Pirates witnessed how they've been misusing Martín Pérez during Padres matchup

Martín Pérez didn't get a decision in his first two starts with the San Diego Padres this season. So, naturally, it was only fitting that his first win would come against the team that traded him there.

The veteran southpaw allowed one run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, striking out eight and walking one. The Pirates went on to lose by a final score of 8-2, marking their 10th loss in a row and putting them at 1-12 since July 31 – the day after the trade deadline, when they dealt Pérez to the Padres.

In 16 starts (five quality starts) with the Pirates before he was traded, Pérez logged a 5.20 ERA through 83 innings pitched; it was his worst ERA since his MLB debut season in 2012 with the Texas Rangers (5.45). Meanwhile, in 18 1/3 innings over three starts with the Padres, his ERA has improved dramatically to 1.96, lowering his season ERA to 4.62. He has just four earned runs in those 18 1/3 innings – all of which have come off solo homers.

Pirates witnessed how they've been misusing Martín Pérez during Padres matchup

Granted, it's a smaller sample size, but Pérez looks revitalized since joining the Padres. While there are several possible explanations for this resurgence, one stands out above the rest: his pitch usage.

A left-hander who relies primarily on breaking pitches, Pérez doesn't exactly boast the most fearsome four-seamer. According to Baseball Savant, Pérez's primary pitch is his sinker (35.2%), while his fastball accounts for just 5.6% of his pitches. That 5.6% may not sound like a lot, but for a soft-tossing lefty like Pérez, one could argue that it's still too high; every batter was going to be ready for it.

Evidently, the Padres' pitching staff had the same thought, encouraging Pérez to drastically revamp his pitch usage. In 93 pitches against the Pirates, he threw just one four-seamer and dramatically increased his curveball usage while trimming down the use of his sinker. His 30 curves against Pittsburgh generated a 38.5% whiff rate.

Pérez's strike percentage through 83 innings with Pittsburgh was just 16.9%. In 18 1/3 innings with San Diego, that percentage has skyrocketed to 29.6%. In Wednesday's outing against the Pirates, his strike percentage was 65%.

Pérez is 33 years old with 12 years of MLB experience. At this point in his career, he's not adding new pitches to his arsenal. His late-season resurgence with the Padres is all thanks to good coaching and roster management. Perhaps if the Pirates hadn't misused him so badly, he could have been more than a trade deadline casualty for a team that is playing themselves right out of the postseason race.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter