Schanuel, Angels Edge Marlins to Open Season on High Note
MIAMI — The Angels held on for a 4-3 win over the Marlins on Friday, with Nolan Schanuel playing a key role in the victory.
For the Angels, the win kept early-season momentum on their side, while the Marlins continue to search for consistency. Friday's loss extends a rough stretch for Miami that includes three straight defeats to Atlanta by lopsided scores before the Marlins found brief life with a shutout win over the Mets. Consistency has been the issue, and it showed again.
Schanuel was a central figure in the Angels' offense Friday. Mike Trout also contributed for Los Angeles, helping give the Angels the offensive edge they needed, while George Klassen helped on the mound to protect the lead late.
Miami had its own bright spots, even in defeat. Kyle Stowers was terrific, posting a team-best 30.0 fantasy points in a losing effort — the kind of performance that will sting more given the final margin was just a single run. The 28-year-old right fielder, a Stanford product, has now flashed the kind of upside Miami will want to build around as the season unfolds. Starting pitcher Tyler Phillips also gave the Marlins a chance, logging 20.5 fantasy points on the mound and keeping his club within striking distance deep into the game.
Jakob Marsee added 16.5 fantasy points in center field, continuing to look comfortable at the top or middle of Miami's order, while Esteury Ruiz chipped in 14.0. Catcher Agustín Ramírez, at just 24, continues to show flashes with 13.5 fantasy points, and shortstop Leo Jiménez added 12.5. It's a young offensive core showing real fight, even if the results haven't come.
The final margin — one run, seven combined — captures how tight this game was. Miami had every chance to flip the result, but the Angels made the decisive plays late.
For the Angels, the early takeaway is simple: this offense has thunder at the top with Trout and Schanuel, and if the pitching staff can keep games close, Los Angeles will be tough to beat as the season goes on.
For the Marlins, the concern is more structural. This is now four losses in five games, with the lone win a shutout of the Mets that looks more like an outlier than a trend. Stowers and Phillips gave the front office reasons for optimism Friday, and the young core — Marsee, Ramírez, Jiménez — is going to keep this lineup competitive on any given night. But close losses pile up the same way blowouts do in the standings, and Miami needs to find a way to turn performances like Stowers' 30-point night into results rather than moral victories.
Fans building lineups around performances like these will find plenty to like on JockBroker, where Stowers' near-heroic effort would have paid off in a game this tight.