ANAHEIM -- “We feel like we’re gonna win every time Martín pitches,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said earnestly on Friday afternoon ahead of a matchup with the Angels.
There's good reason to believe that, as Martín Pérez delivered yet another quality start in the Rangers' 7-2 win over the Halos at Angel Stadium. The lefty allowed just one run on three hits and two walks, with six strikeouts, to help Texas log back-to-back wins for the first time since July 8-9.
Pérez extended his career-high win streak to nine games over his last 15 starts. It's the longest such streak by a Rangers pitcher since Cole Hamels won a club-record 12 straight over 18 games between the 2015-16 seasons. Pérez is also undefeated in a career-best 18 straight starts after opening the season 0-2.
“Ask any human being in that locker [room] or in this organization, when he's on the mound right now, they believe we're gonna win,” Woodward said after the game. “He’s special. It's just fun to watch a guy that’s locked in. Every night, he’s confident, believes in what he's doing out there. All year, we’ve seen him stay in the moment and execute pitches. He doesn't seem to get bothered by much right now. He's just so fun to watch.”
Pérez was perfect through 4 1/3 innings before allowing a double to Jo Adell, who was left stranded after a groundout and a flyout to keep the game scoreless heading into the sixth.
Early on, it seemed like a perfect game or a no-hitter could be in play for Pérez, or even a "Maddux" after the first hit, but his pitch count rose as Angels hitters battled in his last few frames.
Things got rocky for Pérez toward the end of his outing after a leadoff walk to Adell in the seventh. But Pérez locked in like he has for much of the season and got Jared Walsh to strike out looking before inducing a grounder off the bat of Kurt Suzuki. Pérez capped the frame by getting Phil Gosselin to strike out looking on a 92 mph cutter framed perfectly by Jonah Heim.
“It’s what he's done all year,” said Angels interim manager Phil Nevin. “He's an All-Star. He's somebody that's really turned his career around lately. He's always been a good pitcher, but to take that next step ... I mean, I've seen him in Minnesota and Boston. His confidence on the mound, it's good stuff. That's why he's an All-Star and he took care of us tonight pretty well.”
Though it was yet another brilliant start for Pérez, Tuesday's Trade Deadline looms large over his future with reports of multiple teams inquiring about his availability.
When the southpaw signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Texas in March, it was a homecoming for Pérez, who signed with the Rangers in 2007 as an international free agent out of Venezuela and spent the first seven years of his big league career with the club.
But nobody could have predicted just how well the move would turn out. An All-Star appearance, a sparkling 9-2 record, and 2.52 ERA -- Pérez has emerged as the anchor of the Rangers’ rotation.
Pérez has been open all season about what it’s meant for him to have a resurgent season with the club that signed him, and he’s been just as open about his desire to stay and help build a winning organization in Texas.
“Yeah, [I want to stay],” Pérez said. “They know that, and it's not a secret. It's always a good feeling when you get to come back home. I want to be part of this organization for the end my career. But like I said, the only thing that I can control is to come here and do my job.
“You know what, I'm not thinking. Every time I go to my room, I just try to get to sleep and wake up the next day. I’m not paying attention too much. Because, like I said, [it's] something that is not in my hands. I don't have the power to make the decision.”
Pérez may not have the power to make the decision, but his desire to stay is clear -- and Woodward is right there beside him.
“I’m not just pounding the table, I’m throwing the table up into whatever is more aggressive, then pounding the table [to get him to stay],” Woodward said. “Hopefully he's a Ranger for this year. And hopefully we're smart enough to keep him beyond that. I think his ability to impact this organization is so important.
“For everything that he's done, it would hurt a lot [to trade him]. Not only myself but everybody in there.”