ATLANTA — Eury Perez watched from the top of the Miami Marlins’ dugout on Friday as he saw just how dangerous the Atlanta Braves’ lineup can be.
One day later, the Marlins’ ballyhooed 20-year-old rookie right-handed pitcher experienced their wrath first-hand.
Perez didn’t even make it out of the first inning, giving up six runs on seven hits while logging just one out in the worst start of his young MLB career. The Braves went on to win another lopsided game against the Marlins, 7-0, on Saturday at Truist Park.
Miami falls to 48-36 on the season, including 1-8 in nine games so far against Atlanta (55-27). This was the fifth time this season the Marlins have been shut out.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
How the Braves got to Perez
The damage Atlanta did against Perez was eye-opening — and a double reminder that Perez still has room to grow as his career takes off and the Braves have one of the most potent lineups in baseball.
The Braves opened the game with back-to-back home runs against Perez, with Ronald Acuna Jr. demolishing a middle-in slider 417 feet to left field before Ozzie Albies sent a middle-in four-seam fastball 359 feet to right.
The next four Atlanta hitters all reached base, too, with Austin Riley and Matt Olson hitting back-to-back singles before Sean Murphy and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back doubles to push the Braves’ lead to 5-0. Perez then recorded his lone out of the start, getting Eddie Rosario to hit a ground ball to second baseman Luis Arraez, before Orlando Arcia ended Perez’s start with another double.
With the exception of Olson’s single, all the Braves’ hits came on pitches inside the strike zone.
For additional context on the outing, Perez entered his start Saturday having given up just seven earned runs total over his first nine MLB starts, a stretch spanning 47 innings. He was on a run 21 consecutive scoreless innings and had given up just one run over his previous six starts (33 innings). He gave up six in the span of eight batters and 35 pitches against the Braves before manager Skip Schumaker took him off the mound.
Perez’s ERA jumped from 1.34 after his first nine starts to 2.47 once the damage was done on Saturday.
Charlie Morton holds Marlins lineup in check
While the Braves teed off on Perez, the Marlins were unable to do the same against Atlanta’s starter.
Charlie Morton, 39, who was drafted by the Braves 10 months before Perez was born, threw 5 2/3 shutout innings. He gave up four hits and a walk while striking out five.
Atlanta’s bullpen of Kirby Yates, Nick Anderson, Ben Heller and Joe Jimenez followed with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Miami’s best chance to score came in the sixth when they had bases loaded and two outs but Yuli Gurriel was called out on strikes.
George Soriano provides length
With Perez recording just one out, the Marlins needed someone to pitch multiple innings so that the rest of the bullpen would not be overly taxed with one more game to play against Atlanta on Sunday and a seven-game homestand without a day off following before the All-Star Break.
For his part, George Soriano provided the Marlins that needed length.
Soriano threw a career-high 3 2/3 innings without allowing a hit. He struck out three while allowing just one walk.
He was added to the Marlins’ roster ahead of Saturday’s game, with Miami designating for assignment right-handed pitcher Archie Bradley to make the roster spot.
Beyond Soriano, Huascar Brazoban followed with two perfect innings and Dylan Floro had a perfect frame of his own in the seventh before Atlanta scored a run against Steven Okert in the eighth.
