Miami Marlins week in review: Another round of comebacks lead to two more series wins

The Miami Marlins went 5-1 this week in a pair of series against Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox.

All five wins had something in common.: Miami had to rally from a deficit to win all of them. This included a four-run hole in the series opener against the Royals on Monday, a five-run deficit going into the eighth inning in the finale against the White Sox on Sunday and three others in which Miami was down by a run at some point in the game.

Overall, the Marlins have 20 come-from-behind victories this season, including five when they are trailing after eight innings like they were on both Saturday and Sunday against the White Sox.

With those five wins, the Marlins have improved to 37-29 on the season and are holding strong in second place in the National League East, three-and-a-half games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves and four-and-a-half games above the third-place Philadelphia Phillies. It’s the first time they are eight games over .500 since July 31, 2016, when they were nine above .500. It’s also tied with 2004 for the second-best start in franchise history through 66 games, behind only the 39-27 record from the 1997 World Series champion team.

The Florida Panthers were dubbed the Comeback Cats because of their propensity for late rallies. Are the Marlins the Fighting Fish?

Luis Arraez batting average update

After going 1 for 5 with a rare strikeout on Sunday, Arraez’s batting average dipped below .400 for the first time since Monday.

The Marlins’ hit-collecting second baseman still has a .397 batting average, easily clearing the rest of the field in MLB — Freddie Freeman is second at .338.

While the .400 average milestone is the biggest headline Arraez is chasing this year, there are others he should be able to obtain this season.

For more on that, click here.

Game recaps from this week

▪ Monday — Marlins 9, Royals 6: The bottom of the lineup stepped up to help the Marlins erase a four-run deficit and win the series opener.

▪ Tuesday — Marlins 6, Royals 1: Jesus Luzardo faced one batter over the minimum over seven innings and the offense scored five runs in the fifth to go ahead for good.

▪ Wednesday — Marlins 6, Royals 1: Edward Cabrera exited early with a recurring blister issue but the Marlins made easy work of the Royals for a series sweep.

▪ Friday — White Sox 2, Marlins 1: Luis Robert Jr. hit a walk-off single to end the Marlins’ season-long six-game win streak.

▪ Saturday — Marlins 5, White Sox 1: The Marlins were three outs away from being shut out; instead, they rallied for five runs in the ninth to even the series in Chicago and back a stellar outing from Sandy Alcantara.

▪ Sunday — Marlins 6, White Sox 5: Jorge Soler hit two home runs, Jean Segura and Garrett Cooper each had one as well and Bryan De La Cruz had the go-ahead double in the ninth inning to back Braxton Garrett and secure the series win.

In case you missed it

▪ Jesus Sanchez’s evolution into a “complete hitter.”

▪ Andrew Nardi has been an unsung hero in the Marlins’ bullpen.

▪ Nick Fortes is producing and getting extended playing time as a result.

Upcoming Marlins schedule

Monday: At Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m.

Tuesday: At Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m.

Wednesday: At Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m.

Thursday: OFF

Friday: At Washington Nationals, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday: At Washington Nationals, 4:05 p.m.

Sunday: At Washington Nationals, 1:35 p.m.