(Associated Press / Rick Scuteri)
OAKLAND, Calif. — Reliever Oliver Perez, active for the first time since the Astros traded for him on Friday and wearing No. 38, knew when he got a phone call he was leaving the Diamondbacks some way or another.
“Normally you wait for Aug. 31 and after that (think) ‘I’m probably just going to stay here,’” Perez said of his reaction to the trade. “Two days ago, after the game, they just called me, and right away I thought I was going to get traded or released. Sometimes you feel bad, because you know, you have a lot of relationships with your friends.