NYM 15, MIA 4; Miami suffers most lopsided loss of Spring Training

On a hot Saturday afternoon, we had some Marlins baseball, headlined by the best pitching matchup of Spring Training so far: Justin Verlander vs. Jesús Luzardo.

Luzardo has an up-and-down outing

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After a great top of the first inning, striking out both Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, Luzardo struggled an inning later. He gave up hits to Abraham Almonte and Jaylin Davis in the second. With one out in the inning, Luzardo threw an 84.1 MPH slider right down the middle and allowed a three-run bomb to Mets right fielder Lorenzo Cedrola.

Luzardo finished the day on a high note. He struck out one more hitter and didn’t get hit off as much. His slider was all over the place, but that is the reason he racked up the three strikeouts. His fastball velocity peaked at 98.4 MPH. Luzardo had nine swings and misses.

Jesús Luzardo’s final line: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 HR, 47 NP

When talking to Luzardo following his start, he mentioned to the media that this is the best that he has ever felt. He also told us that he expects to be pitching once more before the World Baseball Classic begins, whether that be live batting practice or another Grapefruit League game.

Arráez and Segura factored in Marlins first run

The Marlins gave us a preview of what their 2023 offense could look like at full throttle. A lead-off single for Luis Arráez against Verlander set the stage for Jean Segura, who hit an RBI double (Segura was tagged out trying to go for the triple on the play).

So far this spring, Arráez is slashing .214/.214/.214/.428. He has been making contact regardless of the results and looks to be finally getting into a rhythm. Meanwhile, Segura is slashing .182/.250/.273/.523 with one RBI.

Miami’s three other runs came in the later portions of the game thanks to a Santiago Chávez RBI double, Jerar Encarnación sacrifice fly and T.J. McFarland wild pitch.

Eury Perez outing recap

The original plan was for Eury Pérez to be the first pitcher used in relief of Luzardo, but the Marlins improvised when Luzardo reached his pitch count during the third inning. George Soriano, Justin Evans and Dylan Floro all came out of the bullpen before him; Eury didn’t enter the game until the sixth inning.

Eury immediately struck out Abraham Almonte and looked great. The fastball topped out at 99.7 MPH and everything was working for him.

The second time back out, Eury worked another quick, scoreless inning. He got flyouts from Tim Locastro and Ronnie Pérez. The only damage that was done to him was a single by Ronny Mauricio.

The issues began in the eighth inning. Eury allowed homers to Matt Winaker and Lorenzo Cedrola. His control was good as usual and he maintained his velocity throughout, but his command was off.

Eury Pérez’s final line: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 41 NP

When talking to Pérez postgame, he mentioned that he did miss location on some pitches, especially on the two homers he gave up. He led the Marlins in swings-and-misses with 10—he considered that a good thing and said he wants to continue having success in that area.

Justin Verlander makes Mets debut

A big storyline entering this game was that the 2022 unanimous American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander would be taking the mound for the first time as a New York Met.

Verlander’s issues in the bottom of the first inning must have really motivated him. He ended the afternoon by retiring eight batters in a row. Overall, he had three strikeouts and 10 swings-and-misses. He topped out at 96.3 MPH with his fastball and worked with his slider, curveball, and changeup as well.

The Marlins can expect to see Verlander during their opening series of the regular season and many more times during what’s left of his Hall of Fame career.

More game notes

• Aside from Eury and Luzardo, the other pitchers were George Soriano, Dylan Floro, Jefry Yan and Justin Evans. Evans came over from minor league camp and had a strikeout. Yan struck out two batters and was the only Marlins pitcher who didn’t allow three earned runs.
• Santiago Chávez had the first hit of his Spring Training today.
• Miami’s next game is at Fort Myers against the Boston Red Sox. Trevor Rogers will be on the mound. He is expected to go three innings. Devin Smeltzer is also scheduled to go three innings in relief.