Meyer takes positive step toward developing key third pitch

MIAMI – There’s no denying Marlins right-hander Max Meyer possesses an elite four-seam/slider combination. In Friday night’s 6-3 loss to the Cubs at loanDepot park, Meyer showed what is possible if he continues to develop his changeup.

Meyer recorded a quality start for the second time in three outings while throwing his changeup a career-high 24 times. Making his second start since graduating from prospect status, he allowed three runs on six hits – just one against the changeup – with two strikeouts and two walks across six innings.

“That's really good against a veteran lineup,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said, “so it shows that this is going to work and going to play, and he'll always have his slider in his back pocket. Always. That's just his pitch. If he has this one [in the changeup] ... I remember in the beginning of the season when he threw it against the Braves, it was really good. So, if he just keeps using it, it's going to get even better.”

All three runs against Meyer came in the third, courtesy of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s leadoff inside-the-park home run and Ian Happ’s two-run homer.

While Meyer recorded just two perfect innings, one of them came in an 11-pitch sixth to end on a strong note. Schumaker even debated on keeping Meyer out there at 91 pitches, but he didn’t have southpaw Andrew Nardi available for the upcoming lefty lane of batters and didn’t want to go on a hitter-by-hitter basis.

“We had a really good first inning, we hit a bunch of balls hard and didn't have much luck,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Second inning, we swung the bats really well, and then he did a pretty nice job. We got some runners on in the third and fourth and didn't get the next hit. But give him credit, the fifth and sixth, he was good and ended up being a good start for him.”

When the Marlins optioned Meyer to Triple-A Jacksonville on April 15, he had recently turned to his slider 54 percent of the time in the April 13 outing against the Braves -- just shy of Royals righty Brady Singer’s MLB-leading rate on March 31 (54.1 percent, minimum of 50 total pitches).

Since his return to the Majors on July 27, Meyer has made a concerted effort to incorporate his entire arsenal. Postgame, he credited the game plan put together with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and catcher Nick Fortes. They are doing a better job not only of getting all of his pitches involved, but also finding the best location for them.

“We wanted to see him throw that a lot more in general, not just against this lineup,” Schumaker said. “We feel like that's going to be a really good pitch for him in the future, and we wanted to see him continue to develop that pitch. We think it can be a real weapon. So I'm proud of him to throw it, and throw it with confidence.

“Today, he threw it 3-0 to [Cody] Bellinger to get him to ground out. So that shows that he has some confidence in throwing it for strikes behind in the count. I think it's only going to get better, because he needs something a little bit slower. Meyer's slider is real. We know that. But to take being a two-pitch pitcher and being a three-pitch pitcher is going to be really effective for him down the road.”

The way Meyer’s changeup was working on Friday – averaging 87.4 mph and maxing out at 89.8 mph – meant he didn’t need to throw his sinker, which is the other pitch he was working on while in the Minors. The changeup basically served the same purpose.

The 25-year-old Meyer hadn’t been pleased with his recent performance, entering the series opener with an 8.10 ERA through his first five starts back in the Majors. He held a 2.12 ERA through his first three starts of the season before the demotion. Friday was a step in the right direction.

“Just using all my pitches,” Meyer said. “Obviously, I'm so frustrated. I know I could pitch a lot better. That wasn't great. That wasn't a great outing. But yeah, it was still a quality start, I guess. I'm comfortable with throwing my pitches. I know I have to tune up my mechanics a little bit better, and then hopefully I can start clicking the rest of the season. I’ve got to just kind of look at my posture. I've been swinging out a little bit too much, and I’ve definitely got to clean that up.”