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Post by laurenfrances on Aug 10, 2024 15:33:33 GMT -5
Josh Smith (L) 3B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Josh Jung (R) DH
Wyatt Langford (R) LF
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Adolis García (R) RF
Leody Taveras (S) CF
Carson Kelly (R) C
Alex Verdugo (L) LF
Juan Soto (L) RF
Aaron Judge (R) CF
Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B
Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
Carlos Narvaez (R) C
DJ LeMahieu (R) 1B
Gerrit Cole
RHP
3-2, 5.09 ERA, 42 SO
Cody Bradford
LHP
3-0, 3.96 ERA, 24 SO
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:35:41 GMT -5
In the nightcap, the Rangers will start inexperienced lefty Cody Bradford. Drafted by the Rangers in the 6th round in 2019, he didn't pitch during the 2019 professional season because he had to recover from thoracic outlet surgery while still at Baylor, and in 2020, he was in developmental camp because of the cancellation of the minor league season due to COVID. In 2021, Bradford's season didn't start until May. He then made 13 so-so starts in high-A and 7 somewhat better starts in AA. In 2022, he was in AA the whole season, but pitched poorly, and wasn't able to complete 120 innings in 26 starts. Despite the poor 2022 season, he opened 2023 with 7 great starts at AAA, so the Rangers called him up for a spot start, and the Braves hammered him. Back to AAA he went for one start, and they called him up again, and he pitched a decent game againt the Orioles. They sent him back down for two more AAA starts, and they called him up in June in split role, 3 starts and 7 relief appeances, and he did well, but they sent them back to AAA for four starts. Finally, in the roster expansion to 28 players in September, the Rangers called him back up for 7 relief appearances. All told, in 6 starts and 14 relief games, Bradord was 4-3 with an ERA of 5.30 in 56 innings.
This season, he started the season in the Texas rotation, and made 3 very good starts and was 3-0 when he had to go on the IL with back soreness in late April. Eventually the team discovered that the soreness was actually a rib stress fracture, and he was put on the 60-day IL. Finally healthy, they sent him to AAA for two rehab games, and called him back to the majors at the end of July. After one long relief appearance, he was back in the rotation against the Red Sox a week ago, and gave up 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Red Sox, throwing 59 pitches in a game the Rangers eventually won, 7-4. He's probably on a pitch count cap of 70-75 pitches, not ideal for the 2nd game of a double header. His seasonal stat line: 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA in 4 starts and 1 relief appearance. In 25 innings, he's allowed 19 hits, 12 runs, 11 earned, 4 HR, 4 BB, with 24 K's. His WHIP is an outstanding 0.92. This game is his first against the Yanks.
Repertoire: Bradford is a soft tossing 5-pitch lefty: 4-seamer, change, curve, slider and cutter. He's thrown less than 400 pitches total, so charaterizations of his pitchers fall into the small sample size trap, but...his 4-seamer has better than average rise and average run, the change has less than average drop and averaga tail, the curve has less than average drop and far less than average break away from lefties and into righties. He's only thrown 17 sliders and 5 cutters, so I'm going to skip the data as too small a sample. In run values, the FB is a pretty big plus, the change is a pretty big minus, and the curve is a small plus. His FB velo and FB spin are bottom 20% in MLB, the curve spin rate is bottom 5%. His extension is elite, top 10% in MLB. His K rate is average but his BB rate is so low, his K-BB% is excellent. So far his line drive rate is very low, the grounder rate is low and the flyball rate is very high, but the popup rate is near average. The barrel rate is high, but the hard hit rate is lower than average. His swinging strike rate is above average, so is his called strike rate, and his CSW is excellent. As for "luck factors", his BABIP is way low (.224) but so is his strand rate (64%). His HR/FB rate is low, but not way low. His 3 ERA estimators indicator his ERA should be a smidge lower than the current 3.96. The pitch mix so far through just 25 innings: FB averaging 90-1 about 52% of the time; change 81-2 about 28%; curve 75-6 about 14%; slider 84 about 5%, and cutter 86 about once a game. He reads as a junkballing lefty with excellent control/command whose elite extension give him sufficient deception to fool hitters who haven't seen him. Exactly what the Yanks struggle against (see Tyler Anderson).
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:38:09 GMT -5
Playing the name game: 27 Codys in MLB history; all of their careers started after 2010. The best hitter is easily Cody Bellinger; the best pitcher is Cody Allen, who had 5 excellent seasons in the Cleveland bullpen from 2013 through 2018, serving as their closer from 2014 through 2018, saving 153 games over those five seasons. finishing 6th in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 and leading the AL in games finished in 2015. His career was derailed in 2019 when he suffered a back injury after signing as a free agent with the Angels, and he hasn't pitched in the majors or minors since then. There have been 7 other Bradford's in MLB history; the only hitter with a fairly long MLB career is bench glove Buddy Bradford, who spent 11 seasons as a 5th outfiedler for the Indians, Reds, Cards and Indians from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. The only pitcher with a reasonably long career was setup man/middle reliever Cody Bradford, who pitched effectively for several years as Keith Foulke's setup man on the A's teams of the early 2000s that could never parley their Moneyball management into post-season success. He pitched 561 games over 12 years from 1998 through 2009, and was 36-28 with 11 saves and an ERA of 3.26 in 515 career innings.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:38:40 GMT -5
Gerrit Cole goes for the Yanks in the nightcap today. He pitched a solid game his last time out against the Phils, going 5 2/3, allowing 2 runs, getting a no-decision in a game the Yanks won in 10 innings, 4-3. Cole is still trying to gain consistency after returning from a 3 month stay on the IL with elbow troubles. In 8 starts, Cole is 3-2 with a 5.09 ERA. In 40 2/3 innings, he's allowed 45 hits, 23 runs (earned), 12 BB and has struck out 42, but his HR rate is still very high, 9 HR allowed and about 2 HR per 9 innings.
Against the Rangers in his career, he's 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 15 starts. In 91 innings, he's allowed 80 hits, 41 runs, 39 earned, 15 HR, 25 BB and has struck out 142. His K/9 rate against Texas is 14.0, the highest against any MLB team. His WHIP against the Rangers is 1.153, and the Texas team quaruple slash line againt him is .231/.287/.419/.706. His last start against Texas was late June last season at the Stadium, and they hit him some, force out after 4 2/3 innings with 4 runs allowed on 9 hits with 1 HR, 1 BB and 7 K's. The Yanks went on top win 5-3.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:41:15 GMT -5
Yankees lineup vs Bradford: He's never faced them, but two of them faced Bradford last year, both in the NL:
Soto is 0-1 with 1 BB and 1 K
Grisham is 0-1
On the bench:
==============
Rangers' lineup vs. Cole:
1. J. Smith (3B) is 1-5 with 1 double and 1 RBI
2. C. Seager (SS) is 4-16 with 1 double, 3 RBI, 3 K and 1 GIDP
3. Semien (2B) is 11-41 with 3 doubles, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K and 1 GIDP
4. Jung (DH) is 2-5 with 1 triple, 1 Bb and 2 K
5. Langford (LF) has never faced Cole
6. N. Lowe (1B) is 3-13 with 2 doubles, 2 BB and 8 K
7. Ad. Garcia (RF) is 4-15 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 K and 1 GIDP
8. L. Taveras (CF) is 3-7 with 1 double, 1 HR, 3 RBI, and 4 K
9. Kelly (C) is 0-1
On the bench: Heim (C) is 2-5 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, and 1 K; Grossman is 5-15 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB and 5 K; Duran is 3-5 with 1 double and 1 RBI; pitcher Mahle is 0-2 with a K
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:41:39 GMT -5
Earlier today...the Yanks shutout the Rangers 8-0. Rodon battled through 110 pitches and 5 2/3 scoreless innings, getting out of big jams in the 2nd and 3rd. Austin Wells knocked in 4 with a two run double and a 2 run single and Judge and Soto combined for 4 hits, 3 BB, 4 runs and 2 RBI.
Going into the nightcap, the Yanks are tied with the O's for first at 21 games over, 69-48. The Sox, Rays and Jays are now 6 1/2, 10 and 14 1/2 back of both.
Elsewhere in the AL East today...The Jays and A's are in the top of the 6th at Rogers Centre, 0-0. Osvaldo Bider has a 2 hitter through 5 with 5 K's, Yariel Rodriguez has a 3-hitter through 5 1/3 with 5 K's. The Astros got a solo HR from Yordan Alvarez in the 1st and lead 1-0, top 2nd. Starting pitchers in that one are Spencer Arrighetti for Houston and Josh Winckowki for the Red Sox. Later at 7:15 pm in Tampa, he O's and Rays play the 2nd game of their series at the AwfulDome™. O's ace Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.63 ERA, 2nd in the AL) starts for the O's, he's been a bit off lately, but it hasn't cost him much, he's 3-0 in his last 4 starts with a 3.60 ERA, even winning his last start against Cleveland despite giving up 5 runs in 5 innings. The Rays' starter is not set, but one source says they'll bring Ryan Pepiot off the IL to face Baltimore. Pepiot is 6-5 on the season with a 3.93 ERA, and if he does go, it's his first start in nearly 4 weeks.
And, in the nightcap at...well right now at the Stadium, it's Bradford vs. Cole.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:42:18 GMT -5
Cole on the mound throwing his final warmups. Smith about to step in.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:43:40 GMT -5
Smith...
FB in the drop the bat happy zone at 96, swung under, 0-1
FB runs outside waist high, 1-1
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:45:42 GMT -5
Swings over a sharp dropping curve well low, inner half, 1-2
FB at the top at 96, inner half, fouled back.
FB runs up and away, Smith doesn't chase, 2-2
Curve hangs above middle, hit hard down the 1st base line, DJ dives to his left, but it hits the bag and bounces over him into short right for a leadoff hit. Hit hard, but I think DJ at least knocks it down if it doesn't hit 1st.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:47:21 GMT -5
Seager fouls off a cutter near the top of the zone, 0-1
FB runs up and away, 1-1
Cutter to the inside corner, bounced foul off 1st, 1-2
Good take on a sharp dropping curve that started in the middle and wound up low, 2-2
FB on the outer 3rd, fouled off. Rangers running up Cole's pitchcount early here, 11 pitches, no outs so far.
FB at the top outside corner, spoiled.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:48:34 GMT -5
Cutter inside, hit hard down 1st, but DJ is right there, he steps on the bag, cuts Smith off going to 2nd, he gets in a rundown, they have to make 4 throws before Volpe tags Smith to complete the DP, 2 down.
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Post by rizzuto on Aug 10, 2024 15:50:26 GMT -5
Coleslaw with a scoreless first. Rodon set the tone for the day.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:50:32 GMT -5
Semien fouls off a 1st pitch slider below middle, 0-1
FB in the zone up and away, Semien a bit under, lifts it high to fairly deep right center, Soto drifts back and right, catches, inning over.
Good result for Cole, after throwing a lot of pitches to the 1st two hitters, and two balls hit sharply
15 pitches for Cole, and just 3 batters faced. His stuff looked pretty good to my eyes, but Rangers were seeing it well.
Bottom 1, 0-0.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:52:35 GMT -5
Verdugo leads off.
FB yanked outside at 88.3, 1-0
Puts that FB on the corner away. Relaease looks a bit like Montgomery's, doesn't throw as hard.
Slider on the outer 3rd, fouled, 1-2
Big curve to the outer 3rd, rolled over to Lowe, flips to Bradford, 1 down.l
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Post by qwik3457bb on Aug 10, 2024 15:54:33 GMT -5
FB waist high outside corner, Soto takes it for a strike
Cutter 3-4 inches outside, 1-1
Gets a FB in the zone down and in, takes it, 1-2
Big breaking curve stays in the zone just below middle, Soto takes a big hack, misses late and under, Smith calls off Kelly and Semien, catches it foul between 3rd and home, 2 down.
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