​Eury Perez has delivered an outstanding return from injury, just a month after his setback, and he continued to showcase his potential in Miami’s latest contest. On Saturday, Perez couldn’t prevent the Miami Marlins from dropping a 4-1 decision to the Cleveland Guardians at loanDepot park. While the club snapped a home series win streak that hadn’t been broken since May, Perez remains optimistic about Miami’s trajectory, believing that the first-half turnaround has laid a solid groundwork for a stronger finish after the All-Star break.
In discussing his outing and the team’s progress, the 23-year-old pitcher credited Miami’s resilience for the improved finish to the season. “I think it’s incredible what we’ve been doing,” Perez said. “We started a little slow and then we were able to string together good games and perform at a remarkable level. I just hope that we stay healthy and keep performing the same way we’ve been doing.”
Perez (5-7) allowed two runs on eight hits over six innings and struck out six. He matched a career high for hits allowed but minimized damage by navigating several tricky moments, including a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the first inning. He emphasized that maintaining composure has been the key to pitching more effectively in such situations. “When you have an inning like that, all you’ve got to do is focus and perform to your full potential,” Perez explained. “Make sure you throw the best pitches that you have. Once you do that, you can get out of those innings.”
A staple of his recent success has been his sinker, which he leaned on more heavily than his four-seam fastball against Cleveland. It played a critical role early, contributing to a pivotal double play in the opening frame and yielding another ground-ball out in his final inning. “It’s a pitch that’s been helping me a lot through this first half,” Perez noted. “In that bases-loaded inning I got the double play with it, and in my last inning, at 98 pitches, I got another ground ball.”
Perez also addressed a brief miscommunication with catcher Joe Mack as they worked through Cleveland’s lineup. “It was just a miscommunication I had with Mack,” Perez said. “There were a lot of left-handed hitters, so we had to make the adjustment during the game.”
Miami’s offense was unable to capitalize on Perez’s solid start. Mack doubled and scored on Liam Hicks’ RBI single in the seventh, but the Marlins managed only one run despite collecting seven hits. Cleveland added two insurance runs in the eighth to seal the win.
Heading into the All-Star break, Perez carries a 3.78 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 85.2 innings, continuing a strong run that began with a near-perfect outing against the Athletics last week. The Marlins remain in the mix for the third National League Wild Card spot despite being swept by Cleveland.