Braves offense stifled by Eury Pérez in opener of final regular-season series at Miami
A no-show from the Braves’ bats in a series with no stakes.
On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves faced the Miami Marlins in the opening game of a special series in Miami. Despite a solid pitching effort, the Braves' offense struggled to make an impact. The Marlins' right-hander Eury Pérez made history by throwing his first career complete game and first career shutout. Pérez struck out eight, walked only one, and faced just two batters over the minimum. The only hit the Braves managed was a sixth-inning single by Sean Murphy, but it was quickly turned into a double play.
The Braves' starting pitchers, Ray Kerr and Grant Holmes, combined for a strong performance. Kerr made his first start of the season, while Holmes pitched four innings out of the bullpen, testing out potential new roles in the postseason. Kerr allowed the first two Miami batters to reach on singles but then retired eight of the final nine batters he faced, finishing with three scoreless innings.
Holmes, meanwhile, had mixed results, allowing two hits and three walks before giving up the game's first run on a solo homer in the seventh inning.
However, the Marlins' offense proved too much for Pérez and the Braves' hitters. The Marlins sent Pérez back out to the mound for the ninth inning, as he approached 100 pitches. Pérez retired all three Marlins batters he faced in the ninth inning, coming just six pitches short of achieving a perfect game. The Marlins ultimately won the game 3-0, with Didier Fuentes allowing two runs on five hits, the most he's allowed since a relief appearance at Washington in April.
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