Fasten your seatbelts

For the Marlins, the playoffs essentially begin tonight

With 27 home runs and 65 RBI, both team highs, Kyle Schwarber leads the Phillies into Miami tonight to begin a critical 4-game series between the NL East rivals (Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer)

With the trade deadline now just a day away, the Marlins tonight enter the most grueling stretch of their 2023 schedule, playing 40 of their next 50 games against legitimate playoff contenders.

With or without further reinforcements, they will be challenged by one post-season hopeful after another between tonight and September 24. With 10 National League teams closing out the month of July with serious playoff hopes, every game and every series takes on added significance.

With the schedule that lies ahead for the Marlins, if they are able to hold on to the Wild Card spot they currently possess, they will have earned it.