Safe at home: Rangers’ Martin Perez continues strong play at Globe Life Field vs. Detroit
Martin Perez #MartinPerez
ARLINGTON — Maybe he’s just a homebody.
The numbers certainly support it.
Rangers starting pitcher Martin Perez, this season at least, has done his best work at Globe Life Field. Just look at the splits: a 1.91 ERA in six home starts (37.2 innings pitched) with an opponent batting average of .225. On the road? A 5.98 ERA in 10 starts (52.2 innings pitched) and a .312 opponent batting average.
The trend was reinforced Tuesday night. In Texas’ 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, Perez pitched six innings, gave up two earned runs on four hits and clinched his fifth-straight quality start at home. He didn’t qualify for a decision but gave the Rangers enough time and breathing room to settle in vs. Detroit starter Matt Manning.
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“I think the fans [help me at home],” Perez said. “I don’t know, I feel comfortable here. I like the feel in this ballpark. I don’t know, I’m trying to have the same approach everywhere we go, but here at home, it’s something where I can feel the people.”
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Perez gave up all four of his hits in the second inning when Javier Baez, Jonathan Schoop, Miguel Cabrera and Tyler Nevin rattled off four-straight singles with no outs to plate two runs. Perez struck out Jake Rogers and induced a Jake Marisnick double play to end the inning and strand Cabrera and Nevin on base.
After that? Four-straight scoreless innings.
“He’s been really good at home here,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He got knicked around there, he gave up two runs and they threw out some good at bats off him. But the stuff, it picked up. The command picked up as he went, and that’s kind of been his thing.”
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