Rangers Offense Comes Alive at Athletics
Martín Pérez continued to build a case for a contract extension with the Texas Rangers as he started the 11-8 win at the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
Pérez (8-2) benefited from the offensive explosion, as the Rangers (43-51) shook off two consecutive poor offensive outings by clobbering Athletics starter Paul Blackburn (6-6) and the bullpen for 16 hits and two home runs.
Texas is 2-2 on its current 10-game road trip.
It was more than enough for Pérez, who started the game with four shutout innings and limited the Athletics (35-63) to four hits before he left after the seventh inning. But it was much needed offense for the Rangers bullpen, which gave up seven runs in the final two innings between Garrett Richards, Jose Leclerc and Brett Martin.
Adolis García set a new career high with four hits, while Jonah Heim and Leody Taveras each matched career highs with three hits. Eight different Rangers had at least one RBI, the most for Texas since Sept. 2, 2018, against Minnesota, and the most in any road game since Aug. 5, 2014, at the Chicago White Sox.
"It was huge," Heim told Bally Sports Southwest after the game. "We had to come out strong and quick out of the gate and give Martín some room to work with."
Given the bullpen’s struggles on Saturday, a long outing by Pérez and a huge Rangers offensive showing was just what the club needed.
Pérez gave up one run, walked three and struck out six as he continued his role as the Rangers’ streak stopper this season. He also gave the Rangers more food for thought about his future in Texas.
"He was great," Heim said. "The run was my fault. He was outstanding. All of his pitches were working. He’s been a horse for us."
Pérez is pitching on a one-year, $4 million contract. He just made his first All-Star Game appearance and threw a scoreless inning for the American League on Tuesday. The Rangers have publicly said they’re open to an extension for Pérez, who started his career with Texas and returned to the franchise after three seasons in Boston and Minnesota from 2019-21.
His performance and contract is also enticing to contending teams, who may be looking for a starting left-hander at the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Pérez is probably the Rangers’ most significant trade commodity running up to the deadline, if they decide to go that route.
But given that Pérez and Jon Gray are the only two veteran starters in the rotation, and the rest of the rotation’s youth and inconsistency, the Rangers might be more inclined to see if they can hang on to Pérez.
García and shortstop Corey Seager each homered. García finished 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Taveras finished 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
Heim went 3-for-4 with one RBI and three runs. He had three doubles, which matched a club record as the 35th time in Rangers history a player did so in a game. It was the first time since former Rangers and current Athletics shortstop Elvis Andrus did it on Aug. 4, 2017, against Minnesota. Heim became just the second Rangers catcher to do it. Rod Barajas did it against the Chicago White Sox on July 20, 2004.
"I was trying to keep it simple," Heim said. "I was looking for good pitches and working the plate. I was just trying to hit it hard. I didn’t know that would have been a record."
Kole Calhoun had two hits and drove in two runs, the only other Ranger with multiple runs driven in on Sunday.
Richards gave up four runs in the eighth before Leclerc came in to record the final two outs, with a big assist from third baseman Josh Smith, who made a running grab along the baseline to end the inning with two runners on base. It was the second terrific catch he’s made in consecutive games. Brett Martin gave up back-to-back-to-back solo home runs in the ninth in his first appearance since before the All-Star Break.
The Rangers continue their road trip with three games in Seattle starting on Monday night. The Rangers expect to start Glenn Otto on Monday. On Tuesday, the Rangers have projected Dane Dunning as the starter, who is currently on the injured list but is eligible to come off that day. Gray is the expected starter for Wednesday’s finale. The Mariners swept the Rangers in four games at Globe Life Field before the All-Star Break.
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