Marlins rally late, but drop finale after Max Meyer's 'uncharacteristic' outing

[Louis Addeo-Weiss]

A pair of Agustín Ramírez home runs and a huge, late blast from Connor Norby were not quite enough to erase the deficit. 

Agustín Ramírez hit not one, but two home runs in a game started by Max Meyer, the Marlins' best pitcher to this point of the season. Sounds like a recipe for success, right?

Alas, Meyer was outdueled by Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Evans (5 IP 2 R), who was making his Major League debut on Sunday. Interrupting a streak of four consecutive quality starts, Meyer lasted just four innings, surrendering five runs and striking out six in Miami's 7-6 loss to Seattle.

"Uncharacteristic for him to get behind in counts," said manager Clayton McCullough about Meyer, who tied a career-worst with four walks allowed.

Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh tagged Meyer for a first-inning home run to put him into a tie with former teammate Eugenio Suárez for the MLB lead with 10. 

A pair of two-out walks came back to haunt Meyer in the second frame. The Mariners took a 4-1 lead following a Julio Rodríguez single and Jorge Polanco double. Polanco ultimately compiled five extra-base hits over the course of the series.

Trailing by four in the top of the eighth, Connor Norby capped off his second three-hit game of the season with a three-run home run to cut the deficit to one. In nine games since returning from injury, Norby has hit .303 with an .828 OPS.

"He's just getting back into the flow of things, and today was a good sign of things," noted McCullough.

 

Ramírez Continues Torrid Start

After his latest display of excellence in the batter's box, Agustín Ramírez now finds himself the owner of a 1.682 OPS through his first five career games. No Marlin had ever posted an OPS that high through their first five games with the franchise. Nick Fortes' 1.615 OPS in 2021 was the previous best mark, and that consisted of only 13 plate appearances (Ramírez is at 21).

Despite serving as the designated hitter Sunday, Ramírez became the first Marlins catcher with a multi-homer effort since Fortes back on August 16, 2022. 

In a way that only baseball could make possible, Ramírez would prove Miami's final chance to keep the game going. He ultimately grounded out at the hands of Andrés Muñoz, who collected his sport-leading 10th save to end the contest.

The Marlins head to Los Angeles with a 12-15 record and tied with Atlanta for last place in the NL East.

 

Looking Ahead

The west coast trek continues on Monday with the first of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Game one starter Edward Cabrera (0-1, 6.14 ERA) will look to get both his season and numbers against the Dodgers on track—in four career appearances, Cabrera owns a 10.93 ERA against Los Angeles. 

Opposite of Cabrera, Dustin May (1-1, 3.68 ERA) will look to resume his dominance against Miami, having posted a 1.08 ERA in three starts. First pitch from Chavez Ravine is slated for 10:10 EST. 

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