After last night’s 5-0 loss to Houston, Texas manager Jeff Banister said of Martin Perez, “he is extremely close.” To what? The record for most losses on the road in a season?

Last season Houston Astros ace left-hander Dallas Keuchel was a phenomenal 15-0 at home, with an ERA of 1.46, which is why he won the American League Cy Young Award.

This season Texas Rangers left-hander Martin Perez was 1-6 on the road with an ERA of 5.95 (this after going 0-5 with an ERA of 4.81 on the road last season).

Unfortunately, 2015 Dallas Keuchel met 2016 Martin Perez. And the Rangers lost 5-0 in the first of three games in Houston.

It was a typical 2015 Keuchel game. Seven strikeouts. Just three hits, two of them in the first inning. After that, he was lights out.

It was typical road Martin Perez. One bad inning. Last night it was a four-run third. His last road start in Los Angeles, it was a four-run first. Before that, a five-run sixth in Chicago, a five-run second in Boston (surrounded by a two-run first, second and fourth in his ugliest start of the year), a three-run first in Oakland, and the list goes on and on and on and on.

It’s like Russian roulette whenever Perez pitches. Which inning is the bullet going to go off?

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Lucas Harrell (3-2, 3.57) vs. Doug Fister (10-7, 3.56)
Game time: 6:10 pm

How the Rangers hit against Fister.
How the Astros hit against Harrell.