Miami Marlins Draw Potentially Huge Break in Final Series of Season as Playoff Chase Accelerates

The Miami Marlins, battling for their first playoff berth since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, have drawn a potentially huge break in the final weekend of the year.

The Miami Marlins, battling for their first playoff berth since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, have drawn a potentially huge break in the final weekend of the year.

The Marlins will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in that final series of the year but won't have to deal with Pirates' All-Star starter Mitch Keller, who has been shut down for the season.

Per MLBTradeRumors:

Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters, including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this afternoon that right-handers Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras would not pitch again this year, as both players have been shut down for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. With the Pirates well outside the playoff picture and just three games remaining on the club’s schedule after today, the news isn’t a major surprise, though it’s worth noting that Keller was otherwise lined up to take the ball for the club’s final game of the season against the Marlins.

That's big news for Miami, and it's a break that they could use. Miami is currently embroiled in a scheduling nightmare as the season reaches a close.

The Marlins enter play on Friday at 82-76 and in possession of the third and final wild card spot in the National League. They are 0.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and 1.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.

Miami will play Pittsburgh on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. ET. They'll finish the series on Sunday and then will fly back to New York to play the last inning of a suspended game on Monday.

The Marlins lead the Mets 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning of that contest.

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