Texas left-hander Martin Perez won’t be on the mound to start any
of the Rangers’ three games this weekend against the Minnesota
Twins.
If fact, Perez is likely to have started his last game in a Rangers
uniform after the team told him he will pitch out of the bullpen
for the final month of the season and that it did not plan to pick
up his option for 2019.
The Twins will send left-hander Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 11.37 ERA)
to the mound for the series opener on Friday at Globe Life Park in
Arlington, Texas. The Rangers will counter with right-hander Drew
Hutchinson (2-2, 6.52).
The Rangers were looking for an improved season from Perez after he
finished strong in 2017, when he won a career-high 13 games. But he
suffered a right elbow injury in an offseason accident at his ranch
in Venezuela and was 2-3 with a 9.67 ERA in five starts in April.
Perez was then placed on the disabled list with more problems in
the right arm. Since being activated on July 14, he is 0-3 with a
5.68 ERA in eight starts.
The Rangers told Perez of their decision in a meeting after a 3-1
loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, Texas’ fourth
straight setback.
“It surprised me,” Perez said. “I understand, you know, the way
I’ve been pitching. I can’t get mad. But 100 percent I wasn’t
waiting for that. That surprised me.
“Tough year for me — surgery, the ups and downs — and that’s when
you need to have your mind strong and fight with the bad result
that you have after the games and during the game. It’s just part
of the game, man.”
Minnesota heads to Texas after a 5-3 loss in Cleveland on Thursday
afternoon, in the process dropping a three-game series to the
Indians.
Twins open a weekend series in Texas starting Friday
The Twins have now lost three straight series and head to Texas a
season-high-tying 14 games behind Cleveland in the American League
Central standings.
Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario left Thursday’s game in the fifth
inning with a right quad strain he sustained while running to first
base in the fourth.
“We’ll probably find out tomorrow what we’re looking at,” Twins
manager Paul Molitor said. “I would imagine he’s not going to play
in Texas. He said it was on the last step.”
The 26-year-old Rosario has been Minnesota’s best all-around player
this year, hitting .292 with 22 homers, 31 doubles and 74 RBIs in
130 games.
Rosario told MLB.com that he’d never experienced a similar injury.
“I feel in pain,” Rosario said. “It just felt like I pulled my
muscle. I was trying to play through it, but the pain is there.”
Gonsalves is making his third career start and first against Texas.
He suffered the loss in his last start on Aug. 25 at home against
Oakland after allowing four runs, seven hits and four walks with
two strikeouts in five innings.
Gonsalves began the season in Double-A Chattanooga, where he went
3-0 in four starts with a 1.77 ERA. At Triple-A Rochester, was 9-3
with a 2.96 ERA with 55 walks and 95 strikeouts.
Hutchison will make his fifth start for Texas. He is 1-1 with an
8.83 ERA in four starts and opponents are hitting .329 in that
span. He is 2-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts against the Twins,
but will be facing them for the first time since 2015.
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