26-20 - Perez shows poise as Rangers down Angels 4-1

I like to think the double fist pump and primal scream as he struck out Johnny Giavotella to end a stressful top of the 6th inning was Martin Perez's secret "Shut up, old man" to Steve Busby. Busby has a tendency to harp on Perez's mental fortitude when he struggles and it can get tiring to listen to.

Tonight, however, when Perez ran into trouble in a 1-0 game, Busby couldn't help but sound like a proud grandpa as 'Teen worked his way out of a first and third, no out jam without allowing a run. Perez finished the night going six innings on 90 pitches (62 strikes) allowing five hits, zero runs, two walks, and striking out six Angels.

The two guys most folks have been concerned about this season in the rotation, Perez and Holland, have combined to allow just two runs in 12 2/3 innings in this series against an Angels offense that came into this series fourth in baseball in runs scored over the last two weeks.

The only bad news is Matt Bush now has an ERA as Mike Trout hit an RBI double off him in the top of the 8th to make it 3-1. After Texas padded the lead in the 9th, Sam Dyson kept the Angels off the board in the 9th as the Rangers evened this series at a game apiece with the 4-1 win.

Player of the Game: It's hard to argue with Perez's night, but Nomar Mazara hit his first home run at The Ballpark after hitting six dingers on the road this season. The two-run laser to the home run porch in right field ended up being the game-winning blast and certainly won't be the last one we see from Mazara in Arlington. For the night, Mazara went 3-3 with a walk. He's really good.

Up Next: The Rangers close out this series against the Angels in the afternoon rubber match with Colby Lewis on the mound for Texas against LHP Hector Santiago. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm CT.