As Wily Peralta walked off the mound after the seventh inning, catcher Eric Haase jogged out to meet him with a hug and a grin. Even with two innings to go, it was hard not to celebrate the 32-year-old¡¯s performance.
As Peralta continues to settle into his starting role with Detroit, his successes have risen accordingly. After claiming his first win since 2017 his last time out, Peralta tamed a talented young Rangers squad across seven innings on Monday and his teammates backed him at the plate during a commanding 7-3, series-opening win at Globe Life Field.
¡°It's good at-bats and good pitching, and some really good defense. ... Obviously, getting into this road trip with a win is always nice, but I liked how we played," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We did a good job of hanging in there with our at-bats, put some pressure on them, took advantage of a mistake they made, [it was an] all-around good win.¡±
The victory marked Detroit¡¯s first against Texas since July 7, 2018. While the teams didn¡¯t meet in 2020, the Tigers finished 0-6 against the Rangers in ¡¯19, making Monday another step forward during what has been a surprising couple of months for Detroit.
Peralta set the tone early, sitting down the side in order in the first two innings. He stayed aggressive in the zone, a tactic Hinch wagered would be a key to the righty¡¯s success in Arlington. Peralta needed just 48 pitches to navigate the first four frames, the third-lowest number among Detroit starters this season, and he allowed just a pair of singles during that stretch.
Peralta has not allowed a run since June 19, a stretch spanning four outings and 16 consecutive innings.
¡°I¡¯m very thankful for the organization to give me the opportunity to show what I can do, and I¡¯m 100 percent healthy,¡± Peralta said. ¡°I¡¯ve felt really good in the last month.¡±
Hinch had also emphasized the importance of Peralta keeping the ball on the ground and Peralta delivered in that arena, too, racking up 12 groundouts against three flyouts while using a smart mix of his four-seamer, slider and changeup to keep the Rangers guessing.
Peralta was locked in from the beginning: He didn¡¯t walk a batter, and he had just one three-ball count.
Tuesday marked Peralta¡¯s deepest march into a start; he¡¯d tapped out at five innings twice before. The Tigers worked quietly behind him, using a hit-by-pitch, a single and a groundout to score the game¡¯s first run in the fourth inning off starter Kolby Allard.
Allard fought to contain his displeasure when Miguel Cabrera singled to open the sixth. A double and a walk loaded the bases with one out, and Allard couldn¡¯t hide his reaction on the next play, when first baseman Nate Lowe mishandled a grounder from Nomar Mazara, allowing two runs to score.
The knock marked the end of Allard¡¯s day, but Detroit was already moving in to deliver the knockout blow.
In the end, it came from an unlikely source. Willi Castro¡¯s perfectly placed bunt up the first-base line scored Robbie Grossman and brought Zack Short to the plate. Short, who had struck out in his past six consecutive at-bats, jumped on a curveball from Brett Martin and put it over the wall in center field to push Detroit¡¯s lead to 6-0.
¡°More insurance runs are always huge, and again, selfishly, it¡¯s just a weight off my shoulders moving forward,¡± Short said. ¡°You don¡¯t really want to keep riding that [strikeout] train; it gets pretty ugly. In your own mind, we¡¯re all human, we¡¯re thinking about it, but at the same time you try your hardest not to.¡±
Meanwhile, Peralta continued to dispatch any Rangers¡¯ attempts at momentum, facing the minimum in the fifth and sixth. The lone extra-base hit against him came on a leadoff double in the seventh, but Peralta responded by retiring the next three consecutive Rangers.
After an 8-19 April record to open the year, Detroit strung together a pair of winning months despite being hampered by injuries to three core starters and several key players on the field and in the bullpen.
A large part of that, of course, is due to guys like Peralta stepping up to plug the holes. If he continues to work the way he has lately, it¡¯s hard to imagine the veteran sliding back into a bullpen role.
Peralta wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.
¡°We are struggling in the sense of finding innings out of our rotation,¡± Hinch said. ¡°Wily Peralta stepped up and said, ¡®Get on my back and I¡¯ll get you deep into games.¡¯ It¡¯s been a welcome, welcome addition.¡±