Watch for milestones

Accomplishments are still within reach as yet another dismal season winds down

With a month left in the MLB season and the Marlins sitting 40 games under .500, there’s not much left to play for, aside from pride and the continued development of the younger players.

Following a especially rough August, during which the team went 7-22, Miami (48-88) has already clinched its 10th consecutive losing season and is in danger of finishing with the worst record in franchise history.

To avoid matching 1998’s dismal 54-108 campaign, the Marlins need to go at least 7-19 in September.

Aside from avoiding all-time futility, there are still a number of individual milestones within reach as the Marlins embark on the final stretch.

Here are four marks to keep an eye on.

I am Iron Man

In the 27-year history of the franchise, only three Marlins have ever played all 162 games in a season. If Starlin Castro finishes the year strong, he could be the fourth. The 29-year-old infielder has played in all 136 games and is just 26 away from accomplishing the feat.

If Castro can stay healthy, he would join Jeff Conine (1993), Derrek Lee (2002) and Juan Pierre (2003-05) as the only Marlins

in the 162-club.

It would be the second time Castro done it in his career, having hit the mark in 2012 with the Chicago Cubs.

Dr. K moving up

With 148 strikeouts on the season, Caleb Smith is continuing to vault up on the Marlins singleseason chart, especially for lefthanders. While he’s currently 30th among all pitchers, his 148 K’s is the sixth-highest total for lefties.

Al Leiter posted the best season total with 200 strikeouts, followed by Dontrelle Willis (170), Scott Olsen (166), Willis (160) and Mark Redman (151). Smith will make roughly five more starts this season, so he could potentially notch the second-best total.

In addition, Smith currently has the second-highest strike outs-per-9-innings mark (10.43), trailing Jose Fernandez (12.49) in 2016.

Prado’s push for 100

Sitting at 99 career home runs, Martin Prado just needs one big swing to hit the triple-digit milestone.

It’s been an elusive chase for the 35-year-old infielder, however. Prado only has one dinger this season, and that came back in April.

Prado hit one home run last season and two in 2017, so he’s hovering right at his recent average.

Grandy Man’s final push?

While Curtis Granderson hasn’t said anything, this could be the final season in what’s been a terrific career. In his 16th season, the 38-year-old outfielder has seen a dip in his production, hitting .185/.282/.359 in 118 games. Despite that, Granderon still has some pop, hitting 11 home runs this season.

With 26 games left, Granderson could continue to add on to his strong career totals. The outfielder is just three hits away from 1,800, which would make him the 393rd players to accomplish that feat. After cracking the top 100 for career home runs, Granderson (343) needs just two more to move him to 97th all-time.

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP Marlins left fielder Curtis Granderson is three away from 1,800 career hits. Granderson, 38, is in his 16th season. Will he be back next year?