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Even under the weather, Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. shows he’s among MLB’s best this season

Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn’t at 100 percent Wednesday — far from it. The Miami Marlins’ flashy second baseman felt under the weather, dealing with the “shivers” all day. His normally upbeat persona was far more subdued as he tried to conserve his energy for when the team needed him.

And Chisholm once again delivered when he was on the field or in the batter’s box that night in the Marlins’ eventual 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals, producing in key situation after key situation.

He tripled and scored in the first inning after the Nationals opened scoring in the top half of the frame. He hit a solo home run in the fifth, a 412-foot solo shot to right-center, to tie the game at 3-3. And he hit a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to tie the game again at 4-4 to force extra innings.

All while doing whatever he could to make sure he was feeling well enough to just stay on the field.

The broadcast of Wednesday’s game repeatedly showed Chisholm sitting in the dugout in the fifth inning after his home run, a towel over his face while holding a hot beverage steaming out of a paper cup. Chisholm said postgame he was “still feeling pretty bad” but wanted to “push through it.” He minimized what he did when he wasn’t in the batter’s box or in the field so that he could maximize his effort in the short bursts when it was needed.

Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2) scores during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at LoanDepot Park on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 in Miami, Florida..
Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2) scores during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at LoanDepot Park on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 in Miami, Florida..

“I told him before the game that sometimes you have your best game when you don’t feel great,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I think your focus just goes up when you know you just have to get through it.”

Or, as Chisholm succinctly described it: “Turn on the switch on when it was time.”

He did just that.

And the end result: Another big game from the Marlins’ budding big-name star. Wednesday was the second time this season that he safely reached base four times in a game. It was his 10th game driving in multiple runs, his ninth multi-hit outing and third time scoring multiple runs.

“It helped me lock back in a little bit,” Chisholm said, “because I’m only locking in for one at-bat and then I’m trying to rest as soon as I get out.”

Through games played Wednesday, Chisholm leads all MLB players with four triples and ranks in the top 10 in wins above replacement (tied for fifth, 2.2), slugging (fifth, .617), on-base-plus-slugging percentage (seventh, .963), total extra-base hits (tied for eighth, 18) and RBI (tied for ninth, 27). His seven home runs trail just Jose Altuve’s eight among MLB second basemen.

Max Meyer update

According to a source, Marlins right-handed pitcher prospect Max Meyer is going to be placed on the minor-league injured list with ulnar nerve irritation. The injury will sideline him for at least one start and will be re-evaluated before moving forward, although the organization does not believe the injury is serious.

Meyer, the No. 31 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has struggled in his last two outings for Triple A Jacksonville. He allowed a combined 14 earned runs over 8 1/3 innings, including eight runs in 3 1/3 innings his last time out Tuesday. Prior to that, Meyer had a 1.72 ERA through his first six starts of the 2022 season.

This and that

The Marlins are now 5-12 in one-run games this season, with nine of their last 11 losses being decided by one run.

As a team, Miami is hitting just .175 in late and close situations, defined by MLB as plate appearances in the seventh inning or later when the batting team is either leading by one run, tied, or has the potential tying run on base, at bat, or on deck. Only three teams have a lower batting average in such situations this season: The Boston Red Sox (.174), New York Mets (.171) and Cincinnati Reds (.163). The Marlins have 172 late and close plate appearances this season, tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the fourth-most in the league.