Why the Marlins are skipping Max Meyer’s last start before the All-Star break
Miami Marlins All-Star right-handed pitcher Max Meyer will not make his scheduled start against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, the team’s final game before the All-Star break.
But that doesn’t mean he will be pitching in Philadelphia on Tuesday when the All-Star Game takes place at Citizens Bank Park, either.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said pregame Thursday that they are skipping Meyer’s final start before the break in order to give him some extended rest because the Marlins are “certainly going to be needing to lean on him in the second half of this season.” The Marlins enter their series finale against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday with a 51-42 record that is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for second in the National League East and for the league’s second wild-card spot.
Meyer, who has dealt with an assortment of injuries to begin his MLB career, has already set single-season career highs in starts (19) and innings pitched (108) this season. The team will have a bullpen game instead on Sunday with Meyer not pitching.
“It came at a nice time for us,” McCullough said, “where we could use the four days after his last start, get some time as well with the All-Star break, and he can go enjoy all the festivities in Philadelphia and be a fan in the dugout, and then just give him a little bit of a breather here as we continue to push him through his first real full season in the big leagues.”
MLB announced on Tuesday that Meyer would not be pitching in the All-Star Game, news that came because of him being scheduled to start on Sunday and teams generally being hesitant about starting pitchers throwing in the game on just one day’s rest.
But even now that Meyer isn’t pitching on Sunday, McCullough reaffirmed that Meyer still will not pitch in the All-Star Game.
“We were always going to, this year, kind of read and react as things were going,” McCullough said. “Just felt like the timing was right now to give them a bit of a blow again with just missing the one start on Sunday, but the fact that we could build in the four extra days with the All-Star break that this would be the most optimal way to give him a little bit of a reset and be there.”
In addition to the career-highs in innings and starts, Meyer also has a 2.58 ERA, 116 strikeouts against 38 walks and a .206 batting average against. His ERA ranks eighth among 61 qualified starting pitchers, while his innings pitched are 11th and his 9.67 strikeouts per nine innings are tied for 18th.
Meyer is one of two Marlins players who was selected to be an All-Star this season. Shortstop Otto Lopez is the other.
For the Guardians series, Sandy Alcantara will pitch on Friday and Eury Perez will pitch Saturday before their bullpen game on Sunday.
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