TORONTO -- Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez will undergo imaging on his right hamstring on Thursday’s off-day after exiting Wednesday afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Pérez, who had struck out a season-high nine batters over four scoreless innings, was spotted by the Marlins.TV broadcast doing his normal stretching routine to stay loose in between innings. Once he sat down, he appeared in visible pain and was attended to by a member of the training staff before being helped down the tunnel by Sandy Alcantara.
“I was just having a conversation with our pitching coach and suddenly I felt tightness right there in my leg and I couldn’t get up,” Pérez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr.
“I would say on a scale from 1-10, I would give a 10. It was very painful. I knew I was not going to be able to go out there, and that was the same thought from our coaches, and we decided to go inside and just take a look at it.”
Pérez said the discomfort had dropped to seven postgame.
The 23-year-old Pérez had some of his best stuff working in the 73-pitch outing, recording his first five outs via the K and throwing the second-fastest pitch of his career – a 101 mph four-seamer – to strike out former teammate Jesús Sánchez.
Pérez allowed three hits (all singles) and didn’t walk a batter for a second straight start. Things even got a bit testy when Pérez hit Kazuma Okamoto for the fifth HBP of a Blue Jays batter over the last two games. There appeared to be chirping from the Toronto dugout as Pérez stared back.
Right-hander Michael Petersen took over for Pérez in the fifth and gave up the game-tying run on Nathan Lukes’ two-out double off the right-center wall.
Should Pérez miss time, it will be the latest test of the starting-pitching depth. Miami designated veteran Chris Paddack for assignment earlier this month and his replacement, Robby Snelling, underwent season-ending elbow surgery last week. The Marlins optioned lefty Braxton Garrett after two short starts in Snelling’s place, and the club converted righty Tyler Phillips from a bullpen to starting role to round out the rotation.
Forty-man options at Triple-A Jacksonville include right-handers Bradley Blalock and Ryan Gusto, and southpaw Dax Fulton.
“We don't have anything until that imaging happens tomorrow,” manager Clayton McCullough said.