Pérez sharp, Sánchez returns well in Marlins' win

JUPITER, FL—A solid 2 ⅓ innings by Eury Pérez followed by an impressive return to an MLB mound for Sixto Sánchez highlighted a game in which the Marlins never trailed. They defeated the Mets 4-1 to improve to 2-3-3 on the spring.

Pérez sharp, exits early

Eury Pérez toed the rubber for his second spring start. He showed mid-season velocity, sitting at 97 mph and topping out at triple digits. The only blemish on his record against a Mets' lineup that included Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor was a singular walk. He threw 36 pitches, 22 for strikes. Skip Schumaker stated he thought Pérez took a step forward from his last outing.

"You throw 99 miles per hour with ease and the changeup slider combo was good," Schumaker said. "I thought he got into some unnecessary deep counts but that's okay; it's part of spring training."

Seemingly cruising in his third inning of work, he was visited by the trainer and removed from the game. Pérez broke his nail on his middle finger; he is fine and expected to make his next outing, likely this coming week.

"Just a little crack on his fingernail and before it got any bigger than that, no point to push it; he was already in his third inning," Schumaker said.

Pérez believes it was caused by his slider grip. He would have been able to remain in the game if needed. Overall, he was happy with the work he was able to do with all four of his pitches.

"I wasn't in that much pain. I asked (Skip Schumaker) to continue, but he told me no," Pérez said through a translator. "I thought it was (a good day). I threw all my pitches, I was working on all my pitches. Some situations, I was up in the count and I lost them, so that's something I have to work on and it's something I will continue to work on to be ready and perform well."

Sánchez impressive in return

It had been over three years since Sixto Sánchez took the mound in an MLB game. Before today, many doubted Sánchez would ever be able to get back to his former top prospect status. It will take more than one inning in a spring training game to determine if he can prove his doubters wrong, but merely reaching this milestone was a very good step.

Taking the mound in the 5th inning, Sánchez came out throwing 89 mph. Moments later, the radar gun showed 92. A few moments after that, Sanchez threw two straight pitches over 95 mph. He threw a 1-2-3 inning on 15 pitches and left to a rousing ovation from the fans on hand at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

"I think he started feeling better as the inning went on," Schumaker said. "I don't know if he felt like he didn't trust it at the beginning; offspeed pitches, changeup, curveball, changeup curveball, then he kind of let one go and I think probably felt okay, then he just started letting it go the rest of the outing."

Sánchez stated that after his first few pitches as he got deeper into the inning, velocity came to him easily and he was able to push a bit harder.

"Once I was a little more loose, I started getting there with 94 and 95," Sánchez said through a translator. "I'm feeling well too. I think in the near future, once I continue to build that confidence, I'm going to throw even harder."

In addition to velo much closer to his previous state, Sánchez also had the same demeanor he was previously known for. After he recorded a strikeout to end his inning, he performed his famous shimmy on the way off the mound.

"That's what I like. If I don't do that, I don't feel like I'm pitching at all," Sánchez said. "I like to have fun and be out there. That makes me happy."

Anderson records first hit, shows off glove again

After a tough season last year, Tim Anderson is hoping to bounce back in a big way with Miami. Playing in his second spring game, he showed a few early positive signs, recording his first Marlins' hit, a single and making another strong play behind shortstop, the second such play he's made in his two games thus far.

Skip Schumaker stated that getting back to playing in live games is exactly what Anderson needs if he hopes to have a big year.

"Everyone wants to talk about the hitting timing but you need that on the defensive side as well," Schumaker said. "His pre-pitch, the first step, all that it takes time and you need reps. You need live reps. You can take a million fungos but you need live reps before you know where you are and what you need to work on."

Despite this being just Anderson's second game following his extended offseason, Schumaker knows what Anderson is capable of.

"I've seen that for five-plus years so it's not surprising that he makes those plays," Schumaker said. "He knows he can be better which is great. He's not just satisfied with who he is at short. He wants to get better. He's working hard to get better. The arm is real. I think he's going to be just fine out there."

Looking ahead

The Marlins have a split-squad day on Sunday. Yonny Chirinos is expected to start in West Palm against the Nationals. A.J. Puk is the probable in Jupiter against St. Louis.