby, sending it 416 feet over the center-field wall for a leadoff solo homer in the second inning as the Miami Marlins shut out the Seattle Mariners 2-0 on Wednesday. Stowers enters the day batting .244 with an .801 OPS, 12 home runs, and 41 RBIs, continuing a trajectory that echoes his breakout season in 2025.
After exploding onto the scene with 25 homers last year, Stowers began this season slowly, hampered by an injury and a sluggish May. But as Miami heated up in June, so did Stowers, posting eight homers, 28 RBIs, and a .949 OPS over his last 30 games. “I’ve been feeling good at the plate,” Stowers said after the game. “I think I have a chance every night, which is a really good place to be.”
In the third inning, Otto Lopez singled and scored on an RBI triple by Xavier Edwards, his sixth triple of the season. Lopez, who has long led the majors in hits and batting average, now sits at 126 hits before the All-Star break, which begins next week.
The Marlins (51-42) have transformed from eight games under .500 and 14 games out of first place in the NL East at the start of June to nine games over even and just 2.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. “We believe in ourselves against everyone,” Stowers said. “We’re a really good team, and we prepare well. It’s fun playing teams that you’ve seen make deep postseason runs.”
Stowers characterized the Marlins’ two wins over leaders of the American League West as “grimy wins.” Although he has never played in the postseason, he noted that playoff games he’s watched share a common, gritty nature. “The games are grimy,” he said. “Innings 1 through 9, the game’s never over. We saw that yesterday. Their ability to keep knocking on the door and stay in it, and our ability to respond without folding, I thought was really cool.”
The Marlins’ pitching staff limited the Mariners (47-46) to just five hits. Starting pitcher Tyler Phillips worked five shutout innings, striking out three while walking two. Cade Gibson, Michael Peterson, and Pete Fairbanks combined for the final four innings, limiting Seattle to one hit and six strikeouts.
Looking ahead, Miami will activate Janson Junk from the injured list and line him up to start Thursday’s game against the Mariners, with Bryce Miller (4-2, 1.71 ERA) opposite him. The Marlins will be aiming for their second straight sweep of Seattle.