ARLINGTON, Texas — The return to Arlington for the Texas Rangers sees the conclusion of their 13-game stretch with a matchup against the National League East leading Atlanta Braves. Both teams sport the same record going into Monday, 25-15, but until recently, the Braves had been second only to Tampa Bay among baseball’s hierarchy.
And the Rangers will have a change in the starting rotation, at least Monday night, as Cody Bradford, an Aledo native, got the call up from Triple-A Round Rock to make his major-league debut.
In a season where the Rangers are trying to establish themselves as true contenders, this series could serve as a true barometer of where this team stands when the chips are down.
Where Atlanta is Coming From
Atlanta might be in first place in their division, but they come into Texas limping. While the Rangers fly back from the long West Coast trip that concluded on Sunday, the Braves make the journey in from Toronto and are bringing a four-game losing streak with them, having been swept by the Blue Jays after suffering a loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday.
As the Rangers fight their own bullpen demons, the Braves experienced their ninth blown save on Sunday, as reliever Raisel Iglesias let the Blue Jays walk-off with a win.
The Braves also found out last week that their rotation would be down two arms for most of the summer. Max Fried, last year’s runner-up in the Cy Young voting, was diagnosed with a strained left forearm. Kyle Wright, the only pitcher in MLB to win 20 games last year, lasted only two innings in a start back on May 3 before leaving with shoulder discomfort.
Besides those two fresh question marks, Atlanta successfully converted the dynamic Spencer Strider to the rotation last year and have Decatur-native Bryan Elder to go along with veterans Charlie Morton and Colin McHugh. With the injuries, the Braves had to opt for a bullpen-game on Sunday against Toronto after having had to use one Wednesday against Boston.
Despite an MVP-quality season being turned in by Ronald Acuña Jr. (.346 /.437/.577 - 8 HR, 17 stolen bases), Atlanta’s offense hasn’t been firing on all cylinders of late either; from Wednesday to Saturday, the Braves mustered just four runs with two of those coming via a Marcell Ozuna home run on Saturday.
There were also several defensive miscues from Atlanta north of the border. All in all, it was a weekend that the Braves would just as soon forget but one that the Rangers hope continues during their trek to Arlington.
Things to watch for
Game 41: 7:05 PM CT - RHP Charlie Morton (4-3, 3.32 ERA) vs. LHP Cody Bradford (MLB debut)
Game 42: 7:05 PM CT - TBD vs RHP Dane Dunning (3-0, 1.72 ERA)
Game 43: 7:05 PM CT - RHP Spencer Strider (4-1, 2.51 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-2, 2.70 ERA)
Late on Sunday evening the Rangers announced that left-handed pitching prospect Cody Bradford will be called up to the big leagues to make his MLB debut as the starting pitcher for Texas on Monday. Bradford was supposed to take the mound for the Round Rock Express on Sunday, but he did not pitch in the game which provided a clue as to Texas’ thinking.
An Aledo native and former Baylor Bear, Bradford has been spectacular for the Express all year. In seven starts, Bradford boasts a 5-1 record with a glittering 0.91 ERA. He’s at nearly a 3-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and opponents are slashing just .156/.240/.200 off him. He earned the distinction of being the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Month of April.
With Ian Kennedy being designated for assignment before the Oakland series, the Rangers have a 40-man slot open to promote Bradford. What they don’t have at present is an open spot on the active roster.
One could see Yerry Rodriguez being optioned back out to make room for Bradford or recently promoted reliever John King could also be shuttled back down; alternately, with a rotation spot open in Round Rock, Cole Ragans might be sent to Triple-A to get in more regular work. Ragans, a starter by trade, has only logged 14.1 innings this season; to say he hasn’t been given an opportunity to develop much at the major league level might be an understatement.
The Braves are set to send Morton on Monday and Strider on Wednesday with a yet to be determined starter sandwiched between. Morton, the fifteen-year veteran who started out with Atlanta as a third-round draft pick in 2002, has pitched like a good middle-of-the-rotation starter for many years now. In seven games in 2023, opponents are hitting .256 off Morton while he’s averaged just under six innings per start. Only four Rangers have faced him previously, with Marcus Semien having the most success, batting .353 against the righty in 17 at-bats.
Strider, meanwhile, closes out the series on Wednesday in what could be one of the marquee matchups of the season with him opposing Nathan Eovaldi in the finale. While Eovaldi sports a current 28 ⅔ innings scoreless streak, Strider has been fantastic for Atlanta as one of the league’s up-and-coming hurlers.
Strider is coming off of a hard luck loss in Toronto, but it’s his only loss of the season, as he sports a 2.51 ERA, with opponents hitting just .169 off of him. The biggest thing though is that Strider is the owner of a deGrommian 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings, so Strider’s presence represents a tough test for the Texas lineup.
Do you think the Rangers will be able to conquer the first place Braves? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
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