Series Thread: Rangers and Orioles Battle in the ALCS in a Best of Five Matchup October 7-13

[Picklerick 2.0]

Really sucks for Baltimore. They had such a great season.

 

[scotsman1948]

Really sucks for Baltimore. They had such a great season.

Best record in AL

We already eliminated the 2nd best record

 

[DTC]

Should be a future member of our rotation.

Bradford is one guy I may have totally missed on.
I didn’t think he would ever be more than a filler guy at best a AAAA player that goes back and forth. I guess time will tell but he definitely looks better than I initially thought.
I’ll be rooting for him too! Local guy

 

[saddles]

From Shawn McFarland:

“What a job he did,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “The momentum was starting to switch there, and then he came in.”

The 25-year-old Aledo native replaced Texas starter Jordan Montgomery (4 innings pitched, 4 earned runs allowed on 9 hits and a walk) with a runner on first and no outs in the fifth inning. The Orioles, who trailed by as much as seven runs on Sunday, rebuilt momentum with two fourth-inning runs and a Gunnar Henderson solo home run in the fifth.

Bradford didn’t allow that inherited runner to score. Didn’t even let him reach second base, actually. The lefty induced a force-out, a flyout and a groundout to finish the fifth, then pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh.

He gave up a leadoff double to speedy No. 9 hitter Jorge Mateo, but left him at third by mowing past the top of Baltimore’s order. He got All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman to groundout on a 91.9-mph fastball, struck out Ryan Mountcastle on three pitches with a 92.3-mph fastball and induced an inning-ending Anthony Santander groundout with a changeup.

Bradford struck out two more in the seventh — AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner Henderson on a curveball and Austin Hays on a high fastball — and another in the eighth, with a near middle-middle fastball that got Jordan Westberg swinging. His day ended after a two-out single from Mateo and a double from Rutschman, but his replacement,

Josh Sborz, stranded them both on base with a one-pitch groundout.
“It was no different than some of the other ones,” Bradford said. “Coming out of the bullpen, draining some innings, giving the team a chance to win.”

Really? A playoff debut in front of 46,475 raucous Baltimoreans was no different than a regular season game?

It’s a bit difficult to call him on that with the way he threw.

“He’s so prepared,” Bochy said. “This kid, we called him up, and he’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him, from starting to using him in relief and high-leverage situations. He just handles himself for a rookie, it’s been so impressive.”

Yeah, it’s been a ride for the Baylor alum. He debuted with the Rangers in May against the Atlanta Braves, the best offense in baseball and, statistically, one of the best in history. He shuttled back to Triple-A Round Rock a few weeks later after a five-inning start against the Orioles at Camden Yards, came back in June and July to make a few more spot starts, and by September, had been thrown into late-inning, high-leverage spots.

And, for reference, prior to this season, Bradford hadn’t pitched out of the bullpen since his freshman season at Baylor.

“When you’re up by that many runs in the sixth, seventh, eighth innings, being out there and throwing strikes and challenging hitters to put the ball in play, that’s the biggest part,” Rangers designated hitter Mitch Garver said. “Once again, I tip my cap to Cody.”

Bradford threw 39 of his 51 pitches for strikes on Sunday. He elicited eight swings-and-misses — three with his fastball, three with his changeup and two with his curveball — and only fell into one three-ball count.

He let up just one hit (Mateo’s double in the sixth) on his fastball, which, according to Baseball Savant, is on the bottom eighth percentile velocity-wise leaguewide.

That all didn’t seem to matter much on Sunday.

What does matter is that Bradford knows how to use it.

Even in uncharted, postseason water.

“I think that comes down to being prepared,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said. “When he knows how he wants to attack these guys with plus-command, it makes it that much easier.”

 

[saddles]

6-0 Twins, bottom of the 7th.

 

[saddles]

If Scherzer's workout Friday is treated as a start he would be due to workout again this Wednesday. Maybe he can go the equivalent of 3 or 4 innings then. That would set him up to start Game 2 of the ALCS next Monday, where he could conceivably go 5 innings. Then he could come back for Game 6.

If we sweep we could have our choice of who we wanted to start Game 1. I imagine that would be Montgomery.

I wonder if Gray will be back for the ALCS.

 

[Duane1952]

Twins win.

 

[Senator_fan]

Is this the last we see of Burke in this series? No called strikes or swing and misses. 12 pitches and 11 of them fastballs. That only works in little league.

 

[jaar01]

Really sucks for Baltimore. They had such a great season.

They aren't done. This series is far from over. They didn't lose 3 straight games to the same team all season.

Great spot to be in obviously but we had 2-0 lead on Blue Jays in 2015 coming home for 2 games.

And we know how that turned out.

The 3rd one will be the toughest.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

You know things are going your way when you score only 3 runs and win and then give up 8 runs and win.

 

[Senator_fan]

Jung seems to be getting his mojo back.

 

[saddles]

Imagine if Semien and Garver are hitting.

Combined:

4 hits
1 walk
6 RBI

 

[WastinSomeTime]

It is too bad we do not have someone who can adequately play 1st base to sit Lowe down. That guy is in a serious rut. But I don't want to compromise our defense there just for a bat.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Garver has such a compact, short stroke. The power he generates from it is pretty amazing.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

really shocked the o,s lost two games at home.maybe they,ll wake up and win 3 straight in texas.te odds are against them but anything,s possible.

 

[scotsman1948]

It is too bad we do not have someone who can adequately play 1st base to sit Lowe down. That guy is in a serious rut. But I don't want to compromise our defense there just for a bat.

We only committed 57 errors all season and a lot of that was due to Lowe covering for any mistakes by the infielders

 

[Kelleyman]

The Globe will be rocking when the Rangers take the field tomorrow
A flood of emotion from the Ranger faithful who have waited so long for the Rangers to be relevant

Keep the magic flowing please

 

[WastinSomeTime]

The Globe will be rocking when the Rangers take the field tomorrow
A flood of emotion from the Ranger faithful who have waited so long for the Rangers to be relevant

Keep the magic flowing please

And keep the roof closed so that the noise level is magnified.

 

[saddles]

I never have liked this format.

 

[saddles]

Here is what MLBTR projects for the arbitration salary figures for the Rangers in 2024.

Rangers (10)

• Matt Bush (5.058): $2.1MM
• Brett Martin (4.151): $1.28MM
• Nathaniel Lowe (3.145): $8.8MM
• Jonathan Hernandez (3.131): $1.3MM
• Jonah Heim (3.097): $3.6MM
• Adolis Garcia (3.095): $6.6MM
• Dane Dunning (3.083): $3.4MM
• Brock Burke (3.065): $1.1MM
• Josh Sborz (3.055): $900K
• Leody Taveras (2.124): $2.4MM