Martin Perez: 'I'm not a [freaking] little kid anymore'

Rangers left-hander Martin Perez is tired of hearing it. And he'd love nothing more than to nip the persistent narrative that has lingered throughout his career.

In short, the theory goes that Perez is easily rattled on the mound when a game goes sideways.

Perhaps that was the case in his younger days, said Perez, who starts the series finale Sunday against the Mariners at Globe Life Park. But that's not the issue anymore.

It wasn't the problem when he allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits in four innings against the Rays last week. Perez (1-2, 13.14 ERA) thinks his arm slot got out of whack in his last two starts, which had him throw more three-quarters instead of a more over the top delivery.

"I'm not a [freaking] little kid anymore," said Perez, who preferred to not hide his contempt for the characterization. "You grow up and I think I’ve grown up. Right now I’m where I want to be. If they want to continue to say that [stuff] I don’t give a [darn]."

Rangers manager Jeff Banister said the narrative, fair or not, comes from how "fierce of a competitor" Perez is on the diamond.

"Fierce competitors love to be in the fight. They want to be the contributing factor," Banister said. "Sometimes you have to take a step back and allow yourself to relax and compete the way you’re designed to compete."

It's about competing "as your authentic self," Banister said, not as someone altered by the moments in a game.

Perez was surprised how freely he was knocked around by a struggling Rays' offense. He thinks the arm angle was giving hitters a better view of his pitches.

"They could find the pitch," he said. "The last two starts they hit the ball too easy to me. I’d never seen that before."

Perez thinks he fixed the issue during his Friday bullpen session.

"I started feeling good things on my delivery. Got back to where I was before," he said. "I’ve been in this situation before, last year especially, and came back and won seven in a row."

Perez said he's never been one for excuses, and he's typically handled rough outings with honesty and bluntness. Just don't accuse him of letting his emotions throw him off anymore.

"I think people change," he said. "I’m a man. I’m not a little kid anymore. I need to start doing my job."

This story was originally published April 21, 2018 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Martin Perez: 'I'm not a [freaking] little kid anymore'."