Cody Bradford Secures Texas Rangers Rotation Spot, But Coach Mike Maddux Still Has Astute Advice

Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford has pitched well enough to earn a spot in the starting rotation, but he's still perfecting his pitches and pitch sequences.

Cody Bradford has secured a spot in the Texas Rangers starting rotation, according to general manager Chris Young, but he isn't obsessing over his role.

After making his fifth Cactus League appearance on Saturday, Bradford was more concerned with a floating changeup and allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk in five innings.

The left-hander from Aledo pitched better than that, but a sun ball lost by Evan Carter in center field led to a leadoff triple and a run in his fifth and final inning.

"Today didn't quite go how the rest of the spring training has gone, but up until today, I'd like to think I put myself in a good position to at least have that option [to start], but it's out of my control," Bradford told reporters after the outing. "Again, I've said it before: Whatever the team needs, I'll fill that role."

Bradford's changeup, which he used effectively against right-handed hitters in 2023, was less effective against the Arizona Diamondbacks' left-hitting-heavy lineup.

"Today, my changeup was really bad. I don't think I got one out with it," he said. "And when that happens, when it starts to float up, the righties tend to attack it. However, on the flip side, Arizona's got some really good lefties in the lineup. I limited them to a walk and one sun ball that ended up as a triple. So I'll take that win for sure."

Manager Bruce Bochy was pleased with Bradford's outing and his entire spring in which he's compiled a 3.94 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 16 innings. 

"I thought he really located well. He's just so consistent now with where he's trying to get the ball," Bochy told reporters. "You don't see the big misses that were happening last year. So it was good to see him throw like that. The strikeouts will come."

Pitching coach Mike Maddux offered Bradford a helpful little nugget after his appearance. Maddux had Bradford check the counts for specific hitters.

"When I came out, he said, 'Hey, Brad, want to go back and look at some of those counts to the righties,'" Bradford said.

Maddux pointed out that hitters were often sitting on a first-pitch fastball, and when Bradford had an 0-1 count, hitters were sitting on his changeup.

"A couple of changeups got hit hard today in that 0-1 count, so it could just be a tendency thing," said Bradford, who has had success setting up his changeup with a fastball up and in. 

"At times last year, when I didn't have it, that fastball would leak more middle," he said. "Setting up the changeup is important, as well as getting out of my own tendencies but also making better pitches at the same time because of the changeup. I left them pretty much over the heart of the plate today."

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