Max Meyer pitches a gem, as Marlins shut out Philadelphia 4-0
The Marlins saw the very best of 2020 third overall pick Max Meyer on Saturday afternoon, and it was genuinely spectacular.
The right-hander completed seven innings for the first time in 32 career starts, shutting out the Phillies and allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out seven to lift the Marlins to a 4-0 victory at loanDepot Park.
“By far, this was the best we’ve seen Max throw,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “It shows how good Max is. He’s got more weapons than he’s had in the past.”
Throwing sliders and sweepers 52 percent of the time, Meyer (2-0) pitched to only one batter more than the minimum and lowered his earned-run average to 2.68.
This marked not only the first time that Meyer has ever pitched past 6 ⅓ innings in a big league game, but also the first time in seven starts this season that he pitched more than 5 ⅓ innings. He entered the seventh inning having thrown 72 pitches and closed the day with 83.
Anthony Bender pitched a hitless eighth and Andrew Nardi pitched a hitless ninth, preserving Miami’s shutout. Miami outhit the Phillies 10 to 1.
Meyer has pitched into the seventh inning only four times in 32 career starts and departed one out into the seventh in those three previous times before Saturday.
Manager Clayton McCullough allowed him to throw to the heart of the Phillies order in the seventh inning, and the manager said that “wasn’t a tough call. He was so economical. He hadn’t been stressed a lot.”
During that seventh inning, he struck out three-time All Star Kyle Schwarber for a third consecutive time and retired Bryce Harper for a third time. (Schwarber, incidentally, has struck out in his first eight plate appearances in the series.)
“It’s fun to go seven, help the pen out,” Meyer said. “The only thing I care about is to help the team get the win. It feels good having a real fastball now with some ride on it.”
Meyer’s stuff was electric Saturday, with a velocity reaching 97 mph on his fastball and his slider hitting the 90s and his sweeper reaching 88.
Garrett Stubbs had the only hit off Meyer, and he was immediately erased when Felix Reyes hit into a double play to end the fourth. After walking Alec Bohm in the fifth, Meyer struck out J.T. Realmuto to end the inning.
Meyer (2-0) now has 40 strikeouts and 25 hits (and 13 walks) allowed in 37 innings.
The Marlins gave their pitching staff all the runs they needed in the third inning.
After loading the bases against Andrew Painter in the third, Liam Hicks struck out, but Agustin Ramirez and Connor Norby then drew consecutive bases-loaded walks, putting the Marlins ahead 2-0. The inning ended with a lineout by Graham Pauley, who popped out with the bases loaded and one out in the second inning.
Xavier Edwards pushed the lead to 3-0 with a solo homer in the fifth, the second home run of the season for the National League leader in on-base percentage. An infield single by Otto Lopez drove in a run in the sixth, making it 4-0.
Hicks was thrown out at the plate on a Norby double in the seventh, a call upheld on replay.
The Marlins (16-17) handed Phillies interim manager (and former Marlins manager) Don Mattingly his first loss after a 4-0 start, as Philadelphia dropped to 13-20.
This and that
▪ Outfielder Owen Cassie was a late scratch because of a stomach bug that has affected several players; it marked the first time this season that he didn’t start a game against a right-hander. Ruiz replaced him in left field and struck out with two outs and the bases loaded in the second inning.
▪ A night after he permitted four runs in less than two innings of relief in his first big-league game this season, the Marlins sent Cade Gibson back to Triple A and promoted right-hander Josh Ekness, who is rated the team’s No. 30 prospect by MLB.com,
Ekness hasn’t been consistent this season at Triple A (5.68 in nine games), but he has 21 strikeouts in 12 ⅔ innings and manager Clayton McCullough said he has “big stuff, big heater. He had a great camp with us. We’ve seen Josh take a lot of strides as a professional. His routine and mindset are the areas where Josh can take steps in that regard; the talent he has [then] would shine with even more regularity.”
Ekness’ manager at Jacksonville, David Carpenter, called Ekness up to his office after Friday’s Jumbo Shrimp game and told him he needed to sign documents to renew his passport, which Ekness had been delaying. Only after he signed those papers did Carpenter tell him that he was being promoted to the big leagues.
▪ Chris Paddack pitches for the Marlins, and Jesus Luzardo for the Phillies, in game three of the four-game series at 1:40 p.m. Sunday at loanDepot Park.
This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:31 PM.
