The Miami Marlins host the Chicago Cubs on Friday, September 4, 2026, at loanDepot park with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET. Miami hands the ball to right-hander Janson Junk, who draws one of the tougher assignments on the schedule, squaring off against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga in a late-season regular season showdown. With September baseball in full swing, every game carries real weight, and the Marlins will need a strong outing from their starter and contributions up and down a young lineup to grab a win on their home turf.

Pitching Matchup: Janson Junk vs. Shota Imanaga

Let's be honest — this is a lopsided matchup on paper. Imanaga has established himself as one of the better starters in the National League, a pitcher whose command and pitch mix give lineups fits. Junk has battled to carve out a role in Miami's rotation, and Friday night will test exactly where he stands. The key for Junk is keeping the Cubs off the bases early and avoiding the big inning. If he can work deep into the game and keep the score manageable through five or six innings, the Marlins give themselves a fighting chance.

Miami Marlins Starting Lineup

• 1. Heriberto Hernández (LF)
• 2. Otto Lopez (SS)
• 3. Griffin Conine (RF)
• 4. Javier Sanoja (3B)
• 5. Agustín Ramírez (DH)
• 6. Esteury Ruiz (CF)
• 7. Deyvison De Los Santos (1B)
• 8. Jared Serna (2B)
• 9. Brian Navarreto (C)

Keys to Watch for the Marlins

• Imanaga's fastball-splitter combo: The Cubs lefty generates a lot of swings and misses with his splitter working off the fastball. Miami's hitters will need to lay off the chase pitch down in the zone and work counts to get into the middle of the order with runners on base.
• Hernández and Lopez setting the table: The top of the Marlins order has to function. Heriberto Hernández leading off and Otto Lopez hitting second gives Miami a chance to manufacture runs before the Cubs can settle into a groove.
• Griffin Conine's power threat: Batting third, Conine is the Marlins' best bet to do damage against a quality starter. If Hernández and Lopez get on, Conine has the bat to make Imanaga pay.
• Junk limiting traffic: Walk control will be critical. Putting Cubs runners on base for free against a lineup with this much offensive capability is a quick path to a short outing.

Broadcast Information

Friday's game can be seen locally on CW 33 WBFS and Marlins.TV presented by Werner, Hoffman, Greig and Garcia. Radio coverage is available on 560 AM WQAM in English and WAQI 710 AM in Spanish.

Prediction

Imanaga is a tough draw, and the Marlins will need to scratch and claw to generate offense. Junk has to be sharp early to keep Miami in the game. This figures to be a low-scoring affair, and the edge goes to Chicago on the strength of their pitching. That said, loanDepot park and a hungry young roster can produce surprises. Call it Cubs 4, Marlins 2 — but don't count Miami out if Junk finds a rhythm and the top of the order gets going.