Rangers, Perez done in by Cubs’ big sixth

Compared to how Texas Rangers starting pitchers had fared in the nine games leading to the All-Star break, left-hander Martin Perez was cruising Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Five innings, two hits, one run, 66 pitches. Someone alert the American League Cy Young voters.

Perez returned for the sixth inning, a place where no Rangers starter had been since July 1 as Perez worked seven innings at Minnesota.

But the sixth — and a third time through the Chicago Cubs’ lineup — proved to be an inning too far, and the Rangers’ pitching woes were extended for another game in a 6-0 loss to open baseball’s second half.

Manager Jeff Banister, though, said that Perez didn’t pitch as poorly as his final line and the sixth inning might indicate.

“I thought Martin had good stuff tonight. We couldn’t help him out,” Banister said. “Even in the sixth inning I felt like he had good stuff. “

The offense didn’t exactly shine coming out of the All-Star break, as former Rangers prospect Kyle Hendricks, among the ERA leaders in the National League, allowed only three singles in six scoreless innings. The Rangers had five hits overall.

The defense had two chances to help out Perez in the fateful sixth, but Nomar Mazara didn’t make a catch on an Anthony Rizzo drive to the wall, and Prince Fielder uncorked a wild throw with a runner hung up between third base and home.

Perez had surrendered only one run on two hits through five innings. The Cubs’ first run came in the second on a two-out single by Javier Baez to plate Addison Russell, who doubled with one out.

Kris Bryant, though, opened the sixth with a single. Rizzo followed with a double off the ivy in right-center field that eluded the outstretched glove of Mazara, and he and Bryant scored two batters later on a single by Russell.

“It looked like it was just to the right of his glove,” Banister said of Mazara’a attempt at Rizzo’s drive. “It’s a new ballpark to him. We’ve seen him make catches like that.”

The throwing error to third by Fielder, playing first base to accommodate NL rules, allowed another run to score before Perez finally recorded two outs. But he didn’t get a third as Matt Szczur, a right-handed pinch-hitter, delivered a two-run single to end the lefty’s day.

Afterward, Perez wasn’t too upset with his performance or how things came undone in the sixth.

“I know the guys try to help me all the time, and that’s just part of the game,” Perez said. “Just Rizzo hit the ball hard, but I think I did a great job today.”

Right-hander Tony Barnette was warm for the Rangers and could have faced Szczur, but not making the move turned out to be moot with the offense tied up. After Hendricks pitched, the Cubs used four relievers to finish off the shutout.

Three of the four relievers and four of the five Cubs’ pitchers pitched for the Rangers or were Rangers prospects dealt away at the trade deadline. Hendricks, included in the 2012 trade-deadline deal for Ryan Dempster, has always been a strike thrower but wasn’t as highly regarded at the time as other Rangers prospects.

“There’s always risk,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “We thought he had a chance. I didn’t know he’d do this. I wouldn’t have put him in the deal.”

Hendricks wasn’t overpowering, but he used the command of his sinker and a good changeup to keep the Rangers off-balance. He did his best pitching in the first inning after Rougned Odor reached third with one out.

But Hendricks used the changeup to tie up Mazara for a strikeout, and Fielder grounded out two batters later to end threat. The Rangers didn’t threaten again until it was far too late.

The Rangers have lost eight of their past 10 games. The blame for Friday, though, shouldn’t all fall on Perez.

“Martin had good stuff tonight,” Banister said. “We just couldn’t help him out.”　　

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Rangers, Perez done in by Cubs’ big sixth."