Perez was credited with his second hold of the season in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Mariners after striking out a batter and allowing two earned runs on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.
After Perez delivered 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen Wednesday, manager Bruce Bochy told Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com that the veteran southpaw might be a candidate to fill the vacant No. 5 spot in the rotation. The open spot in the rotation comes up Tuesday against the Angels, but after throwing 40 pitches in relief Sunday, Perez no longer looks like a realistic option to start for Texas. The Rangers could end up treating Tuesday's contest as more of a bullpen day, with the likes of Andrew Heaney, Jake Latz and Cody Bradford presumably available to cover multiple innings, if needed.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Could rejoin rotation
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Manager Bruce Bochy said it's "fair to say" Perez may have worked his way back into the Rangers' starting rotation after the lefty allowed three hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 4.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Red Sox, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.comreports.
Wednesday's starter Jon Gray was unable to make it through three frames, but Perez pitched excellent in long relief and could make a start or two for Texas down the stretch, with Max Scherzer (shoulder) sidelined. Perez initially struggled after being moved to the bullpen in early August, but he's surrendered just two earned runs with a 0.96 WHIP across his past 18.2 innings.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Snags win in relief
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Perez (9-4) earned the win in relief Monday against the Mets, firing two scoreless innings during which he recorded two strikeouts.
Perez had struggled mightily in his prior two appearances, allowing six runs on nine hits over 6.1 innings. He was sharp Monday, however, firing 19 of his 27 pitches for strikes in relief of Jon Gray to earn his ninth win. Since moving to the bullpen earlier this month, Perez sports a 4.76 ERA across 11.1 innings. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.96 with a 1.49 WHIP and 75:44 K:BB across 119.2 innings this season. The 32-year-old southpaw should continue to work in a swingman role for the Rangers down the stretch.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Makes first relief appearance
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Perez allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 6-0 win over Miami.
This was Perez's first turn out of the bullpen after he was removed from the starting rotation, as the Rangers created room for starters acquired at the trade deadline. He mopped up in the ninth inning, but the stretched-out Perez could work as a long reliever when a starter is unable give the team length.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Demoted to bullpen
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Perez was moved to the bullpen Thursday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The 32-year-old lefty is the odd man out in the Rangers' rotation after the club acquired both Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Perez was excellent for Texas in 2022, even earning his first career All-Star nod, but he's struggled to a 4.98 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 69:41 K:BB through 108.1 innings (20 starts) this season.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Loses versus Padres
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Perez (8-4) allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out just one in 5.2 innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Padres.
Perez gave up all four runs in the second inning, and the Texas offense mustered just four hits and three walks in the game. It was the second outing in a row in which Perez gave up four runs in one frame, though he was able to overcome it last Sunday versus the Dodgers. The southpaw now has a 4.98 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 69:41 K:BB through 108.1 innings over 20 starts this season. Perez is tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Marlins next weekend, but either he or Dane Dunning may be at risk of losing his spot in the rotation once the Rangers activate Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) shakes off his injury.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Overcomes rough first inning
Rotowire
Perez (8-3) earned the win Sunday over the Dodgers, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings.
Perez got off to a terrible start, allowing a grand slam to Max Muncy in the first inning. The veteran southpaw settled down after that, and the Rangers' offense took care of the rest to give Perez his first win of the month. He's now at a 4.91 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 68:38 K:BB through 102.2 innings over 19 starts this season. Perez is lined up to make his next start on the road in San Diego.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Shaky in no-decision
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Perez allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two over five innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Sunday.
All three runs against Perez were knocked in by Steven Kwan. After a short outing versus Houston on July 3, Perez was skipped in the rotation before the All-Star break, and he was sloppy against a light-hitting lineup despite the extra time off. The southpaw now has a 4.84 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 62:36 K:BB through 96.2 innings over 18 starts. Perez is lined up for a tough home start versus the Dodgers over the weekend.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: To be skipped in rotation
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Perez's next turn in the rotation will be skipped, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Perez was originally lined up to start Saturday's game against the Nationals, but his next start will now have to wait until after the All-Star break. Cody Bradford will likely start Friday against Washington, pushing back Andrew Heaney into Saturday as Perez's replacement. Perez finishes the first half of the season with a 4.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through 91.2 innings.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Short outing against Houston
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Perez did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks without recording a strikeout over 1.1 innings in a 12-11 loss to the Astros.
Perez needed 57 pitches to record just four outs Monday. He managed to work through traffic in the opening frame before the Astros cranked three home runs in the second inning, capped by Kyle Tucker's grand slam. The rough outing snapped a stretch of three consecutive quality starts for Perez. The veteran left-hander will look to get back on track in his next start, tentatively scheduled for this weekend in Washington.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Sleeper pitchers for Week 15 (July 3-9)
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Martin Perez has just a 4.31 ERA over his past eight starts, but if each start is a pass or fail, he has a lot more passes than fails. In six of the eight, he went six innings or more and allowed two earned runs or fewer. The possibility for two such starts this week may be too attractive to pass up.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Posts quality start in no-decision
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Perez did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Tigers. He struck out four.
The veteran left-hander delivered his third consecutive quality start but missed out on a victory since Texas didn't gain the lead for good until a five-run eighth inning. Perez surrendered seven runs in 3.1 frames in Tampa Bay on June 11, but he otherwise pitched well across five starts in June and finished the month with a 3.99 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 14:10 K:BB over 29.1 innings. A matchup with the Astros likely awaits this weekend.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Sleeper pitchers for Week 14 (June 26-July 2)
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Perez has had more hits than misses recently, and the good starts tend to take him six-plus innings. This makes him awfully tempting for points leagues in a two-start week, particularly since he'll be facing the Tigers in one of those starts.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Earns seventh win
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Perez improved to 7-3 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the White Sox. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out two over seven innings.
Perez earned his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, though the two exceptions in that span have generally offset the positives. He snapped a four-start winless skid with this effort despite throwing just 59 of 100 pitches for strikes. Perez has walked multiple batters in five of his last six starts, and he hasn't struck out more than five in any of those games. For the season, he's at a 4.38 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 56:28 K:BB through 84.1 innings over 15 starts. He's lined up for a home start versus the Tigers next week.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Stuck with loss in quality start
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Perez (6-3) took the loss Friday, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings as the Rangers were downed 2-1 to the Blue Jays. He struck out three.
The veteran southpaw made only one real mistake, but Danny Jansen ripped it over the left-field wall in the fifth inning for a two-run shot. The quality start was Perez's sixth of the season, but he's also been prone to meltdowns lately, coughing up at least six runs in three of eight outings since the beginning of May -- a stretch in which he carries a 6.18 ERA. 1.58 WHIP and 28:17 K:BB through 43.2 innings. He'll try to avoid another collapse in his next start, likely to come next week on the road against the White Sox.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Lit up in Tampa
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Perez (6-2) allowed seven runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out two over 3.1 innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Rays.
The Rays did all of their damage against Perez, tallying just two hits after he exited the contest. This was the fourth time in his last seven outings that the veteran southpaw has given up at least four runs, including a pair of seven-spots. The loss was his first since April 8. Perez owns a 4.67 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 51:24 K:BB through 71.1 innings over 13 starts. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the Blue Jays.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Let down by bullpen in no-decision
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Perez allowed an unearned run on three hits and one walk over seven innings in a no-decision against St. Louis on Monday. He struck out five batters.
Perez tossed arguably his best game of the campaign, giving up a season-low three hits and tying a season high by completing seven frames. The only run he allowed was unearned, and he finished with his fifth quality start. The southpaw was in line for the win when he departed, but Grant Anderson gave up two runs in relief in the eighth inning, sending Perez to a no-decision. Despite that disappointment, Perez bounced back nicely after giving up six earned runs over 4.2 frames against Detroit his last time out.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Struggles in no-decision
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Perez did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings against Detroit. He struck out three.
It's the second time this year that Perez has failed to make it through five innings. The 32-year-old southpaw has struggled in May, pitching to a 6.91 ERA through five starts. On the season, Perez is 6-1 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 44:20 K:BB across 61innings. Perez will look to right the ship in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against the Cardinals.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Bounces back with solid win
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Perez (5-1) allowed two runs on seven hits through seven innings Friday, striking out seven and earning a win over Colorado.
Perez faced little trouble through five shutout frames before Colorado plated two runs on four hits in the sixth inning. He coughed up 11 runs over his previous two starts but bounced back with his fifth win over the year. Perez tied his season best with seven strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 4.01 through 49.1 innings. He's currently expected to start in Pittsburgh next week.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Turns in shaky outing
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Perez did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings against the Athletics. He struck out three.
Perez certainly improved on his last appearance, when he coughed up seven runs in 3.2 innings against the Angels. However, this still wasn't a great showing, and it was against a historically bad Athletics team (9-31). The southpaw has a generous 1.61 WHIP so far this year, but there is good reason to believe that he can turn it around. The 32-year-old veteran posted a 2.41 ERA across six starts in the month of April, so this could possibly be just a rough patch.
