While Derek Holland is pitching on Tuesday night to open a three-game home series against the best lineup in baseball, Martin Perez will be in the dugout watching.
Perez was in line to start Tuesday, but the Rangers decided to skip the young lefty in the rotation and give him an extended break after his last start on Thursday when he took a 4-0 loss to the Tigers before the Rangers went on to win the next three games in Motown.
It's a wise move for the Rangers, who can give Perez an extended breather with the thought being he's still just a month or so back from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for 14 months.
While Perez is getting an extended rest, everyone else will fall in line on schedule thanks to Monday's off day. That means eight starts remaining for Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Yovani Gallardo and Cole Hamels and seven more for Perez, assuming everyone stays healthy of course.
Since his return, Perez is 1-3 with a 5.30 ERA and he's been highly inconsistent -- not surprising given his return from Tommy John surgery. He has three quality starts in his seven starts, and another start that saw him last just one inning.
