MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota native Max Meyer was eager to make his second career start at Target Field on Wednesday. But it was the Marlins' bats that made all the noise in the team’s 9-5 victory over the Twins.
Leo Jiménez had three hits and Xavier Edwards had two extra-base hits, while scoring three runs. Meanwhile, Liam Hicks had three RBIs to give him a Major League-leading total of 38 this year.
One night after being shut out by Twins righty Bailey Ober, the Marlins rallied for 11 hits and got Meyer plenty of early run support with two runs in the first inning, two more in the second and four in the fourth.
“Our bats were much better, right from the start,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “One through nine, just better tonight. ... It was good to get contributions up and down.”
Meyer pitched around solo homers by Bryon Buxton in the first and third innings to stay a perfect 3-0 on the season. He allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking two in 5 2/3 innings.
“I thought my stuff was pretty good the whole game,” Meyer said. ‘My changeup was a great pitch today.”
The Marlins took advantage of an error by Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall to score a pair of runs in the first inning. They pushed that lead to 4-1 in the second on Owen Caissie’s two-run homer.
The Marlins knocked out Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-6) in the fourth inning. Jiménez hit a leadoff double, and after Cassie walked, rookie catcher Joe Mack hit an RBI single. Edwards followed with a run-scoring double, and Hicks drove in both runners with a single through the drawn-in infield.
The bats helped Meyer shake off a few aspects of his outing that displeased him.
“You can never be too ticked off with a win, and getting out with a pretty good lead,” Meyer said. “But yeah, some falling behind on guys that maybe I shouldn't be falling behind on. And yeah, the two homers.”
But Meyer’s performance was just fine in the eyes of his manager.
“He's come so far as a starter,” McCullough said. “His ability to navigate through lineups, and he just has more weapons at his disposal.”