Cody Bradford Gains Experience Texas Rangers Debut

Local product Cody Bradford pitched five innings against the Atlanta Braves in his first taste of pitching against a Major League team.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Everything was how Cody Bradford would draw up a Major League debut — until the pitches started flying.

Bradford’s first Major League start at Globe Life Field was less than an hour from Aledo, where he played high school baseball, and less than two hours from Waco, where he played college baseball. That allowed plenty of friends and family to come see him pitch for the Texas Rangers on Monday night.

In fact, he had a cheering section of at least 200, everyone from his family to his high school baseball teammates.

The Rangers lost 12-0 to open a six-game homestand. Texas (25-16) and the Braves (26-15) are back at it Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m., with Dane Dunning (3-0, 1.72) on the hill for the Rangers.

It was a bouncy debut for Bradford against perhaps the best hitting team in the National League, the Atlanta Braves. But that did not diminish his excitement over finally reaching the Majors after the Rangers drafted him in 2019.

“The big leagues is tough,” Bradford said. “You’ve got to be a little bit finer with your pitches and roll with it.”

Bradford wore No. 61 and got to choose which color hat the Rangers wore on Monday (he went with blue). He also spent some time sitting in the home dugout during batting practice just soaking everything in.

“I was trying to visualize at that point and just enjoy listening to the sound of the bat on the ball and just the small things of baseball,” Bradford said.

Once the visualization was over, he started his first outing in the Majors against a former National League MVP, Ronald Acuña Jr. He walked.

Bradford danced around that trouble, getting some help from third baseman Josh Jung, who started a double play on a ground ball by Matt Olson.

But in the second inning he gave up a pair of two-run home runs — one to Kevin Pillar and one to Acuña. In between he recorded his first MLB strikeout, fanning Marcell Ozuna.

He retired the side in each of the next two innings. He struck out clean-up hitter Austin Riley in the third.

In the fifth, after walking leadoff Orlando Arcia and striking out Acuña, he gave up back-to-back RBI doubles to Olson and Ozzie Albies as the Braves took a 6-0 lead.

Cole Ragans took over out of the bullpen in the sixth.

“He made some mistakes, especially with his off-speed pitches,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said of Bradford. “They weren’t getting a lot of hits, but the hits they were getting did some damage.”

Bradford threw 90 pitches in five innings, giving up seven hits, six runs (all earned) and two walks. He struck out three and also gave up two home runs.

Bradford was the first pitcher to make his MLB debut against the Braves this season. But four pitchers did it last season and they went a combined 1-2 with a 7.86 ERA. None of them threw more than 5 1/3 innings.

Atlanta as a team was also slashing .312/.376/.565/.941 against left-handed pitching going into the game, best in the Majors.

“The Braves did a good job hitting pitches over the middle of the plate tonight,” Bradford said.

He got support throughout the game — from pitching coach Mike Maddux, from catcher Jonah Heim and from fellow left-hander Martín Pérez, who recalled his MLB debut in a conversation with Bradford in the seventh inning.

“He said, ‘You’re like me,” Bradford said. “’We’re both lefties, we don’t have the velo to beat guys. We’ve got to spot. We both have good change-ups. In order to set up that change-up we have spot the fastball in all four quadrants.’ He was just walking me through it, maybe how to attack the next team.”

Before the game, both Rangers general manager Chris Young and Bochy said that Bradford earned the opportunity to start on Monday through his hot start at Round Rock.

“He’s unbelievably prepared,” Young said. “He has great poise. He knows who he is. He’s comfortable with himself. And he knows what he wants to do on the mound.”

Young said Bradford’s progress has been similar to that of Ragans, who seemed to cross a threshold in his performance in the middle of last season in the minor leagues. Ragans earned an August call-up and is now in the bullpen.

Last season Bradford pitched at Double-A Frisco and went 10-7 with a 5.01 ERA. But something has clicked this season for him at Round Rock.

Bradford was the Rangers organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. He has a 5-1 record with a 0.91 ERA, which is four earned runs over 39 2/3 innings. He has a 0.86 WHIP and has a .156 opponent batting average. He’s walked 13 and struck out 37.

Bradford leads the Pacific Coast League in ERA, WHIP, opponent batting average, innings and wins (tied). He was also the PCL’s Pitcher of the Month.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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