Rangers notes: Banister thinking long term in decision to pull Perez at 80 pitches Sunday

Rangers manager Jeff Banister was still in a feisty mood a day after he heard his first boos from the Globe Life Park crowd. They didn’t like it when Banister pulled starter Martin Perez after a double with one out in the ninth. It was just the second hit he’d allowed and first out of the infield in 80 pitches.

But Banister was more concerned about Perez’s fatigue, considering it was just his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. In fact, Banister said, he was prepared to replace Perez during the eighth if the Giants had mounted any threat. Instead, Perez sailed through a 1-2-3 eighth and had the first out in the ninth before Banister made the move.

“I was not going to let that young man walk off the field with anything other than the success he had to that point,” Banister said. “Because that’s important for him going forward, that’s important for us going forward for the long term.”

Indeed, Banister said his decision came down to Perez’s mental and physical well-being. Perez respected Banister’s decision but prefered to finish the game.

“I’m never going to get upset with a player who is passionate about competing, ever,” Banister said. “That’s what gets you up in the morning.”

The intense reaction from fans on hand and on social media, which almost exclusively disagreed with the decision to take Perez out, was not lost on Banister.

“Apparently, a lot people thought it was an easy decision,” he said. “You need to understand and educate yourself on why, where and how and how to take care of the arm and who it is, and we are taking care of that young man for a long period of time. And not just the short term. We can all get selfish on the short term.”

Banister acknowledged he would have had a longer leash on Perez if the Rangers had more than a 2-0 lead. After the Giants cut it to 2-1 with a run in the ninth, reliever Sam Dyson induced a game-ending double play.

“We’d all been happy if we had sent him back out there and maybe he would’ve finished it. Maybe he would have,” Banister said. “We all would’ve been happy. If he doesn’t, guess who feels like he got kicked in the [gut]? Him.”

Banister wasn’t bothered by fans who booed him for the first time while he made the move on the mound. In fact, it fired him up.

“I’m glad our fans are emotional. I love that part about our fans, that they want to see greatness, because I want to see it too,” he said. “But also there needs to be a time when we need to be prudent on how we take care of the guys we have for the long term.”

Corporan sore

Rehabbing catcher Carlos Corporan (sprained left thumb) caught seven innings Monday for Triple A Round Rock after resting on Sunday. It’s his third game with the Express.

Swinging has remained the biggest issue for Corporan, who has been out since July 13. The club wants him to play a full nine innings and catch consecutive games again (he did it Friday and Saturday) before activating him. “There’s still some milestones he has to cross off,” Banister said. “He was down a little longer than we expected him to be down. We’re looking for him to be in good shape and the hand feeling good. We don’t want to have a setback and have to shut him down for two or three days.”

Snapping the string

Right-hander Yovani Gallardo is looking to snap a string of three bad starts Tuesday against the Astros. In his past three starts Gallardo has allowed 15 runs in 14 combined innings. The run followed 10 consecutive quality starts from late May through mid-July. Trade deadline distractions weren’t the issue on the mound, he insisted, but with that in the past he’ll be pitching without rumors in the air for the first time in two weeks.

“I was just falling behind guys,” said Gallardo, who allowed five runs in six innings on Thursday. “I made some good pitches and unfortunately they got hit. If I’m able to throw the same pitches consistently I’ll get more outs than get hits.”

Gallardo even reviewed a couple home run pitches against the Yankees and was surprised how much better the location was then he thought.

“They were where you want to throw a fastball, down in the zone at the knees on the outside corner,” he said. “Sometimes you just get beat.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Rangers notes: Banister thinking long term in decision to pull Perez at 80 pitches Sunday."