Eury Pérez shuts out Pirates for seven in victory

Pérez had a stretch in August in which he allowed one earned run in 18 innings, but in five starts since, he’s given up 24 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings, raising his ERA from 3.17 to 4.17. He’s going to be a tough pitcher to rank next year, given his lack of consistency. He’s due to face the Braves next weekend, but it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see him get scratched.

All of the damage came via a massive home run from Josue De Paula in the fourth inning. He struck out five and walked a pair while inducing 13 swinging strikes in 96 pitches. This one was better than his previous three outings, both in terms of his velocity and control. Still, due to his workload, he feels like a bit of a dice roll in fantasy moving forward. The red-hot Padres are up next.

Pérez has now allowed 18 runs (16 earned) on 21 hits in 11 2/3 innings in his last three starts. Those starts have come against the Nationals, Royals, and Mets. For the second straight game, Pérez simply couldn’t find the zone. He threw just 44 percent of his pitches for strikes after throwing just 42 percent in his last outing. The four-seamer was really the only pitch he could consistently throw for strikes, so even though he had a 13 percent swinging strike rate and had five strikeouts, he also walked three and was simply too ineffective. He’s up to 140 innings on the year after throwing 95 last season, so perhaps he’s dealing with some fatigue. Regardless, he’s tough to trust against the Dodgers this weekend.

The Royals jumped all over Pérez for a five-run first inning in this rough start. It started poorly when Carter Jensen hit a lead-off home run and then Pérez allowed another home run and two doubles on the way to that crooked number. Things didn’t get much better after that as he struggled to command each of his fastball and sinker while his slider was inconsistent. Also, his velocity was down by about one mile per hour across the board, which is always scary this time of year. He’s scheduled for a two-start week against the Mets and Dodgers coming up.

Pérez was getting whiffs and limiting hard contact — he only had three hard-hit balls allowed all game — but he simply couldn’t command his pitches. He walked three straight Nationals to lead off the third, struck out the next two, then unraveled with a combination wild pitch/throwing error that scored two runs and a 445-foot Brady House homer. Nothing about this screamed avoiding Pérez in his next start against the Royals, he’s just been prone to this kind of game at times this year.

Not quite as sharp today as in his previous two starts, which saw him pitch a total of 13 scoreless innings, Pérez allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four. He’s set to face the Nationals again next weekend in D.C.

Pérez allowed only two hits, and he was able to whiff five in another scoreless outing for the 23-year-old talent. That’s not to say that he didn’t have to deal with traffic; Pérez walked five in the outing, but he was able to keep those free passes from crossing the plate. His ERA is now 3.23 on the season, and that number is more impressive when you consider it was 4.60 at the end of May. He’s back on the bump Saturday in his scheduled start versus the Nationals.

All of Pérez’s strengths and weaknesses were on display in this tantalizing start. His nine strikeouts matched a season-high and his 18 swings-and-misses were one shy of the same feat. He forced at least three whiffs with four different pitches and his whole repertoire looked nasty. Yet, the command of his secondary stuff wavered here and he didn’t trust them enough in when he needed to. Case and point, three of the four runs he allowed came in the second inning. He allowed three hits and a walk that frame and between all four plate appearances, he threw two combined breaking balls. Part of that is because some of those hitters were left-handed, but he went away from his changeup too quickly during a nine-pitch battle against Ozzie Albies that ended in a walk and started the rally. Nevertheless, Pérez has been on a tear since coming off the injured list in late June with 49 strikeouts, 14 walks, and a 2.30 ERA across 47 innings. He’s lined up for a two-start week coming up against the Pirates and Reds.

The 23-year-old right-hander piled up six strikeouts on the evening while issuing a pair of walks. He kept the Mets off the board through the first five innings until Francisco Lindor smacked an RBI single in the sixth. Lindor then scored later in the inning on an error. Pérez generated 16 swings and misses on 97 offerings in the contest — five on his slider — while posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll bring a 3.44 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 112/40 K/BB ratio (104 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Braves in Atlanta.

Pérez tossed a scoreless first, stranded two runners in the second, then gave up a pair of runs on a walk, a hit batter, and two hits in the third. He settled in for three more scoreless frames before giving up one more run on a double and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Pérez would complete the seventh, marking three straight starts of at least six innings. The 23-year-old right-hander will take a 3.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 106/38 K/BB ratio across 98 2/3 innings into a start against the Mets in New York on Thursday.