Martin Perez almost was named American League Pitcher of the Month.
His campaign for the honor in May if off to – ahem – rocky start.
After going 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA and a 26-inning scoreless streak in the season’s first month, the Rangers’ lefty has suddenly stumbled. In his previous start last week against Oakland he didn’t make it out of the 5th inning. And last night in the thinnest air and against the biggest bats in baseball he was beaten and bludgeoned by the Rockies, 8-2.
Perez, who had back-to-back shutouts just a blink ago, now has surrendered 13 runs in his last two trips to the mound. And against the high-powered Rockies at high-altitude Coors Field, he allowed his first two homers of the season.
I don’t think it’s time to sound any alarms or even remember where the Perez panic button is located. Looked to me like he made some decent pitches down in the strike zone, but Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado reached out and hit fly balls that carried and floated and carried some more to somehow clear the wall.
Perez is probably not as good as his April start, nor his 7-0 road record dating back to last August. But he’s also not as bad as the Rockies made him look last night.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
