Thoughts on a 8-2 Rangers loss

Rockies 8, Rangers 2

• Well, we knew Martin Perez wasn't going to be dominant all season.  After having a three game stretch where he threw 26 shutout innings, Perez followed up the 4.2 IP, 8 run outing last time against Oakland with a 5 IP, 5 run performance today.  Perez wasn't terrible, but the Rockies crushed his mistakes -- he allowed just 1 single, but 4 doubles and 2 home runs.  Both the home runs drove in hitters who got on base with doubles that seemed like they could have been caught -- Leonys Martin broke the wrong way on a Carlos Gonzalez double in the first that preceded a Nolan Arenado home run, and Drew Stubbs hit a ball off the wall in right field that it looked like Alex Rios could have made a play on right before Troy Tulowitzki's first homer.
• Martin Perez got out of a bases loaded, no one out situation in the third inning with just one run scoring thanks in large part to a heads up play by Josh Wilson.  After Carlos Gonzalez grounded to first to bring home a run, Nolan Arenado was intentionally walked.  Justin Morneau hit a chopper to second that seemed to slow to turn a DP on, but Wilson quickly froze and tagged Arenado, who fell down in the basepaths, then threw to first to nip Morneau.
• Shawn Tolleson faced five batters, and gave up a single, a double, and a homer.  He was a triple away from allowing a cycle.  Jason Frasor and Neal Cotts, meanwhile, were both used in the 8th inning of a blowout loss.
• Wilson was not only playing second base tonight -- he was also batting second.  Having a player with a career 595 OPS (and a 586 OPS on the season) hit at the top of the order isn't something that would make a lot of sense, and the explanation that was given by the beat writers was that Wash likes having a batter who can "handle the bat" in the #2 spot, so he didn't want, say, Alex Rios hitting second.  A more likely explanation than the "handle the bat" thing, I tend to believe, is that Elvis Andrus is only hitting at the bottom of the order temporarily to take some pressure off of him and get him swinging the bat well again, and once that happens, Elvis will be back in the #2 spot.  So rather than move everyone around for a few games, only to move them all back when Elvis moves back to the #2 spot, Wash is just plugging in the random replacement guy in that spot for the time being.  I suspect that, if this were to be a longer-term issue, we'd see someone else besides the second baseman du jour in the #2 spot.
• Wilson came up in the top of the third with runners on first and third, two outs, and Texas down 2-0, and struck out.  He then came up with one up in the eighth, runners on first and second, down 7-1, and hit into an inning-ending double play.  Hopefully, this is the last time we see Wilson hitting 2nd this season.
• Wash could have used Mitch Moreland to pinch hit for Wilson in the 8th, but didn't.  Apparently, he was saving him to pinch hit for Robinson Chirinos with two outs in the 9th, and the Rangers down 8-1.
• Shin-Soo Choo continues to be amazing.  He was 3 for 4 with a walk tonight, and now has a .491 OBP on the season.
• Elvis Andrus was 1 for 4 with a walk and a double from the #8 spot.  That is kind of encouraging.
• Prince Fielder had a hard hit single tonight, and a four pitch walk, and also hit a smash that was turned into a DP.  We continue to see positives signs from him lately.
• Adrian Beltre was 2 for 4 tonight.  That's good.
• Alex Rios hit into two double plays tonight.  That's not good.
• Overall this game was gross.  If this game were a dime bag, it would be all stems and seeds.