Tuesday newsletter time: Martin Perez didn’t attract attention he deserved in April

(AP photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

The Rangers signed three high-strikeout free-agent starting pitchers in the offseason, and each one of them lived up to the billing at some point in April.

The Rangers also re-signed left-hander Martin Perez on the one-year qualifying offer. One reason he didn’t get a three- or four-year contact is because he doesn’t strikeout many hitters. There was also concern that his 2022 season was a flash in the pan.

Ultimately, what matters most is outs, no matter how they come. In April, Perez recorded them as well as any other Rangers starter.

He led the Rangers in wins (4) and  ERA (2.41), and was second to Eovaldi in innings (33 2/3). Perez’s 26 strikeouts were tied for third. He was more hittable (.286 opponents average) and had a higher WHIP (1.40) than he would prefer, and that might lead to the opinion that he was lucky.

What’s wrong with luck?

Perez is showing, as he did last season, that he knows how to pitch. He’s still keeping his cool. He looks like the 2022 Perez and he didn’t start making his All-Star push in earnest until May, when was the American League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with an 0.64 ERA.

Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.67 ERA, 45 strikeouts) had a case to be Rangers’ Pitcher of the Month for April … if the club selected one. But Perez had a case, too, just as he had a case in the offseason for a three- or four-year deal.

Happy anniversary

Monday was the 32nd anniversary of Nolan Ryan’s seventh and final no-hitter.

He threw it at age 44, at home against Toronto. The final out was a strikeout of Roberto Alomar, who accounted for three of Ryan’s 16 strikeouts. He and Ryan are in the Hall of Fame.

Watched it live with @kiesch23 at his apartment in Austin. https://t.co/pAJpblei7g

— Reid Ryan (@robertreidryan) May 1, 2023

The announced attendance was 33,439, though you’ll probably find three times as many who say there were there. Rangers Today’s John Moore swears he was there, in the left-field bleachers drinking away a spat with an ex-girlfriend.

Ryan is now 76 and says he can’t throw a ball 25 feet, the result of an ill-fated attempt to teach his grandkids how to skip rocks. He probably still got it past Alomar.

Or maybe it was the 5,386 innings he logged, and who knows how many pitches.

They don’t make them like Ryan anymore, and haven’t for a long time.

Rangers Today bidness

Running a website is quite a chore, it turns out. Just when something appears to be going right, it’s not right for everyone.

That brings us to Google Ads, which have started to appear on the website. I agree with those of you who say some of them have become a nuisance.

For now, we’re going to try turning off a couple varieties of the ads, including the super annoying vignette ads. That might take a bite out of the bottom line, but not as much as losing subscribers would.

We are also toying with making the website ad-free for paid subscribers. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, subscribe for $5.99 a month, $35 for six months or $60 for a year and be mindful of the invoices and instructions you get sent to renew your annual subscriptions. Keep liking and watching the Rangers Today Baseball Podcast on our YouTube channel, where you can subscribe for free.

While running the website is a chore, covering Rangers baseball continues to be lots of fun. It’s even more fun when they’re winning.

Doggy video!

Our dog Ginger, who sleeps 19 hours a day, dreams a lot. Enjoy.

Dogs checking in on their sleepy friend.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/Xg0qSWIVpl

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 1, 2023

Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com