Rookie Cody Bradford played well but fell to the Orioles in the series finale Sunday afternoon. Rookie Cody Bradford of the Texas Rangers, despite the loss, put up an impressive showing.
The bullpen was the primary cause of dissatisfaction with the Texas Rangers’ phenomenal start. It was a problem once more at Camden Yards on a Sunday afternoon. The Rangers rallied to tie the Orioles in the top of the eighth inning but immediately lost the lead before getting an out in the bottom of the frame.
Texas (33-19) would lose 3-2, ending a string of four victories. The 2-1 series victory gave the American League West leaders a 4-2 record for their nine-game road trip, which has already concluded after the first two stops. The 1996 and 2023 teams are still tied for the best 52-game start in the team’s history. Texas was passed by Baltimore (34-19) for the second-best record in the Majors.
Dune Dunning was placed on paternity leave, so Cody Bradford was brought up from Triple-A for a second spot. The rookie lefty was good. In contrast to his debut two weeks ago, Bradford appeared at ease. In the first inning, Bradford allowed two runs on three hits before pitching four shutout frames. Only two additional hits were collected by Baltimore. The native of Aledo, near Fort Worth, continued his habit of strong beginnings along the way. Through six games versus the Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates, none of the starters have given up more than two runs.
In the eighth, the Rangers knotted it behind 2-1. Bubba Thompson, who was filling in for Robbie Grossman, was home by Corey Seager’s two-out double to center.
The Orioles swiftly knocked off Texas reliever Cole after walking to start the inning; Cedric Mullins advanced to third on Adley Rutschman’s single. When runners were on the corner with no outs, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy turned to Joe Barlow. Austin Hays crushed a single to center field off of a crowded infield for the winning run.
To end the game, Baltimore reliever Felix Bautista threw a flawless ninth inning. The Rangers got seven hits and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position after scoring 17 runs in the series’ previous games. With just one hit, Marcus Semien tied his last record for the longest hitting streak (17 games) and scored a run in the fourth.
With two series victories, the Rangers begin a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon. Texas will start the red-hot Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 2.60), while Detroit will start Matthew Boyd (3-3, 5.74).
