In his third Marlins start following Tommy John surgery and first start at home since September 20, 2023, Eury Pérez showed shades of his rookie self, accompanied by more of the less-than-savory results that we saw in his first two starts.
Pitching into the fifth inning for the first time this season, the 22-year-old allowed three runs and struck out six on a season-high 89 pitches over 4
⅔ innings of work in the Marlins’ 7-0 loss to the Braves on Saturday. The third run charged to Pérez came on an Austin Riley single allowed by Lake Bachar. Bachar has allowed four inherited runners to score in his last six MLB appearances, with a demotion to Triple-A in between.
“I thought Eury was terrific today. Very encouraging…All of his pitches had life,” noted manager Clayton McCullough.
On the day, Pérez generated 13 whiffs, 11 of which came between his fastball and slider. After allowing a first-inning RBI double to Marcell Ozuna, the long and lanky right-hander retired eight of the next nine hitters faced, five of which came via the strikeout.
“Of the three thus far, this was by far his best,” McCullough later remarked.
Through his three outings this season, Pérez has a 6.17 ERA, though a much more favorable-looking 2.99 FIP.
Opposite of him was Grant Holmes. A hard-luck loser after striking out 15 Colorado Rockies in his last start on June 15, Holmes didn’t bring with him the same swing-and-miss, but was still able to stymie the Miami bats in an effectively wild 5 ⅔ innings of scoreless ball. Walking five on the day, Holmes was the first pitcher to do so while not allowing a run against the Marlins since Rafael Montero—now a teammate of Holmes—back on August 29, 2016.
For an ordinarily savvy team with men on base, entering the day with the 10th-best batting average in runners in scoring position (.261), Miami went 1-for-8 in such situations on Saturday.
“We weren’t able to finish off those innings,” noted McCullough.
The day wasn’t without its share of nice moments, as Josh Simpson made his long-awaited Major League debut. A 32nd-round pick for Miami back in 2019, Simpson began 2024 on the 40-man roster, missing the entire season due to left elbow neuritis. The 27-year-old allowed four runs in two innings of work, three of which came on a ninth-inning home run by rookie standout Drake Baldwin.
Now shut out five times this season, the Marlins fall to 15 games under .500 at 30-45. In June, Miami starters are now 2-9 with a 4.41 ERA (compared to a 5.28 mark overall through 75 games played).
Looking Ahead
The Marlins close out their series versus Atlanta in the rubber match on Sunday.
Sandy Alcantara (3-8, 6.88 ERA) will look to keep his season moving in the right direction, pitching to a 2.12 ERA and .190 opponent batting average in June. The former Cy Young Award winner owns a 2.94 ERA in 13 career starts against the Braves. Bryce Elder (2-3, 4.45 ERA) will oppose him for Atlanta.
First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 1:40 EST.