Jorge Soler Homers in Return From IL as Marlins Sweep Braves 

   The Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the NL East Division-leading Atlanta Braves over the weekend with a commanding 16-2 victory on Sunday, during which Jorge Soler enjoyed a rowdy performance in his return from the 10-day IL. 

   Soler, who hadn’t played since September 5th due to a right oblique strain, was activated off the injured list prior to first pitch against the Braves and hit second as the club’s designated hitter. And it wasn’t long before he made his presence felt within the middle of the order once more. 

   Despite missing almost two weeks, the 31-year-old wasted little time to make an impact at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a two-run blast and a walk over four plate appearances in his return to the Marlins lineup. 

   The right-hander slugger worked a five-pitch walk in his first at-bat of the contest but was ultimately stranded at first after teammates Josh Bell and Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out to end the bottom half of the first. He then singled in his next trip and scored on Chisholm’s grand slam in the third. 

   Soler added a home run of his own in the sixth as he obliterated a hanging changeup from Braves reliever Dereck Rodriguez for his 36th home run of the season – a fly ball that came off the bat at 104.8 mph and travelled 411 feet deep over the left-field wall. 

   Following yet another impressive showing, Soler is now hitting .243/.332/.520 while producing 73 RBIs and a 126 wRC+ in 127 games during his second – and significantly more productive – campaign with Miami. 

   The 2023 All-Star leads the Marlins in home runs and has been worth 1.9 fWAR, the second-highest of his career. By comparison, he posted a measly 0.5 fWAR in 2022 while battling injuries and struggling to a .207/.295/.400 slash line over just 72 contests. 

   Soler inked a three-year, $36-million contract as a free agent with the Marlins ahead of last season. While his deal includes an opt-out clause after this year, which he’ll likely exercise, the veteran slugger is reportedly open to discussing an extension to remain with the franchise.

   Thanks to Soler and his teammates’ efforts, Miami has improved to 78-72 amidst its three-game winning streak, made possible by an offense that outscored Atlanta 36-11 across the three-game set. 

   With Sunday’s victory, compounded by the Chicago Cubs’ five-game losing skid, the Marlins enter Monday’s slate tied for the final NL wild-card seed, trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by just half a game for the second spot. But nothing is solidified just yet, as the Cincinnati Reds are on the outside looking in by just half a game. 

   As five teams (Marlins, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Reds, Giants) compete for the final two playoff positions, these last two weeks of the regular season shouldn’t lack any excitement as the razor-thin race appears headed for a photo finish. 

   For Miami, whose schedule has 12 games remaining, the sprint to October will continue with Monday’s series opener versus the New York Mets – an opponent they’ll face six times before September concludes. 

-Thomas Hall

Twitter: @ThomasHall85

Photo: Dan Lundberg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

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