Prospect Meyer still a work in progress for Marlins' pitching staff

MIAMI -- Marlins manager Skip Schumaker might not be Nostradamus, but hours before Tuesday night’s 8-2 loss to the Reds at loanDepot park, he foretold the likely growing pains of right-hander Max Meyer.

Meyer, ranked as the Marlins’ No. 4 prospect and the No. 79 overall per MLB Pipeline, possesses frontline-starter potential thanks to his demeanor, work ethic and stuff. But Schumaker cautioned that Meyer is still a work in progress. Tuesday marked just his eighth big league start, and it was only his third since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville. Plus, until early April, he had missed 20 months due to Tommy John surgery.

The 25-year-old Meyer set career highs for runs (six), hits (eight) and walks (three) in four innings against the Reds, issuing more free passes than strikeouts (two) for the first time in his young career. His 56.6 strike percentage was his lowest mark, excluding the outing he exited early with the UCL tear.

“I just didn't have it tonight, didn't have my good stuff tonight,” Meyer said. “I know I can be a lot better, and I'm going to be a lot better.”

After a scoreless first when Meyer worked around a one-out single by Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson ambushed a hanging slider to open the second for a homer to straightaway center. Meyer would walk Jake Fraley with two outs but induce a groundout by Noelvi Marte to end the frame.

These were early signs that Meyer didn’t have his best stuff. According to MLB Pipeline, his slider has a 70 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale. Four of the eight hits off him were on his best pitch. Entering Tuesday, his slider’s expected slugging percentage against was just .317.

“[I] hadn't any intention of swinging, just because I've been leading off so many innings this year that it's tough catching because you’ve got the clock and you're kind of always rushed,” Stephenson said. “And sure enough, I just saw something up and decided to swing, and [I] saw it go over the fence, so I'll take it.”

In a 24-pitch third inning, De La Cruz doubled, then stole third with one out. After Spencer Steer walked, TJ Friedl produced an RBI double. Cincinnati wouldn’t score again in the inning, as Meyer retired two of the next three batters while leaving the bases loaded.

At one point during Meyer’s start while heading toward the dugout, home-plate umpire Alan Porter spoke to him about making eye contact with hitters before throwing a pitch. The rookie acknowledged the game had sped up on him a little bit.

Meyer's last inning would come in a 23-pitch fourth, as the Reds loaded the bases with no outs on a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch. De La Cruz sent a full-count 93.9 mph four-seamer down and away for a two-run double. After a mound visit, Meyer gave up a sacrifice fly and a two-out RBI single.

“You’ve got to look back at when everything was flying out of my hand [with] the best metrics on it, where the ball plays the best, when it is the best, and get back to pounding that zone,” said Meyer, who credited catcher Ali Sánchez for calling a good game. “Got away from kind of my strengths, I guess, tonight. I know my two-seamer's a new pitch, but I was kind of throwing it a lot.

“But I have a really good four-seam, I have a really good slider, and I have to be able to keep those in play and open and keep getting that chase on my slider. If they're not swinging, pound a low-and-away fastball. Just keep doing that, but I got away from that, and it's really frustrating looking back at it.”

As Meyer mentioned, he has added a sinker (thrown a career-high six times on Tuesday) to go along with his slider, four-seamer and changeup (no whiffs on 12 pitches). Perhaps Meyer tried too much to pitch to the Reds’ weaknesses rather than his strengths.

Certain pitches got left up. Meyer’s slider was leaky. His average velocity was slightly down across the board.

“There's work to be done,” Schumaker said. “He's not a finished product. He knows that. He's going to be a really good pitcher for a long time, but it's just going to take some work, some bullpens, some sides, get the shape of his pitches back to where he wants it. …

“He's a competitor. He's a hard worker. There's no doubt in my mind that he's probably going to have the best bullpen session of his life next time. And we wouldn't expect anything less from him.”