Marlins walk-off Rockies to sweep series. Takeaways from first three games

The Miami Marlins get the series sweep.

The Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Sunday at loanDepot park on an Owen Caissie walk-off, two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning to cap Miami’s first series sweep to begin a season since 2009.

The Marlins (3-0) opened the season with a 2-1 win on Friday and a 4-3 win on Saturday.

And through these first three games, the Marlins showcased a glimpse of what they might be in their second season under manager Clayton McCullough.

Here are five takeaways from the Marlins’ season-opening series, with a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox starting on Monday (6:40 p.m., Marlins.TV) to wrap up the first homestand of the season.

Rookie Owen Caissie impressing early

Caissie, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Edward Cabrera trade, went 5 for 10 with two doubles, the walk-off home run, four RBI, two run scored and a stolen base in his first three games — starting on Friday and Saturday while making a pinch-hit appearance late Sunday.

In addition to the walk-off homer, his RBI single in the eighth inning Saturday, a groundball through the right side of the infield, plated Otto Lopez for the go-ahead run to cap a six-pitch at-bat.

“There’s damage that comes with Owen,” McCullough said. “Really nice to see how he’s using the entire field. ... He’s got some real toughness to him and some edge, and he gets in there and really competes. He’s off to a really nice start.”

Caissie, ranked as the No. 41 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, said his approach at the plate has been “pretty simple.”

“Get the ball in the middle,” Caissie said, “and swing.” “I’m taking it slow,” Caissie added.

“I mean, I’m stepping out, taking deep breaths. That’s helped. Our team does a great job of supporting each other, so I really feel like that helps a lot.”

Starting pitching sets the tone

Ace Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings on Friday, giving up just one unearned run and facing the minimum over his final three innings.

Ace-in-the-making Eury Perez also pitched seven innings on Saturday, holding the Rockies to three runs on two home runs and retiring 10 of the final 12 he faced after giving up the second of those homers.

Max Meyer didn’t have as much success on Sunday, suffering an elevated pitch count early before settling in, but still managed to get through five innings and keep the game competitive. Meyer gave up three runs in a 28-pitch first inning that saw him give up a single and two walks before Jordan Beck cleared the bases with a single coupled by an Otto Lopez throwing error. Meyer held the Rockies off the board the rest of his outing from that point, finishing with five strikeouts.

Miami knows it will rely on its starting pitching, especially its top three of Alcantara, Perez and Meyer to keep games competitive. Chris Paddack makes his Marlins debut on Monday and Janson Junk will start Tuesday before Miami’s rotation restarts with Alcantara pitching Wednesday.

Connor Norby looking good at first base

It’s hard to tell that Norby, a natural second baseman who moved over to third base once being acquired by the Marlins, had just two games of spring training prep at first base based on how he played there this weekend.

Norby looked like a natural at first base on Friday and Saturday before playing as Miami’s designated hitter on Sunday.

And they’ll need him to be steady over there following Christopher Morel’s oblique strain, which has him on the injured list and expected to be out anywhere from four to six weeks. Norby and a combination of rookie Deyvison De Los Santos and Liam Hicks will take the bulk of first base reps while Morel is out.

De Los Santos made his MLB debut on Sunday, hitting a double in the second inning.

Miami has a legitimate closer

The Marlins’ marquee acquisition this offseason is already proving his worth.

Pete Fairbanks, the former Tampa Bay Rays closer who signed a one-year deal worth $13 million, logged saves in each of Miami’s first two games of the series. He worked around a one-out single for a 12-pitch (11-strike) ninth inning on Friday to seal the win on Opening Day and then needed just nine pitches (six strikes) to seal Saturday’s game.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Fairbanks is the first pitcher since the San Diego Padres’ Mark Melancon in 2021 to record a save in his first two appearances with a new team that were also the team’s first two games of the season.

Fairbanks, who logged at least 20 saves in each of the past three seasons with Tampa Bay, is also the second pitcher in Marlins history to record a save in each of his first two appearances with the club. He joins Armando Benítez, who recorded a save in each of his first six appearances with the club from April 6-15, 2004.

This is going to be a scrappy team once again

The Marlins won on Friday with timely offense early and held out with steady pitching and defense.

They won on Saturday by rallying back from two early deficits before delivering the final blow late.

And they fought again on Sunday. The Marlins cut their deficit from three runs to one on a Lopez RBI double in the bottom of the first and an Austin Slater sacrifice fly in the second. There were missed opportunities after that — most notably stranding the bases loaded in the eighth — but Caissie sealed it with Miami down to its final out.

“I don’t think we’re going to be out of any ball game,” Hick said. “We have a chance up until the final out. The pitching has been unreal. The defense has been really good, like it was last year, and then timely hitting. That’s going to be our identity.”

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