Martín Pérez disappoints in Red Sox debut

The Martin Perez Era is off to a rough start with the Boston Red Sox after he was hit around by the Baltimore Orioles.

Surrendering four earned runs in five shaky innings, Martin Perez earned the loss for the Boston Red Sox in Saturday’s 7-2 home loss against the Baltimore Orioles.

On merely the second pitch of his Red Sox career, the onslaught began.

With a 1-0 count, Baltimore center fielder Austin Hays knocked a single to left field beginning a three-run first inning rally. Right fielder Hanser Alberto followed with a double, placing runners on second and third.

Pérez retaliated well, striking out shortstop José Iglesias and retiring left fielder Anthony Santander on a lineout to right field.

With two outs, however, Pérez fell apart, surrendering a first pitch double to designated hitter Renato Núñez, scoring both Hays and Alberto. A wild pitch to the ensuing batter, catcher Pedro Severino, advanced Núñez to third base.

A fielding error by Red Sox’ third baseman Rafael Devers scored Núñez (unearned run) and allowed Severino to reach base for the third and final run of the inning.

His weak second inning performance proved no more impressive.

Third baseman Pat Valaika leadoff the top of the second inning with a single to right-center field and ninth-hitting right fielder Cedric Mullins followed with a four-pitch walk.

After retiring Hays on a popout to second base, Pérez grooved a first-pitch changeup middle-in to Alberto, who bashed a line drive single to deep right field, scoring Valaika.

With runners on the corners, he left an expectant curveball over the plate, which Iglesias slapped to shallow left field, scoring Mullins.

Following the R.B.I. hit, Boston bench coach Dave Bush headed to the mound for a conference with his high-strung starter.

With runners on first and second, Red Sox’ second baseman José Peraza bailed out his pitcher, nabbing a popup from Santander and swiftly flipping the ball to shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin on second base for the inning-ending double play.

Pérez recovered in the third, fourth, and fifth innings before leaving the game, allowing zero runs on two hits with one walk.

Boston first baseman Mitch Moreland hit a solo home run to right field and catcher Kevin Plawecki scored Alex Verdugo on a single to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Boston’s offensive output ended there.

Baltimore took the victory 7-2.

Despite his solid recovery, Pérez’s unremarkable debut poses major problems for Boston’s pitching staff in 2020.

Boston’s bullpen pitched unreliably in 2019 and with few personnel changes in the pitching staff, that is not likely to change, making the quality of starting pitching all the more important.

Boston and Baltimore next face off Sunday afternoon, July 26, at Fenway Park in Boston at 1:35 Eastern Standard Time, and Pérez is scheduled to start Thursday night, July 30, at Citi Field against the New York Mets.