September 28, 2022 - Game 154
W - George Kirby (8-4)
L - Martín Pérez (12-7)
S- Paul Sewald (20)
HR: None
Time of Game: 2:34
Game Recap
After the Rangers handled the Mariners on Tuesday, Texas tried for an encore on Wednesday. Texas faced off against the Mariners' youngster, George Kirby, to oppose Martín Pérez. Wednesday was Martín's fourth start in 2022 against the Seattle Mariners. Pérez mentioned in his last time against the Mariners that he didn't want the Seattle lineup to feel comfortable. In that August 14th start, two unearned runs scored against Pérez, but Martín hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of the three starts this season against Seattle. Wednesday was also George Kirby's fourth start against the Rangers in 2022. He, like Martín, hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of the starts against Texas.
It was a long first inning for both teams. Josh Jung delivered again with a runner at second and two outs with an RBI single, putting the Rangers up 1-0. In the bottom half of the first, the first three Mariners reached against Pérez. Eugenio Suárez doubled home, Dylan Moore, to even the game at one. Following that, Mitch Haniger hit a fly out to center field, scoring Ty France and giving Seattle a 2-1 lead. Bubba Thompson and Marcus Semien each singled to start the third, but the Rangers couldn't get either one home against Kirby and even the game up. Like the first, Seattle had the first three reach. Carlos Santana grounded out to Josh Smith, scoring France and extending the Mariners' lead to 3-1. The good news was Martín got Sam Haggerty and JP Crawford to fly out to keep the game close for the Rangers.
In the next four innings, both pitching staffs faced the minimum allowing one base hit. Then, the Rangers and Mariners each turned a double play, erasing the runner who reached on a hit. In the eighth, the Mariners walked twice posing the lone threat from both sides since the third. Carlos Santana struck out and Haggerty lined out to end the threat. The Rangers went down quietly in the ninth and most of the night to end a quick Wednesday. "Runs were at a premium tonight," Tony Beasley said. "It was kind of one of those nights where not a lot of offense and good pitching on both sides."
Martín Pérez finished the night going seven innings in what seemed like an impossible task. Pérez struggled with command in the first three innings, but in the final four innings, he faced the minimum with one hit allowed. On the night, Martín allowed five hits, three runs, three walks, and three strikeouts. "Martín did a great job," Beasley said. "The leadoff batter hurt him, he got him 0-2 and ended up walking him and ended up scoring two in the first off of that. I thought he did a good job in the third with bases loaded nobody out and only gave up one, really minimizing the damage. He was outstanding and gave us seven strong innings." Joe Barlow entered on his twenty-seventh birthday. Barlow walked two and struck out one in his lone inning of work Wednesday to close a brief pitching line for the Rangers.
Postgame Notes
Martín Pérez has gone twenty-nine straight starts going five or more innings. Wednesday was Pérez's twenty-second quality start of the season.
In four starts against the Rangers, George Kirby has a 1.99 ERA (five earned runs in 22.2 innings) and sixteen strikeouts.
Josh Jung has driven in all six runs in this series for the Rangers.
Wednesday was the ninth time Martín Pérez threw one hundred or more pitches in a start. He threw thirty in the first inning and seventy-two in the other six (twenty-six in the third).
Marcus Semien has reached in twenty-two of twenty-six games in September.
Nathaniel Lowe has twenty-one extra-base hits in two-hundred and two at-bats in August and September.
Jonah Heim is 2 for his last 20.
The Rangers finished the night 1 for 20 against Seattle pitching
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