TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas fell, 10-6, to the Red Sox last night at Fenway Park, and is now 1-2 on this 6-game road trip at BOS (1-2) and WAS (3 G) to close out the 1st ‘half’…team is 9-10 in last 19 G after a 2-7 span from 6/7-16…have an 11-17 record last 28 G (beg. 6/7)…club has won 22 of 41, 25 of 45, and 33 of last 57 G (beg. 5/6)…team still has A.L.-best 37-26 (.587) record since 4/28, 4th in MLB…TEX is 42-31 in last 73 G and 47-33 last 80 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 51-37 (.586), TEX owns the 4th-best record in MLB to ATL (.674, 58-28), TB (.633, 57-33), and BAL (.593, 51-35)… 51 wins rank T3rd in MLB (58-ATL, 57-TB, 51-BAL/MIA/TEX).
- The 51-37 mark is the T3rd-best 87-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
- Tuesday’s win marked the earliest date for TEX to reach 51 wins in a season since 6/28/16 (51-27)…last season, TEX did not reach the 51-win mark until 8/14 vs. SEA…high point this season was 20-over after win 6/6 vs. STL (40-20).
SERIES STUFF: After dropping last night’s rubber game at Boston (1-2), Texas has now gone 2-5-1 in last 8 series following a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19- 6/7…those 6 straight series wins marked longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…club is 17-9-2 overall in series this year, going 8-4-2 at home and 9-5-0 on the road…is 13-6-2 in last 21 series and 16-7-2 in last 25…team has lost 2 straight and is 1-3-0 in last 4 road series after winning Washington/Texas franchise-record 6 straight away series from 5/5-31.
- TEX is 9-5 in series openers on the road, 15-13 overall.
ON THE ROAD: The Rangers have lost 4 of last 5 and 8 of last 13 G away from Arlington…club is still 24-19 (.571) on the road this season, good for the 3rd-best away record in the A.L./6th-best in MLB (28-13, .683-ATL; 26-15, .634-ARI; 25- 17, .595-BAL; 26-18, .591-CIN; 25-19, .568-HOU)…club has still won 11 of 20, 13 of 23, 15 of 26, and 18 of last 30 road.
- Rangers ranks 3rd in MLB in both R (235) and R/G (5.47) on the road this season…club’s .750 road OPS is 4th-highest in A.L. (.787-LAA, .772-TB, .756-BAL), but still significantly lower than OPS at Globe Life Field (.856).
VS. WASHINGTON: This 3-game series against the Nationals marks Rangers’ 1st trip to the nation’s capital since 2017 (3-0, 6/9-11/17), and the 4th ever road series for the WSH/TEX franchise in D.C…the Rangers are 9-6 all-time vs. Washington (beg. 2005), including a 6-3 record at Nationals Park…Texas has won 4 straight and 6 of its last 8 G in D.C… this marks the 2nd straight season for the Rangers to face the Nationals (TEX went 1-2 from 6/24-26/22 in Arlington).
- The Rangers last game here came in a 5-1 victory on 6/11/17 in which RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (W, 7.0 IP, 1 R-ER) outdueled RHP Max Scherzer (L, 7.1 IP, 3 R-2 ER).
INTERLEAGUE: Texas has gone 13-10 in Interleague play this season, winning 4 of 5, 7 of 9, and 8 of last 11 G vs. N.L. clubs…TEX is 24-16 (.600) in last 40 G vs. N.L. dating back to 4/30/22, but is 9-10 in road Interleague games in that span.
ADOLIS GETS THE NOD: OF Adolis García has been named a starting outfielder for the American League All-Star team in an announcement today by MLB…with the addition of García, the Rangers are scheduled to have 5 of the 9 A.L. position player starters for Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Seattle.
- According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 2023 Rangers would become just the 5th team in All-Star history (beg. 1933) to have at least 5 position player starters in an ASG, including just the 2nd American League club…the others: 1939 Yankees, 1956 Reds, 1957 Reds, and 1976 Reds.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE: Texas tallied a season high-tying 6 doubles (3x, last 6/4 vs. SEA) last night at BOS, and enter today’s slate leading MLB with 198 doubles this season (BOS is 2nd w/ 197 2B)…with just 2 more 2B in this series, the 2023 Rangers would become just the 3rd squad in club history to tally 200+ 2B before the All-Star break (218-2008, 213-2006).
- The Rangers’ 86 2B since the beginning of June are easily the most in MLB over that span (BOS is 2nd w/ 73 2B).
COREY IN THE HOUSE: After capping off a 3-hit showing with a 9th-inning solo HR last night at BOS, Corey Seager is now slashing .360/.422/.618/1.040 (81-225) with 11 HR, 25 2B, and 51 RBI over 56 G this season…though he does not currently qualify, Seager ranks among MLB leaders (min. 250 PA) in OPS (1st), BA (2nd), SLG (2nd), OBP (3rd), and 2B (T7th)…his .360 BA would be the 2nd-highest pre-All Star break batting average ever by a Ranger (min. 250 PA) behind only a .366 mark by Iván Rodríguez in 2000.
- Seager has reached base safely in a career-best 25 straight games (beg. 6/10), the longest active on-base streak in MLB…he is batting .402/.470/.676/1.147 (41-102) with 5 HR, 13 2B, 22 RBI, and 13 BB/18 SO over the course of the streak…he has reached base via H/BB/HBP 55 times in that span, the most times on base by a TEX batter over any 25-G stretch since Shin-Soo Choo from 6/13-7/20/18 (57 TOB).
MORE SEAGER: Despite appearing in just 56 G this season due to a 10-day Injured List stint from 4/12-5/16 (left hamstring strain), Corey Seager still owns a share of the club lead in doubles (25, also Semien), and ranks among the top5 Rangers in XBH (4th, 36), H (5th, 81), and TB (5th, 139)… his 25 2B are tied for the most-ever by a Texas batter in their first 56 G of a season (also Gary Matthews in 2006), while his 81 hits are most since Matthews in ’06 (also 81), and his 139 TB are most thru 56 G since Josh Hamilton in 2012 (153).
THE HITS KEEP COMIN’: The Rangers pitching staff has allowed 33 R-31 ER in 43.0 IP (6.49 ERA) over current 1-4 span, permitting 10+ hits in all 5 G (56 total hits)…that is club’s longest span of games with double-digit hits allowed since a stretch of 6 straight from 9/21-27/19 (79 total hits).
WHOLE HEIM: Jonah Heim plated 2 runs in last night’s loss, adding to his career-best 58 RBI total this season…marks the 2nd-most RBI ever by a TEX catcher prior to the All-Star break (80-Iván Rodríguez in 2000), and the most by any MLB backstop before the break since SF’s Buster Posey in 2015 (also 58 RBI).
K-ODY BRADFORD: Tonight’s scheduled starting pitcher, Cody Bradford, has struck out 12 of 28 (42.9%) batters faced over his last 2 games/one start with Texas…the rookie’s 24 SO in 6 G/4 GS this season are the 2nd-most ever by any Rangers left-hander in his first 6 career app. behind only David Clyde, who posted 34 SO in his first 6 G/GS in 1973.
SHORTS: Texas leads MLB in BA (.275), R (519), H (851), 2B (198), XBH (327), and OBP (.342)…Adolis García’s MLBhigh 71 RBI in ’23 are the most by a Ranger in the 1st ‘half’ of a season since Josh Hamilton in 2012 (75 RBI)…TEX’s 133 runs over current 11-17 stretch (beg. 6/7) are still T3rdmost in A.L. over that span (135-CLE/LAA)…Brad Miller in 17 career games at Nationals Park: .459 (17-37), 5 HR, 11 RBI.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #61 Cody Bradford, LHP (0-1, 4.98)
TONIGHT: The 25-year-old left-hander is expected to make the 7th appearance/5th start of his MLB career in tonight’s series opener in D.C…still seeking 1st ML win, and will be in 2nd career road outing (start on 5/28 at BAL) and 2nd career Interleague appearance (ML debut 5/15 vs. ATL)…has had 3 MLB stints with Texas in 2023: 5/15, 5/27-28, 6/13-current…will work on 3 days’ rest after posting 2.1 scoreless relief innings in Rangers’ 12-11 loss on Mon. vs. HOU… has posted a 2.19 ERA (3 ER/12.1 IP) over his last 4 G/3 GS to lower his season ERA figure from 10.80 to 4.98…has gone 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA (12 ER/59.1 IP) in 10 G/GS for Round Rock (AAA) this season…opened the ‘23 campaign by going 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA (2 ER/28.1 IP) in his first 5 starts at Triple-A, earning PCL Pitcher of the Month honors for April…entered this season ranked among the top prospects in the Texas farm system by both Baseball America (no. 22) and MLB Pipeline (no. 26)…was named a 2021 Texas Organization All-Star by MiLB.com in his 1st professional action…missed the 2019 and 2020 campaigns due to injury and the pandemic respectively…owns a lifetime 24-12 record, 4.00 ERA (122 ER/274.1 IP), and 302 strikeouts over 56 starts in the minor leagues, and has spent all 3 seasons (2021-23) of his professional career in the Rangers organization…he was originally selected by Texas in the 6th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Baylor University, where he went 12-11, 3.86 (76 ER/177.1 IP) in 32 G/31 GS from 2017-19…the native Texan prepped at Aledo (Tex.) High School and grew up as a Rangers fan idolizing Derek Holland.
LAST OUTING AND START: Tossed 2.1 SHO IP (0 H, 4 SO, 1 HB) on Mon. vs. HOU, his 2nd career relief appearance…retired 7 of 8 BF (HBP) and stranded an inherited runner in the 5th, posting scoreless 6th and 7th as TEX rallied to tie the game in the 7th…TEX took lead in 8th after trailing 6-0 and 10-2, but would lose 12-11 when Astros scored twice in the 9th.
- Recorded career-high 8 SO in most recent start on 6/29 vs. DET (ND, 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R-ER, 3 BB, 8 SO)…pitched on 2 days’ rest after making 1st career relief app. on 6/26 vs. DET (0.2 IP, 0 R).
AS A STARTER: Has gone 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA (12 ER/18.2 IP) in his 4 starts with Texas this season, posting at least 4.1 IP in each outing…has allowed 2-or-fewer runs in 2 of 4 starts: 6/13 vs. LAA (ND, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R-ER) and 5/28 at BAL (ND, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R-ER)…opponents have batted .257/.316/.529/.845 (18-70) with 3 HR in his starts, with 2 HR coming in his MLB debut on 5/15 vs. ATL (Acuña Jr./Pillar)…Rangers are 0-4 in his 4 starts this season, as he is still seeking his 1st career win.
FIRST MLB START: Bradford took the loss in his Major League debut on 5/15 vs. ATL against a tough Braves lineup (5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R-ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2 HR, 90 pitches/56 strikes)…became just the 2nd Texas pitcher to make a ML debut with a start since the beginning of 2022 (also Cole Ragans on 8/4/22 vs. CWS: ND, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R-0 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO)…it marked the 10th time since the start of 2016 for a Ranger to have a ML debut in a start with Texas, and only one of the 10 in that span have earned a win: A.J. Alexy on 8/30/21 vs. COL (W, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO)…additionally, Bradford became the 4th native Texan ever to make his ML debut as a starting pitcher for the Rangers in Arlington: Glenn Otto on 8/27/21 vs. HOU (ND, 5.0 IP, 0 R), current Rangers Executive Vice President & General Manager Chris Young Chris Young on 8/24/04 vs. MIN (ND, 5.2 IP, 3 R-ER), and Jim Gideon on 9/14/75 vs. CWS (W, 5.2 IP, 6 R-5 ER).
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
No team release available.
