Martin Perez was shipped back to Triple-A Round Rock as soon as the Texas Rangers' doubleheader in Arizona ended on Monday, which wasn't much of a surprise.
After being the leading candidate to win the No. 5 starter's gig out of spring training and seeing his spring come to a premature end with a fractured forearm, Perez is trying to work his way back into the fold of the Rangers' pitching staff.
With the Rangers' bullpen worked to the bone following Sunday's 13-inning loss and heading into Monday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, Perez was called up to make the start in Game 1 of the split doubleheader on Monday using the loophole that allows a team to have a 26th player on the roster for a doubleheader.
Perez had one job on Monday, and that was to not get knocked out of the game early and give his team a chance to win while going five or six innings.
After a bad start when Perez got knocked around pretty well, Perez settled in and ended up lasting nearly six innings in his 2013 big-league debut, going 5 1/3 innings and helping Ron Washington limit his bullpen usage to just two relievers.
"He got us into the sixth inning. It would have been great if he got through six, but he got into the sixth and kept us in the ballgame," Washington told reporters after Monday's game. "He saved our bullpen by going as deep as he did."
