Marlins' Max Meyer strives to continue torrid play in matchup vs. Giants

Miami Marlins right-hander Max Meyer's emergence this season is not surprising in one sense -- but it's very surprising in another.

Meyer, who is set to start against the visiting San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon, is having an All-Star-type season with a 7-0 record and a 2.75 ERA.

That kind of performance is in line with Meyer's draft pedigree -- he was the third overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and, at age 27, he's in his prime.

However, the very surprising part is that Meyer is having an undefeated season after undergoing elbow surgery on Aug. 9, 2022, and missing the entire 2023 season. Plus, he struggled in his first two years back (5.68 ERA in 2024, 4.73 ERA last year).

Yet the Marlins are 11-4 when he starts this season, and Meyer has gotten better every month in terms of his ERA -- 2.88 in April; 2.70 in May; and 1.96 this month.

"It's cool to think about how far I've come," Meyer told MLB Network.

He's also thrown five solid innings without a decision in his only start against the Giants, on April 26, when he gave up one run (unearned) and four hits in his team's 6-3 loss.

But Meyer isn't the Marlins' only big story. Miami posted a 4-3 victory over San Francisco on Friday to improve to 12-4 in June. That's the best record in the majors this month.

The Marlins also pulled their overall record even at 38-38, and they could be getting help off the injured list any day now. Corner outfielder Griffin Conine, who had a .951 OPS in 11 games before tearing his left hamstring on April 9, homered on Thursday in Triple-A Jacksonville.

Starting pitcher Eury Perez, who had a 3.15 ERA in his age-20 season in 2023, began a rehab assignment on Thursday, throwing 51 pitches at Jacksonville. Perez could be a big boost to a rotation that is thin behind Meyer and Sandy Alcantara.

Meanwhile, the Giants are set to start right-hander Trevor McDonald (2-4, 4.64 ERA) on Saturday. McDonald, who has never faced the Marlins, is 0-4 with one no-decision over his past five starts.

He features a sinker that averages 94 mph, and he throws it about 57% of the time. His two main breaking pitches are his slider (28.5% usage) and his changeup (13%).

The Giants rank second in the majors in batting average (.258) and sixth in slugging percentage (.420) yet just 21st in runs (313).

One big plus for San Francisco has been the play of rookie Bryce Eldridge, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound first baseman. A first-round pick in 2023, Eldridge hit 25 homers in 102 minor-league games last year and has gone deep six times with the Giants this season.

San Francisco, which had a three-game winning streak snapped on Friday, hopes on Saturday to take advantage of a tired Marlins bullpen; Miami used eight pitchers during Friday's game.

Overall, Giants manager Tony Vitello said he feels good about his squad despite the fact that it is 13 games under .500.

"Maybe I'm feeling overly positive," Vitello said on Friday afternoon, before San Francisco's loss, "but I think we've had momentum from the Cubs series (June 12-14; a win in the finale) and even before that."

--Field Level Media