Aug 6, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Wade Meckler (53) greeted by third baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) after scoring during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Wade Meckler, a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, is living his dream.
Meckler, an Anaheim native who grew up a Los Angeles Angels fan, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round in 2022. Then, this past January, Meckler was claimed off waivers by the Angels. Finally, on May 22, Meckler made his Angels debut, hitting a three-run homer in his first at-bat.
On Sunday, Meckler is expected to start in left field as the Angels complete their three-game series at the Miami Marlins. Miami won Saturday’s game 7-0 to tie the series.
As for the 26-year-old Meckler, in 59 games for the Angels this season, he is hitting .305 with three homers, 20 RBIs and a .789 OPS.
“He puts together great at-bats,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He works the count, puts the ball in play. He can bunt. He’s been awesome.”
On the mound for the Angels, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (3-4, 7.24 ERA) will start on Sunday.
Rodriguez, 26, who was Baltimore’s first-round pick (11th overall) in 2018, went 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA as an Orioles rookie in 2023. The next year, he went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA.
However, Rodriguez missed the 2025 season due to an elbow injury, and he has struggled in 11 starts with the Angels this year. The Angels acquired him from Baltimore last November, trading away slugger Taylor Ward.
Rodriguez, who has never faced Miami, mostly uses four pitches: fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. His fastball averages 96 mph, and he relies on that pitch 53% of the time.
The Marlins will counter Rodriguez with right-hander Ryan Gusto (0-3, 4.80).
Gusto, 27, was drafted by the Astros in the 11th round in 2019. The Marlins acquired him on July 31, 2025, in a trade that sent outfielder Jesus Sanchez to Houston. Gusto is 0-6 in parts of two seasons with the Marlins.
Offensively, as detailed by MLB.com, the Marlins entered this series ranked second in the majors with the most runners thrown out on the bases with 47.
Beyond that, Miami’s offense has slipped. Through July 9, the Marlins were averaging 4.62 runs per game, which ranked 11th in the majors. Since July 10, however, Miami is scoring just 3.09 runs, which ranks 29th.
“We’re just not stringing a ton together like we usually do,” Marlins first baseman Kyle Stowers said. “Offensively, we can be better. I’m not necessarily sure what needs to change. If anything, we need to continue to create opportunities.”
Miami’s run-scoring issues are more pronounced now that Liam Hicks has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. Even though Hicks is on the other side of the state, he still leads Miami in RBIs with 62.
In addition, Marlins middle infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards have slumped over the past month-plus.
Three weeks ago, Lopez, Miami’s shortstop, led the National League with a .345 batting average. Due to his slump, Lopez is no longer on top, hitting .317 entering Sunday.
Edwards, Miami’s second baseman, hit just .247 in July, and he was batting .150 in August before breaking out on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Lopez also broke out on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
–Field Level Media
