Martin Perez tossed seven scoreless innings against Tampa Bay for Texas on May 31, lowering his MLB leading ERA to 1.42 in a 3-0 win that moves the Rangers’ record to .500 for the first time this season (24-24).
“There’s no place like home, let’s Go Rangers,” Perez posted on his Instagram after the win in Arlington. “In the discipline is success, always from the hand of God.”
In Perez’s seven innings worked, he yielded just three hits, no walks, struck out five, and at one point retired 16 straight Rays batters. The win moves his record to 4-2 on the season. The start against the Rays was Perez’s third starting call in May.
“He’s like a video game,” Rangers Manager Chris Woodward said of Perez in his post-game talk. “Like when you’re playing MLB The Show, you can just click the button, and it lands perfect, right where you want it to, and you know you’re going to get the guy out. That’s the way he’s pitched it. It’s not that easy, but he makes it seem that way… It’s almost like Neo in The Matrix. This guy is seeing everything kind of in slow motion right now, and it’s showing up in the results.”
With Perez twirling a gem on the mound, the Rangers did not need to produce much run support for the Rangers’ ace. Corey Seager got a home run, his 11th of the season, to open the bottom of the fourth.
Two batters later – following a Mitch Garver double – Adolis Garcia belted a two-run tater (his eighth of the season) off a 0-1, 78.6 mph changeup thrown by Ryan Yarbrough. The two fourth-inning home runs were just the second and third allowed by Yarbrough on the season.
John King followed Perez on the mound and pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth inning to earn his sixth hold of the season, and Joe Barlow followed suit with a perfect ninth inning to earn his ninth save of the season and the 20th of his career.
The win for Texas keeps the Rangers seven games back of AL West-leading Hooton (32-18) and two games behind second-place Los Angeles Angels (27-23). The win also gives the Rangers the seventh-best record in the American League.
Texas will look to make it three wins straight against Tampa Bay on June 1, starting at 7:05 p.m. on Dallas Stars Night at the Globe Life Field.
Probable pitchers for the contest are Jeffery Springs (2-2, 1.62) for Tampa Bay and Jon Gray (1-2, 5.56) for Texas.
