ARLINGTON, Texas — Despite not yet being officially eliminated from playoff contention, it’s true that there’s not much for the Texas Rangers to play for in the season’s final few weeks with the division likely out of reach. However, it does appear that they’re at least willing to finish the year strong.
After taking two of three from the New York Yankees for their third consecutive series win to open this second to last homestand, the Rangers made it four series in a row against Ron Washington and his Los Angeles Angels as they took three of four to stay hot.
The team also saw a step forward from one of their most hyped prospects while a potential shining beacon for next year’s rotation kept rolling along. In addition, the club received good news on the injury front as a couple of potential future Hall of Famers could return before the season draws to a close.
Game 141: Los Angeles 1, Texas 3 (W: Bradford, 5-2, L: Kochanowicz, 2-4, Sv: Yates, 27)
Game 142: Los Angeles 5, Texas 1 (W: Aldegheri, 1-1, L: Garabito, 0-2)
Game 143: Los Angeles 4, Texas 6 (W: Leclerc, 6-4, L: Mederos, 0-1, Sv: Yates, 28)
Game 144: Los Angeles 4, Texas 7 (W: Heaney, 5-13, L: Dana, 1-1, Sv: Yates, 29)
Leiter takes a leap forward
Jack Leiter’s big league career thus far has fallen a little flat. With the hype and expectations as a former No. 2 overall pick potentially weighing him down, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect has been partially viewed as out of his depth and not ready for the challenges at the levels he’s pitched at.
Certainly his first few outings in the Majors this season would indicate that, but each start since being recalled in the last couple of weeks has been a step in the right direction. On Saturday, Leiter stumbled out of the gate, allowing two runs to score in the first inning, but then held LA scoreless over the next four frames while collecting a lot of swings and misses.
Reliever Andrew Chafin allowed an inherited runner to score to close the books on Leiter, which saw him tally three runs in five innings pitched. It’s not perfect, but Leiter is starting to make the most of his third stint in the big leagues and perhaps that’s because he’s not trying to be perfect.
Bradford keeps rolling
Cody Bradford didn’t arrive with the hype like Leiter, but the second year man entered the season determined to stick in the starting rotation and steer away from the idea of being a swingman or mop up reliever.
With his fifth straight quality start since an April injury that robbed him of much of the season, and the displayed ability to make adaptations during a game, Bradford would appear to be a lock for the rotation next season.
Even though his fastball registers in just the high-80s/low-90s, the lefty mixed that with a curveball to keep the Angels on their toes. With the Rangers’ runs all coming in the first inning of Thursday’s win, Bradford was able to weave through the Angels lineup, walking just two and allowing just one run in six innings.
As expectations start to swirl for rehabbing Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom to rejoin the team down the stretch, Bradford is looking like a steady presence in the rotation and the veterans might have to work their way around him, not vice versa.
Support for Heaney
Run support for Andrew Heaney has been a dire issue for the left-hander all season, a cause for his 5-13 record despite a respectable 3.84 ERA. The starter ranks last in terms of receiving run support from his offense, but the Rangers seemed determined to put that narrative to rest.
It started with Marcus Semien hitting a leadoff homer in the first inning of Sunday’s finale and Nathaniel Lowe followed with a two-run shot later in the inning. After Heaney recorded a shutdown inning in the top of the 2nd, Ezequiel Duran provided another leadoff homer in the bottom half of the frame before three straight hits racked up another run for Texas.
The 5-0 lead was ultimately all Heaney and the Rangers needed as, even though a three-run home run by the Angels in the fourth made it a close affair that turned into a 5-4 game with a run in the seventh, some well-timed insurance helped Heaney earn his first victory since July.
Cy Young reinforcements
During his fourth rehab start, Jacob deGrom might have done a little too well, completing four scoreless innings on just 49 pitches. Originally, the idea was to stretch him to around 60 pitches, but the important part was that deGrom felt good after the outing.
All told, in four appearances between Frisco and Round Rock, deGrom has a 0.84 ERA with 15 strikeouts and just one walk. Things have gone about as well as could be hoped for the former Cy Young winner who has not pitched in the big leagues since last April.
Max Scherzer, meanwhile, got back on the mound on Saturday night for a rehab outing for Round Rock that was flawless until an intentional walk; all-in-all, Scherzer struck out eight over four no-hit innings and believes that the nerve issue affecting his shoulder and tricep has been cleared up.
After the Rangers finish a two-game World Series rematch against Arizona beginning on Tuesday, both veteran hurlers could potentially return to the team this week when Texas heads to T-Mobile Park to face the Seattle Mariners.
Do you think Jack Leiter will finish the season strong with this extended look in the Rangers rotation? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
