Perez impresses, makes strides on mound

ARLINGTON -- Martin Perez will make the 30th start of his Major League career on Friday against the White Sox.

That's just about one full big league season worth of starts -- Perez made six in 2012 and 20 more in 2013 as he won the Rangers' Rookie of the Year Award.

The Rangers are seeing improvement in Perez everywhere, and it's shown up in his first three starts this season -- Perez is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He's racked up nine double-play balls in his last two starts.

"His demeanor. The way he continues to attack hitters," manager Ron Washington said. "The adjustments he makes throughout innings. Those are the keys to success for a pitcher, besides the fact that he has good stuff."

Perez's experience drawn off of last year -- he started the Wild Card Game against Tampa Bay -- has helped him. The Rangers are 15-8 in Perez's start since the start of the 2013 season.

"He's in familiar territory now because he's had some success," Washington said. "He does a good job of learning how to study. And more than the study part of it, he's doing a good job of applying it. That's the one thing that sometimes is difficult, is applying it. He's applying it. That's the sign of maturity right there.

"He's learning how to do it pitch by pitch, inning by inning and game by game. That must continue."