May 4, 2022 - Game 24
W - Matt Bush (1-1)
L - Brad Hand (1-1)
S - Joe Barlow (3)
HR: None
Time of Game: 3:14
Cowboy Hat Winner: Brad Miller (3rd)
Game Recap
The Rangers looked to keep the momentum going Wednesday against the Phillies ace, Zack Wheeler. Instead, Texas turned to Martín Pérez, who looked like an ace in his last two starts. Both the Phillies and Rangers had their fair share of baserunners all game long, but both teams hit into six double plays on Wednesday (three each). Both the Rangers and Phillies had eight innings with at least one hitter reaching base. The Rangers' best chance came in the seventh when Zach Reks hit a bloop shot caught by Phillies' third baseman Alec Bohm. Adolis García tried to score, but Bohm threw García out at the plate. The Phillies' best opportunity came when Nick Castellanos hit a shot to right field in the sixth. It was ruled a home run, but replay showed a fan reached over, and instant replay overturned the call to a double where Pérez got Bryce Harper to fly out to end the inning unscored upon.
Brad Miller came up clutch against his former team in the tenth inning. Miller spent 2019 and 2021 with the Phillies, where he hit thirty-two homers, .236 average, and 507 at-bats. Eli White stole second after running for Mitch Garver, which aided the second run on the bloop single to right field. "It's predictable with Hand," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said after the game. "We felt Miller was the better matchup. I think as a former Phillie, it meant a lot to him, beating his former team."
Martín Pérez was brilliant again Wednesday. In his last few innings, the walks became an issue. With all four walks coming in the last three innings, Martín worked. However, Pérez struck out four and held the Phillies to 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. There was a small concerning moment in the second inning when JT Realmuto hit a ball that ricocheted off Martín's right calf. The good news is it didn't affect Pérez at all Wednesday. "He showed his warrior status today," Woodward said. "He didn't feel great, it was tightening up on him. The way he was pitching it was easy to keep him in there, and that was his game at the end. Gutsy performance there and not at 100%, showed our guys a lot today."
Matt Moore continued to dominate out of the bullpen with a scoreless eighth inning and two-thirds of the ninth and allowing two hits. Matt Bush finished the ninth with a lineout snag to send the game to the tenth inning. Joe Barlow was able to close out the game, though the zombie runner scored in the inning and earned his second game in consecutive nights. "Early in the year we were pitching timid, not trusting our stuff, and second guessing pitches," Joe Barlow said after the game. "We had a talk as a staff trusting our stuff and attacking guys."
The Rangers couldn't get much offense against Wheeler either. It took until the seventh inning for Texas to have more than one baserunner in one inning. Joe Girardi pulled Wheeler in the eighth inning, though at only seventy-eight pitches. Zack finished the night with 7.2 innings allowing six hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Wheeler didn't allow a run in his start. Texas took advantage of their patience against veteran reliever Brad Hand in the tenth. Texas will go to New York and start a three-game series Friday against the Yankees.
Postgame Notes
Martín Pérez is on a stretch where he's allowed one run in his last twenty-one innings pitched.
Rangers turned a season-high three double plays on Wednesday
Marcus Semien is six for his last eleven at-bats on the road
Zack Wheeler has allowed two runs in his career against the Rangers (20.1 innings after his seven scoreless performance Wednesday).
Four walks by Pérez on Wednesday is the most in a start since May 15th, 2021, when Martín was with Boston.
Martín Pérez's becomes the first pitcher in modern MLB history since 1901 to have a three-game stretch where he's allowed one or fewer and eight or fewer hits in twenty or more innings.
The Rangers have been caught stealing seven times, tied for second in MLB. Angels led baseball with ten runners caught stealing.
The Rangers four-game winning streak is the longest of 2022
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