Max Meyer struck out six and flashed his electric slider against the Yankees, giving the Marlins plenty to like despite a tough-luck outing.
Right-hand pitcher Max Meyer did not overpower the Yankees (7-1) on Saturday night, but he showed enough to remind the Marlins (5-3) why he still looks like one of the most important arms on their staff.
The final line was solid if not spectacular: 4.2 innings, three hits, two earned runs, three walks, six strikeouts, and one home run allowed over 89 pitches, per Baseball Savant's count. Against a Yankees lineup built to punish mistakes, that qualifies as a respectable effort. Meyer kept Miami in the game for most of his outing, and more importantly, he flashed the swing-and-miss stuff that can give this rotation a chance every time he takes the ball.
The clearest takeaway was that Meyer’s slider remains his best weapon. According to Statcast, he threw it 38 percent of the time and got eight whiffs on 16 swings, good for a 50-percent whiff rate. That pitch did real damage against New York’s hitters and helped him pile up six strikeouts. His four-seam fastball also played well. Meyer averaged 95.1 mph on it, which was 1.1 mph above his season average, and generated a 50-percent called strike-plus-whiff rate. When he was ahead in counts, he looked in control.
That said, this outing also showed why Meyer still has another step to take before he can be trusted as a true stopper. His command drifted at times, especially once the Yankees started forcing deeper counts. He issued three walks, hit a batter, and let traffic build even in innings where his raw stuff was sharp.
There was also some loud contact underneath the surface. Meyer allowed six hard-hit balls, including a 111.9 mph rocket from outfielder Aaron Judge that fortunately stayed in the park. That is the balancing act with him right now. The stuff can be electric, but when he misses, good hitters are still squaring him up.
Even so, this was not a bad outing. Far from it. Meyer showed enough velocity, enough bite on the slider, and enough poise against a dangerous lineup to believe better results are ahead. The Marlins needed a competitive start, and Meyer gave them one. Now the next challenge is turning flashes like this into a full six-inning statement.
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