BOSTON -- Martín Pérez has emerged as the last man standing in the Red Sox’s tattered starting rotation.
Chris Sale? Out for the season due to Tommy John surgery. Eduardo Rodriguez? He also won’t throw a pitch in 2020 due to myocarditis. Nathan Eovaldi? Currently on the injured list with a right calf injury that has been slow to recover.
Pérez, originally signed to be Boston’s No. 5 starter, has been the one pitcher who has taken his turn every time through the rotation -- though this time, it was a day late due to a blister.
For a while Thursday, it appeared Pérez could be on the verge of a career night. Though the veteran left-hander lost a no-hit bid to lead off the seventh inning, he gave the Red Sox the comfort of a strong start (one run allowed on three hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts), albeit on a night Boston lost to Toronto, 6-2, in 10 innings.
“I mean, I was focused, man,” Pérez said. “I didn’t really think I was throwing a no-hitter. I was just going pitch by pitch, one hitter at a time. That was a great performance for me tonight.”
When Pérez left with two outs in the seventh, the Red Sox held a 2-1 lead. Austin Brice and Ryan Brasier allowed the Blue Jays to tie it in the eighth, as Cavan Biggio scored the tying run on a Brasier wild pitch. And Phillips Valdez, one of the biggest bright spots for Boston this season, gave up a go-ahead three-run homer to Teoscar Hernández with one out in the 10th and a solo home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. two batters later.
It was frustrating for the Red Sox to waste such a strong pitching performance.
“Outstanding,” Boston manager Ron Roenicke said of Pérez. “To have them hitless for that long was a great job, and he commanded the ball really well -- fastballs on both sides of the plate, changeup was outstanding and the breaking ball was good. That little cutter he throws, he pitched great. Just a shame we didn’t get him a win.”
Meanwhile, Pérez showed no ill effects from his blister, as he was sharp from the outset. This marked the sixth time in eight starts that he’s given up three or fewer runs.
Until Eovaldi comes back, the other four spots in the Red Sox's rotation will continue to consist of openers, because they don’t have anyone established enough to pitch deep into games. It is a tough way to win, which explains in large part why Boston is 12-26 with 22 games remaining in the regular season.
But give Pérez credit for being the rare steady hand.
“But I don’t think that way,” Pérez said. “The situation and what happened with the starters here, we’ll have Eovaldi, he’s going to be back soon. If I’m the only one right now, I’m just going to go out there and fight for my team and give my best.”
Against the Blue Jays, Pérez was clearly at his best. His changeup was particularly effective, generating nine of the 12 swing-and-misses he induced on the night.
“I was always on top of the ball, especially with my changeup,” Pérez said. “I was able to have extension, which you really need with that pitch. I tell myself that I need to throw that pitch from my eyes. That’s what happened tonight.”
Pérez will likely take his next turn on Tuesday at Philadelphia. Until then, the Red Sox will do their best to make it through with bullpen games.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on [myself], on my back,” Pérez said. “I’m just trying to come here, do my job, do my routine and be ready every fifth day. It’s not time to [be like], ‘OK, we’re done.’ We just need to finish strong. We’re not playing the way we’re supposed to play, but we just control what we can control.”