Martin Perez efficient in Pirates debut, joins Aroldis Chapman in preaching postseason hope

Martin Perez asked Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin for more time in live bullpens before he made his first spring training start, vowing that he would be ready.

Perez lived up to his promise.

The left-hander mixed his cutter and changeup to allow only one hit — albeit a home run — while recording three strikeouts over three innings in his Grapefruit League debut for the Pirates in a 5-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon at LECOM Park.

Perez tossed 24 of his 31 pitches for strikes and was so efficient that he threw in the bullpen afterward to reach his 45-pitch count.

“Martin is one of the veteran guys who just came in, and he said, ‘Hey, I need a little extra time, a couple extra live BPs and I’ll be ready,’ ” Marin said during an in-game interview on SportsNet Pittsburgh. “He sure was ready today.”

Connor Joe hit a grounder off the glove of Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday — the top prospect in baseball — for a single that scored Ke’Bryan Hayes to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Baltimore’s Colton Cowser tied it in the third when he sent an ankles-high 0-2 slider 372 feet to right field for his third homer of spring training.

The Pirates took a 2-1 lead when Abrahan Gutierrez singled to score Sergio Alcantara in the seventh inning, but the Orioles tied it in the eighth on a Kyle Stowers single to center to drive in Connor Norby.

After Pirates righty reliever Dauri Moreta walked two batters, Baltimore’s TT Bowens made him pay with a three-run homer in the ninth to give the Orioles a 5-2 lead. Assistant trainer Tony Leo attended to Moreta, who was removed from the game.

Desperate for starting pitching, the Pirates signed Perez to a one-year, $8 million contract this winter after he won the World Series with the Texas Rangers. Perez was followed in the fourth inning by a former Ranger teammate in reliever Aroldis Chapman, who signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract.

Chapman threw nine of his 11 pitches for strikes, getting the first batter he faced, Anthony Santander, swinging at a 90.7-mph splitter for a strikeout. The 36-year-old Chapman was clocked at 100.5 and 100.4 mph on his sinker, but Marin was pleased with his entire repertoire.

“The most impressive thing is, you hear about Chappy, and it’s 100 mph. What he showed today is off-speed for strikes, even behind in counts,” Marin said. “If he’s going to be able to do that for the entire season, watch out, hitters.”

Count Marin among those impressed by Chapman’s physical appearance, as the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has made a habit of arriving to lift weights at 6 o’clock “on the dot” and doing full upper-body workouts even on days he is scheduled to pitch.

“I’ve never seen a massive pitcher like that, especially in the weight room. It’s impressive,” Marin said. “All these guys want to be coached. That’s the one common theme, from veterans to young guys this year: ‘Hey man, if you’ve got something to say, let us know.’ Chappy was one of those guys. It was pretty funny with him. He goes, ‘Hey, I may be intimidating for most, but I do want to be coached.’ That’s how we’re going to become great.”

Perez and Chapman are looking to prove themselves with the Pirates. After an All-Star season in 2022, Perez was moved to the Rangers’ bullpen last year. Chapman lost his closer job to Clay Holmes with the New York Yankees in 2022, so he served as a setup man for the Kansas City Royals and Rangers last season. It paid off when they helped the Rangers win their first World Series.

“That’s what you’re looking for when you’re a professional baseball player,” Perez told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “I’m glad to be part of that team that won the World Series last year. We can do it here, too.”

Perez said he and Chapman came to the Pirates with a common interest.

“Our goal is bring this team into the playoffs,” Perez said. “We’re just trying to set everybody with the mentality. Our mentality is to go out there and win, and that’s what we’re trying to tell everybody.

The Pirates are counting on the veteran lefties to share their postseason experience with their young teammates, who are coming off a 76-win season and fourth-place finish in the NL Central.

“It’s a vibe. It’s a guy who’s been in a place where a lot of guys want to pitch in,” Marin said of Perez. “There’s a lot of questions he’s been answering for the guys. It’s been great so far.

“If you talk about Martin, that’s the only thing he’s worried about right now is getting to that pennant race. And that’s something our young guys need to hear. We want him to be that way. We want him to talk about it because that’s exactly what we’re shooting for.”