Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Angels Pick & Prediction APRIL 1st 2024

Much-hyped Miami Marlins prospect Max Meyer is getting ready for his third MLB start — and his first since elbow surgery in August 2022.

Meyer, a 25-year-old right-hander, is a strike-thrower with a wipeout slider and a mid-90s fastball that reached triple digits prior to his injury.

On Monday night, Meyer and the rest of the Marlins will play host to the Los Angeles Angels.

Miami just got swept at home in four games by the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is Miami’s first 0-4 start since 2001.

In spring training, Meyer allowed one run in seven innings. He struck out five batters and walked one.

Prior to his injury, Meyer went 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in his two MLB appearances, totaling six innings.

Meyer was set to start this season in the minors, but a rash of injuries to Marlins starters — Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera — gave him another chance at the majors.

“He’s our best option to help us win,” said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who added that Meyer will be on a pitch count.

Schumaker didn’t specify the number. However, in an intrasquad scrimmage last Tuesday, Meyer pitched five innings and lasted about 70 pitches.

In the sweep to the Pirates, Miami’s bullpen had a 5.25 ERA as compared to 0.89 for Pittsburgh.

On offense, the Marlins were the last team in the majors to hit a homer this season, but they cracked three on Sunday.

On Monday, Miami will face 23-year-old right-hander Chase Silseth. In 2023 — his second year in the majors — Silseth went 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 16 appearances, including eight starts. He has pitched only one career inning against Miami (18.00 ERA).

The Angels called a team meeting after getting clobbered by the Baltimore Orioles, 13-4 and 11-3. The 23 runs allowed are the most in franchise history for the first two games of a season.

The meeting must have worked because the Angels beat Baltimore, 4-1, on Sunday.

“We can’t get off track,” new Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We’ve got to come to the ballpark ready to go.”

The Angels have missed the playoffs in 13 of the past 14 years, and they lost superstar Shohei Ohtani as a free agent to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December.

Ohtani led the American League last season in homers (44), on-base percentage (.412) and OPS (1.066). Yet the Angels won just 73 games.

How many games can the Angels win without Ohtani?

That remains to be seen, of course, but they do have talent, most notably center fielder Mike Trout, an 11-time All-Star who has won the American League’s MVP award three times.

There’s also third baseman Anthony Rendon, who led the majors in RBIs in 2019, when he helped the Washington Nationals win the World Series.

The Angels also have second baseman Brandon Drury, who slugged 26 homers last year; right fielder Aaron Hicks, who hit 27 homers for the Yankees in 2018; and DH Miguel Sano, who hit 30 homers in 2021.

It’s a bit of an aging lineup, though, as those players are all north of 30. –Field Level Media