Martin Perez is fired up.

Some good, some bad, some ugly from Week One.

Nomar Mazara was very good. So good, in fact, he was named A.L. Player of the Week. His nine RBIs lead the league. He has ten hits, and is using the entire field. This is the Mazara we saw last year early. Let’s hope he stays late this year.

Elvis Andrus had a very good week as well. He seemed to hit the ball hard every time. Batting ninth has worked wonders for him.

Rougned Odor has three home runs and only one error.

Perhaps the biggest surprise on offense is Joey Gallo. He once was lost, and now is found, was blind but now can see. He appears to be better at reading pitches and isn’t just swinging wildly at anything thrown his way. Since ninety-nine percent of this game is half mental, Gallo badly needed to get last season out of his head. Already he has four-times more hits this season. It will be interesting to see what the Rangers do with him in the event Adrian Beltre comes off the DL.

Another early surprise is Martin Perez, the one starter who has been reliable, and so far the only one with a win. Hamels and Davish were less than impressive in their first starts each, Darvish much better in is second. Griffin could last only 3.1 innings. In fact, through the first six games, Rangers starters are averaging just five innings.

Which leads to the bad. The Rangers bullpen. A continuation of the bad we saw last season. Matt Bush hasn’t been as dominating as he was last year, and has yet to find his command, throwing way way way too many pitches. He, along with Jeremy Jeffress, Mike Hauschild, and Dario Alvarez have ERAs that look as ugly as a tux in a prom photo.

But nothing was as truly ugly as Sam Dyson’s first week. There might be kids reading this, so that will not be rehashed. Just know that, this team should be 4-2 instead of 2-4.

The first homestead is complete.The first two series of the season have been played. The Rangers got swept in one, won the other.

Texas heads to Los Angeles to begin a nine-game, three-city road trip, on a one-game winning streak, which matches their longest winning streak of the season.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Cole Hamels (0-0, 4.50) vs. Tyler Skaggs (0-1, 8.44)
Game time: 9:07

How the Rangers hit against Skaggs.
How the Angels hit against Hamels.