Perez (5-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning as the Marlins fell 7-0 to Atlanta.
MLB's hottest offense provided some harsh lessons for the 20-year-old righty, as Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, and all told five of the seven hits off Perez went for extra bases. Over his prior six starts however, the young phenom had allowed just one run with a 38:9 K:BB in 33 innings. Another outing or two like this might make it easier for the Marlins to send Perez back down to the minors and manage his workload, but with the team currently sitting in the first wild-card spot in the NL, it could be faced with some tough decisions on how to handle him in the second half. For now, Perez lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next week against the Cardinals.