With the Miami Marlins teetering on the brink of a free fall a month and a half ago, manager Clayton McCullough presented a brief message to his players during a team meeting.

When the Marlins arrived in Washington, D.C., on June 1, they were a season-worst eight games below .500, on a season-high five-game losing streak. As McCullough started to field questions about the impact injuries were having on his roster, he sensed the possibility of the talking point creeping into the clubhouse. He did not care for such conversation.

Ahead of a series against the Nationals, McCullough told his group to look around the room. He implored them not to worry about who wasn’t there. He assured them they had enough talent to win.

“The funny thing about moments like that is,” outfielder Kyle Stowers said, “with hindsight, you can look back at it and go, ‘You know what, maybe it was where things started to shift for us.’”

For one of Major League Baseball’s youngest teams (average age: 27.5 years), McCullough’s messaging helped. So, too, did players like Stowers getting hot for a lineup that suddenly looked deeper. The rotation, featuring Sandy Alcántara, Eury Perez and Max Meyer, rounded into form. And the bullpen, with a handful of unknowns and castoffs, became capable. The Marlins, after going 26-11 since McCullough’s meeting, emerged as one of MLB’s best feel-good stories of the first half.

“From there,” said Alcántara, the Marlins’ longest-tenured player, “everything just clicked.”

Out of the All-Star break, Miami (52-45) holds a one-game lead for the National League’s final wild card. There are four teams behind Miami with at least a .500 record. Making the postseason for the first time since 2023 requires the Marlins to prove that their success is sustainable.

“There’s a hunger to win,” Alcántara said.

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Over the offseason, according to people familiar with the club’s dealings who were given anonymity in exchange for their candor, the Marlins treated Alcántara as if he were a true ace, maintaining a high bar in trade talks that mostly went nowhere. Alcántara, in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, posted a 5.36 ERA through 174 2/3 innings last season. In 2026, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is reaping benefits from belief in Alcántara.

Alcántara leads MLB in innings (130 2/3). His ERA stands at 3.99. The Marlins hold a $21 million club option on Alcántara for 2027. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal last week reported that, barring a collapse, the Marlins intend to keep Alcántara through the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Alcántara, 30, is pitching like the workhorse of a few years ago, when he had back-to-back seasons of 200+ innings.

With Alcántara, Perez and Meyer, the Marlins boast a formidable trio. But there are pressing concerns. While they feel like they can count on Perez in the second half after he missed about one month earlier in the season, they need to at least monitor Meyer’s innings.

From there, things get trickier. Janson Junk returned from the injured list last week after missing more than one month, and there’s some internal hope that the lost time might end up allowing him to log more innings in the second half than expected. Tyler Phillips is performing OK as a fifth starter. But the Marlins need more, especially after their top two pitching prospects, Thomas White and Robby Snelling, suffered season-ending injuries.

The Marlins’ internal rotation depth consists of Braxton Garrett, Ryan Gusto, Bradley Blalock and Brandon White. If top prospect Karson Milbrandt makes adjustments in Triple A (he has a 5.48 ERA after six appearances at the level), then the Marlins would seriously consider him part of their depth as well.

Since June, Marlins starters own the NL’s best ERA (3.18), which illustrates the team’s capabilities when operating with a full rotation.

To supplement their starters, Miami may need to rely further on its bullpen. Aside from closer Pete Fairbanks, however, the Marlins’ bullpen lacks much of a track record. That is especially the case without top set-up man Anthony Bender, who ended June on the injured list.

The bullpen’s biggest success story this season is right-hander Michael Petersen, who, after bouncing around from five organizations, is thriving at 32. The Marlins acquired Petersen from the Atlanta Braves last July for cash. In 41 innings (39 appearances), Petersen has a 3.07 ERA with 48 strikeouts. Petersen left the Marlins’ last game on Sunday with a hamstring injury, but he is expected to avoid the injured list.

If Petersen exemplifies the Marlins’ ability to hit on the waiver wire for pitching help, shortstop Otto Lopez demonstrates the same from the position player side.

Lopez went from a waiver claim in April 2024 to an All-Star this season. He leads MLB in hits (127), doubles (26) and batting average (.334). Also: He has nine home runs and 17 stolen bases. Last year, he was a solid player, with 15 home runs, 15 stolen bases and a .246 batting average.

“This is a real player,” McCullough said, “and I still think — no, I know — that there’s a better version.”

Working with the Marlins’ coaching staff over the last year, Lopez improved a weakness. Previously, pitchers threw him two-seamers that he’d bury into the ground for outs and breaking balls out of the strike zone that he’d chase for whiffs. This year, he is elevating more sinkers and giving away fewer at-bats early in counts. He is hitting balls harder and using more of the entire field. Yet, much like some of his inexperienced teammates, there remains room to grow, as evidenced by his minuscule 4.9 percent walk rate.

Believing in the Marlins means believing in Lopez and the rest of their lineup, even if their names are unfamiliar. Lopez, Liam Hicks and Xavier Edwards have consistently led the offense, with Stowers catching fire after missing the first few weeks with an injury. There are others. Since the Marlins recalled outfielder Heriberto Hernández on May 7, the 26-year-old has a .945 OPS with 13 home runs (he had a .474 OPS through his first 74 plate appearances). Catcher Joe Mack, who made his debut on May 4, provides energy, defense and a 104 OPS-plus.

The Marlins have seven players with at least 100 plate appearances and a 100 wRC+ or higher. In the NL, only the Pittsburgh Pirates (10), Los Angeles Dodgers (8), Milwaukee Brewers (8) and Chicago Cubs (8) have more. A year ago, the Marlins had just five such players. Last season, McCullough’s first, the Marlins finished 79-83, a major improvement from 100 losses in 2024, but four games out of a playoff spot.

“We learned last year that simply working hard wasn’t enough,” Lopez said.

The Marlins are on pace to win 87 games, the most since they reached that figure in 2009. If they keep things going, the front office might augment the roster over the next couple of weeks. Pointing to McCullough’s messaging from June 1, though, the Marlins’ players say they aren’t paying too much attention to that possibility. Either way, a few of them said, they like their chances.

“We’ve been on the other side of things, where you inevitably know that there might be some people leaving and that’s not what anyone wants,” Stowers said. “So the fact that we’re in a good position, winning games, we’re just excited about where we’re at and where we’re headed. It is sustainable. We’re a good team. And I definitely would love for us to be playing in October.”