The reports of Bradford’s demise were greatly exaggerated
The Texas Rangers scored two runs while the Toronto Blue Jays scored no runs.
After opening the season in the beleaguered rotation, and pitching well, and then reclaiming the spot after an injured-filled summer, Cody Bradford had kind of inked his name into the future rotation with a string of excellent starts throughout August and into September.
His last start, however, had everyone grabbing for the white-out as Bradford allowed eight runs in 3 2⁄3 innings with the Diamondbacks blasting off against Texas’ homegrown arm.
Seeing how Bradford bounces back from getting punched in the mouth for the first time in a long while was a worthy endeavor and he succeeded mightily with seven shutout innings while taking a perfect game into the fifth inning.
While the lineup went back to their pre-13 run outburst ways tonight, Bradford didn’t need much and now the Rangers have won a couple in a row and guaranteed themselves at least a series with a chance at a sweep tomorrow.
Player of the Game: El Bombi Garcia not only had the hit that scored both Rangers runs when his two-run dong produced the eventual final score, but he also made one heck of a catch at the wall to help keep Bradford rolling.
Adolis García with an amazing grab at the wall! pic.twitter.com/0dNFgTNGvl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 19, 2024
Nevertheless, it’s hard to top seven shutout innings, which is what Bradford accomplished tonight to reinvigorate confidence in the lefty after his miserable outing in Arizona last week.
Up Next: The Rangers and Blue Jays close out this series with RHP Kumar Rocker making his home debut for Texas opposite RHP Kevin Gausman for Toronto.
The Thursday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CT and you can catch it via BS Southwest.