ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers just might have finally woken up, but it appears to be a little too late to make a difference. Still, it could make for some entertaining baseball down the stretch, a boon after what had become a rote summer for the reigning champs.
Fresh off a series win against the AL East leading New York Yankees, Texas now welcomes one of their division rivals sitting lower than them in the AL West. Ron Washington returns to town, bringing his Los Angeles Angels, and Texas has an opportunity to win its fourth series in a row.
Dubious yet mathematically possible hope hangs in the balance, as the Rangers have now won 8 of their last 10, going up against the last place Angels.
Los Angeles Angels (58-81, 5th Place AL West, 17 GB) @ Texas Rangers (67-73, 3rd Place AL West, 8.5 GB)
Los Angeles down the stretch
The Angels will spend their stretch run facing a mix of contenders and pretenders. Having been all but eliminated from contention long ago, Los Angeles and its fan base will be watching several prospects make their mark on the big leagues. Those include flamethrower Ben Joyce, who not too long ago, recorded the fastest pitch ever thrown for a strikeout at 105.5 MPH.
Joyce may have made his debut last season, but in the 31 games that he’s pitched since June, he’s made quite the impression, having gone unscored upon in his last seven outings now.
The Angels also called up top pitching prospect Caden Dana to make his first career Major League start against the division rival Seattle Mariners. Dana is MLB’s number 73 prospect, but showed the composure and game readiness of a top-line starter while earning a win in his debut. Fellow prospect Samuel Aldegheri also made his debut against the Mariners, becoming the first pitcher born in Italy to reach the Major Leagues.
Coming into the series in Arlington, the Angels have gone 6-4 in their last ten games, including a series win over the Mariners and an offensive breakout against the Dodgers the night before flying into Texas.
They’re doing it without the bats of Luis Rengifo and Mike Trout and without the arms of Patrick Sandoval, Jose Soriano, Matt Moore and Carson Fulmer. With an offense that ranks third worst in all of baseball and a pitching staff that ranks fifth worst in ERA, the Angels were never expected to be serious contenders, but even the basement is below expectations for Washington in his first year as skipper of a new club.
Still, with rising performers like Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak, and a strong sophomore season from shortstop Zach Neto, and the aforementioned arms, the future can be bright for the Angels, as long as they can find a way to put it all together. Some might argue that that’s always been the problem in Anaheim.
The matchups
- Game 141, 7:05 PM CT - RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-3, 4.96 ERA) vs. LHP Cody Bradford (4-2, 3.21 ERA)
- Game 142, 7:05 PM CT - LHP Samuel Aldegheri (0-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. TBD
- Game 143, 6:05 PM CT - LHP Tyler Anderson (10-12, 3.55 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Leiter (0-2, 11.78 ERA)
- Game 144, 1:35 PM CT - RHP Caden Dana (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Heaney (4-13, 3.81 ERA)
Los Angeles will trot out three rookies and their All-Star representative against the Rangers in this four-game set. Starting out is righty Jack Kochanowicz, who was called up in July for a couple of games before being sent back down. Since the start of August, however, Kochanowicz has been a mainstay in the Angels’ rotation, most recently picking up the win against Detroit by going six scoreless. He’s a contact pitcher, featuring a sinker, curve and changeup.
The Italian Samuel Aldegheri will be making his second start on Friday, coming off a start against the Mariners where he powered through five innings, allowing seven runs (although only two were earned) on six hits in Los Angeles’ lone loss in that series. Aldegheri, a lefty, relies on movement and command with a fastball in the low-90s and a pitch mix featuring a slider, curve and changeup.
Tyler Anderson, an All-Star for Los Angeles this season after signing as a free agent following the 2022 season, will make the start on Saturday. The lefty received a no decision last time out, allowing four runs in four innings against Seattle.
Los Angeles top prospect Caden Dana will make his second Major League start in the finale. Dana gave up just two runs in six innings against Seattle while featuring a mid-90s fastball to anchor a slider, cutter, curve and change.
The Rangers, who announced on Wednesday that Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle are done for the season, will start with Cody Bradford. Bradford has been on a roll of late, sliding back into the groove he was in at the start of the season.
The local lefty came away with no decision against the Athletics, although he pitched a quality start, giving up two runs in seven innings. Bradford has been among the hurlers who have been hard-luck losers, receiving little to no run support despite tossing gems in his previous two outings.
Texas knows that they will turn to Jack Leiter on Saturday and Andrew Heaney in the finale, Friday’s game is still up in the air with Gray hitting the IL. Leiter went deeper than in any previous big league outing last time out against the Yankees, starting out strong but eventually being touched up for five runs on seven hits.
Heaney, who’s been the Rangers’ iron man in the rotation, is winless in his last three starts, despite giving up just one run in 15 innings of work. The second game is a bit of a mystery, although chances are that the start will go to Jose Urena. Jacob deGrom is slated to make one more rehab appearance for Double-A Frisco on Saturday, but the Rangers do not appear to be inclined to rush his return to start for the big league team on Friday.
The Rangers have a chance to play some entertaining baseball down the stretch; it may not be enough for a playoff run, but they can certainly give several contending teams fits as they try to clinch their own trips to October. For now, they’ll aim for another series win against a team below them in the AL West.
Do you think the Rangers will beat the Angels and earn a fourth series in a row? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
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