Rangers give Game 3 start to Perez
The 25-man roster the Texas Rangers turned in Thursday morning for the American League Division Series didn’t have many surprises, but their choice to start Game 3 was a surprise.
Martin Perez will start Sunday at Globe Life Park, not fellow left-hander Derek Holland or veteran right-hander Colby Lewis. Perez was the choice because of how he pitched to close the regular season and because of his knack for producing ground balls.
“Plus, the opportunity to have another couple of veteran arms available to us here early on in the bullpen if we need him,” manager Jeff Banister said. “Look, we like all five of our starters. We can feel good about any of them posting up for us.”
Holland and Lewis were in the bullpen behind Game 1 starter Yovani Gallardo and are candidates to start Game 4. That will be announced at some point after Game 2, possibly Saturday during the workout day.
Perez allowed only one earned run over 13 innings of his final two starts, and has been a better pitcher at home (3-1, 4.04 ERA) than on the road (0-5, 4.81).
Perez said that he wasn’t surprised to get the start, and is already aware of the fact that Game 3 is a sellout. He also knows that the key to beating Toronto is to limit base runners and keep the ball down.
It’s a victory for Perez, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2014 and didn’t return until the first game of the second half.
“It’s special for me after surgery and after a year and two months working on my arm,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Chi Chi Gonzalez found his way onto the roster as the Rangers went with another right-hander against the righty-heavy Blue Jays lineup. With Jake Diekman and Holland in the bullpen, lefties Sam Freeman and Andrew Faulkner were left off the roster.
Gonzalez is another pitcher who sinks the ball and keeps hitters on the ground.
“I’m excited about it,” said Gonzalez, a rookie who started a game at Rogers Centre in June. “If I get a chance to pitch here in this series and in these two games, just keep the ball down and trust in myself.”
Hamels ‘all out’
Left-hander Cole Hamels will start Game 2 on Friday for the Rangers, and he will take to the mound a reputation as a postseason ace.
That’s what happens when a pitcher is the MVP of the championship series and World Series in the same season, as Hamels did in 2008 for Philadelphia.
After 13 postseason starts, Hamels has learned that the playoffs are about maximum effort, maximum focus, maximum everything.
This is the reason we play baseball. No matter what team we play for, we want to be able to play in front of a high octane crowd and this is what Toronto offers.
Cole Hamels on Game 2 at Rogers Centre
“I think the postseason’s where it’s at,” Hamels said. “This is what we trained for. Especially myself, these are the moments that I enjoy the most, so I think in order to get here you do have to have a sense of focus.
“But then when you’re here, you try to lay it all out on the line because sometimes you don’t get that second chance. There might not be tomorrow. And if there is not tomorrow, you’ve got a lot more months to think about it.”
The Rangers might have caught a glance of the all-out approach Sunday as Hamels overcame a two-run homer in the first inning and a double in the second before no-hitting Los Angeles over the final seven innings to lead the Rangers to the American League West title.
He threw 108 pitches and will be working on normal rest against the Blue Jays.
“I think you’re definitely putting everything that you’ve learned throughout the season physically and mentally into the game at the time,” Hamels said. “And you do, you seem to enjoy it. When you’re not holding back, you’re giving everything you have, it’s kind of what you’ve been able to become all season.”
Jeff Wilson: 817-390-7760, @JeffWilson_FWST
This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Rangers give Game 3 start to Perez."