Guardians All-Star Parker Messick returns to home state to face Marlins

Cleveland Guardians All-Star rookie Parker Messick is returning to his home state of Florida this weekend as he is set to start on Friday night against the host Miami Marlins.

Messick (7-5, 2.80 ERA) looks like one of the steals of the 2022 MLB Draft, selected in the second round out of Florida State. Including his limited 2025 usage upon his debut, the left-hander from Plant City, Fla., is 10-6 with a 2.78 ERA and a 3.87 strikeout-per-walk ratio in his first 25 major league starts.

The Guardians are 10-8 when he starts this year. However, they have lost the last three and six of the last seven times Messick has pitched.

Messick, who has never faced the Marlins, is shocked to have arrived so quickly.

"I was in high school, going over to my buddy's house watching the Home Run Derby and watching the All-Star Game," Messick said. "I feel like that was yesterday. I felt like that was so far away. Now that it's here, just thank the Lord that I'm in this position."

Cleveland's other two All-Stars are closer Cade Smith and rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana.

A native of Canada, Smith was drafted by the Minnesota Twins out of high school in the 16th round in 2017, but he instead played college ball at Hawaii. In the COVID year of 2020, the draft was shortened to five rounds, and Smith was not selected. Cleveland signed Smith as a free agent that June, and it was another great move.

Smith became Cleveland's closer midway through last season. This year, he is 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA and a major league-leading 27 saves.

Bazzana, the first overall pick in 2024 by Cleveland out of Oregon State, made his major league debut on April 28. The Australian has seven homers, 14 doubles, 12 steals and 27 RBIs in his first 62 games.

Despite those three All-Stars, the Marlins enter as the hotter team, having won six straight games. Cleveland has won just one of its past five games.

Miami has also won 16 of its past 18 home games. The Marlins have produced seven series sweeps this season, including two in the past week.

The Marlins will start veteran right-hander Sandy Alcantara (10-4, 4.00) on Friday.

Alcantara, who went 14-9 when he won the National League's Cy Young Award in 2022, has already reached double-digit wins for just the third time in his nine-season career, all of which have come in the last four seasons.

In his two career starts against Cleveland, Alcantara is 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA.

This year, Alcantara had a rough May with an 0-2 record and 7.39 ERA. However, he has bounced back, going 6-0 with a 3.35 ERA in June and 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA so far this month.

Leading Miami's offense is shortstop Otto Lopez, a first-time All-Star who noted that the Marlins finished just four games out of the playoffs last year.

This year, the Marlins would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Lopez, who leads the major leagues with a .345 batting average, has set a Marlins record with the most hits before the All-Star Game (127).

"Last year we just missed by a little," Lopez said after Thursday's 8-4 home win over Seattle. "This year, we're having fun. It's been working."

--Field Level Media