The Marlins fell 5-4 to the Cardinals after a late collapse, wasting strong spring outings from Eury Pérez and Max Meyer in Jupiter.
The Miami Marlins saw flashes of frontline dominance from Eury Pérez and Max Meyer, but a late-inning collapse spoiled what had been a promising afternoon in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.
For much of the day, the conversation centered on Miami’s electric pitching. By the final out, the focus shifted to execution -- or lack thereof -- in the late innings.
Linescore
W: Ian Bedell (1-0) L: Colby Martin (0-1)
Pérez Brings Heat, Meyer Brings Precision
Eury Pérez opened the game and immediately showed why the Marlins still view him as a potential ace. The right-hander touched 99 miles per hour and averaged 97.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, leaning on it nearly 60 percent of the time. His pure stuff jumped off the page, even if the line score showed one run allowed over one inning.
Pérez walked two and allowed a run in his 19-pitch outing, but the underlying metrics were encouraging. His sweeper produced a pair of called strikes, and his slider showed a slight velocity increase from last season. The command wasn’t fully dialed in — just a 47-percent strike rate — yet the arm strength and movement profiles suggest he’s building toward something bigger this spring.
Max Meyer followed with arguably the sharpest inning of the day. The right-hander needed just 11 pitches to carve through his frame, striking out two and allowing no hits. Meyer leaned heavily on his slider, generating a 100% whiff rate on swings against it. His fastball averaged just under 96 mph and showed increased spin compared to last year.
If Pérez flashed overpowering upside, Meyer displayed polish and efficiency. Both right-handers made strong early statements in the battle for meaningful innings this season.
Marlins Build Lead, Then Let It Slip
Jakob Marsee continued his hot spring with a solo homer to right field, putting Miami on the board early. The Marlins extended their lead to 2-1 after Christopher Morel drove in Marsee on an RBI single.
Javier Sanoja later delivered a line-drive double to center, scoring Griffin Conine and pushing Miami ahead 3-2.
The Marlins added what felt like an insurance run when Gage Miller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in Ryan Ignoffo to make it 4-2.
From there, things unraveled.
St. Louis chipped away in the late innings. Ryan Weingartner doubled to center to score Jalin Flores, trimming the lead to 4-3. Jeremy Rivas followed with a ground-rule double to right-center, tying the game at 4-4. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed Noah Mendlinger to score the go-ahead run.
Just like that, a 4-2 Marlins advantage turned into a 5-4 deficit.
For Miami, the final result stings, but the bigger takeaway remains focused on pitching. Pérez’s velocity is back. Meyer’s slider is biting. The bullpen hiccup is correctable.
Spring training is about information as much as wins, and the Marlins learned plenty -- even if the scoreboard didn’t cooperate.
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