The Miami Marlins continued their midseason surge on Thursday afternoon, riding a dominant performance from Eury Pérez and a two-run blast from rookie standout Agustín Ramírez to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at loanDepot park. The win secured Miami’s fourth straight series triumph and capped a 10-2 stretch that has vaulted them into a tie with the Atlanta Braves for third place in the NL East.
Ramírez, who has emerged as one of the league’s top rookies, set the tone early with a towering 425-foot home run to left-center off Twins starter David Festa in the first inning. The two-run shot came on a 1-2 fastball and was part of a three-run opening frame that gave Miami all the momentum it needed.
“That first inning really set the table,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Ramírez has been clutch for us all year, and that swing gave us the lift right away.”
The home run was Ramírez’s 13th of the season, the most among MLB rookies, and extended his major-league leading extra-base hit total among first-year players to 29 (15 doubles, one triple, and 13 homers).
Xavier Edwards helped ignite the early rally, leading off the first and third innings with singles and swiping his team-best 15th stolen base of the season. Miami (39-46) added one more run in the third, giving them a 4-0 cushion.
On the mound, Eury Pérez was electric in his best outing of the year. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out a season-high seven and allowed just one hit and one walk over six shutout innings to earn his first win since June 25, 2023.
“It’s been a long time coming, but I felt great out there,” said Pérez, who threw 80 pitches. “Everything was working, and the guys gave me early run support.”
Cade Gibson took over in the seventh and was greeted by Matt Wallner, who launched a solo homer to right to break up the shutout and make it 4-1. The Twins threatened further as Anthony Bender allowed back-to-back singles with two outs, but got pinch-hitter Ryan Jeffers to ground out to preserve the three-run lead. Ronny Henriquez closed the door in the ninth for his fifth save.
Minnesota (41-46) concluded a tough six-game road trip with a 2-4 record, having also dropped a series in Detroit. Festa (2-3) took the loss despite striking out seven over six innings, allowing five hits and four runs.
Kyle Stowers, who entered with a nine-game hitting streak, went 0-for-3, snapping the streak.
Wallner’s two-out solo homer in the seventh gave the Twins a glimmer of hope and ended Miami’s shutout bid, but Bender navigated out of the jam, and the Marlins bullpen held firm the rest of the way.
Ramírez’s league-leading 13th homer among rookies not only put him atop the rookie home run leaderboard but also extended his extra-base hit lead to 29.
Marlins open a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday with Sandy Alcantara (4-8, 6.98 ERA) on the mound.
Twins return to Target Field to host the Tampa Bay Rays, with Chris Paddack (3-7, 4.70 ERA) starting the opener.
The Marlins, once buried in the standings, are suddenly making noise—and doing so behind a rookie bat and a resurgent arm.
