Perez looking to bounce back.


Martin Perez is looking to bounce back against the last-place Rockies tonight at The Shed.

The bullpen is rocky. Martin Perez’s last two starts have been rocky. And the last-place Rockies are in town for three games.

Let’s hope the bullpen and Perez get things straightened out. 

Last outing, Perez gave up four runs in five innings against Oakland in a game the bullpen collapsed into a 7-6 loss. The outing before, he gave up seven runs in 3.2 innings in a game the Rangers bats bailed him out with a 16-8 slugfest against Los Angeles. He had been very good up to that point, though. He came into that Angels start with a 2.41 ERA and looked like the Martin Perez from last year’s magical season.

The 2022 version of Martin Perez came out of nowhere. He ended the season 12-8 with a squeaky clean 2.89 ERA, made the All-Star team for the first time, and was the ace the Rangers rotation after starting the season as their projected number five starter.

With Eovaldi and the occasional deGrom starts, Perez doesn’t have to carry the staff on his shoulders anymore. He’s facing a Rockies team that, away from Coors Field, is third worst in hitting in the National League, with the second fewest home runs. 

It’s not enough for him to regain his rhythm, he’s going to have to go deep into the game to prevent as many bullpen innings as possible. There’s disaster in every arm that comes out of the bullpen.

Here’s hoping Perez has a long, successful night. The Rangers could sure use it.

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