The Rangers are heading into the stretch run with a lineup and rotation that keep getting tested by the same theme: who’s healthy enough to go.
Thursday’s game against the Boston Red Sox made that especially clear. Joc Pederson was missing from his usual designated-hitter spot against a right-handed pitcher after suffering a small fracture on his left hand Sunday against Arizona.
Pederson wants to keep playing through it, but he said the swelling still has to go down first. He told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry that the swelling has come down in his left hand but isn’t yet ready to grab a standard bat.
For now he’s working with a light bat to maintain strength.
With Pederson out of the usual DH mix, the Rangers went with Ezequiel Duran leading off and playing third base, which opened the door for Josh Jung to slide into the DH spot and bat third.
The injury file doesn’t stop there.
Cal Quantrill told Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News that he is “good to go” for his next start after dealing with back stiffness in Sunday’s outing against Arizona. Even with the discomfort, Quantrill worked six innings and picked up the win.
That confidence matters because Texas has gotten its best starting pitching from Quantrill since August. He could be lined up to go as early as Friday against Toronto on normal rest, though the Rangers have not announced their probables for the Blue Jays series.
There’s also the situation with MacKenzie Gore, who threw only four innings Wednesday and later said he was dealing with muscle spasms in his shoulder and back area. He told reporters after the game that he should be available for his next start.
If the spasms don’t turn into anything more serious, Gore could take the ball again Tuesday against the New York Mets, which would also keep him on track for the season finale against the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 27.
Jacob deGrom has been pitching through his own nagging issues as well. He’s been managing groin and glute tightness for the past month, but it hasn’t kept him off the mound. He worked Tuesday against Boston and could be back on Sunday against Toronto on normal rest.
Amid all that, Corey Seager keeps giving Texas a lift every time he steps into the box. After his third stint on the injured list, his return to the everyday lineup has mattered, especially with the way he’s driving in runs lately.
Entering Thursday, Seager had RBI in three straight games and in six of his last nine. He’s up to 12 RBI in September, the most on the Rangers, and Texas is 24-6 when he knocks in a run.
He’s been one of the club’s best bats this month, hitting .298/.339/.614 with a .953 OPS. Among American League hitters in September, he ranks tied for first in home runs with five, fourth in total bases with 35 and 11th in slugging percentage.
In Other News...
Rangers Make A Pitching Choice That Says Plenty About This Finale
The Rangers are leaning on Cody Bradford for the series finale, and the assignment says plenty about how they want to navigate the end of this stretch. The left-hander will take the ball against Bostons Sonny Gray on extra rest, giving Texas a chance to get through a game that matters without overtaxing a pitching staff that has already had to be managed carefully.
Bradford has been held to limited innings in recent starts, so the Rangers are clearly prepared to monitor him closely and adjust on the fly if needed. With several bullpen options available behind him, Texas is trying to balance winning the finale with keeping enough arms fresh for the games ahead, a calculation that has become part of the rhythm this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Have One Bullpen Problem They Must Fix For A Late Push
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The bigger concern has come earlier, in the middle innings, where the fifth through seventh have been a trouble spot for preserving those advantages. Recent upticks from Chase Silseth, Tyler Alexander and Robert Garcia offer at least a workable path forward, and Texas could use that kind of stability to bridge games more cleanly to Latz as it tries to make its late push. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Turn Tense September Night Into A First-Place Push
A tense September night at Globe Life Field ended with the Rangers back at .500 and back in first place in the American League West, a place they have spent much of the month trying to claw toward. In a come-from-behind win over the Red Sox, Texas got enough from a pitching staff that was asked to keep piecing things together, with MacKenzie Gore and Nathan Eovaldi both covering multiple innings and Jakob Junis helping bridge the middle of the game.
The bigger takeaway for Texas is how much tighter the race has become as the final stretch approaches. The Rangers are tied for first in the division and still right in the mix in the Wild Card chase, which gives every late-inning at-bat a little extra weight. They were sharp with runners in scoring position against Boston, and now they carry that urgency into a September where one good night can change the picture quickly. [Read more 🡒]