Surging Reliever Brock Burke Sits Again as Texas Rangers Bullpen Collapses in Yankees Loss

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy elects not to use well-rested Brock Burke as the New Yankees rally late to win.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

What’s going on with Brock Burke?

For a bullpen that Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy admitted was thin going into Sunday’s series finale at the New York Yankees, one of the club’s most effective relievers didn’t get the call.

Again.

Despite being rested, healthy and in a groove, Burke had a seat in ‘pen as the Yankees rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Rangers 5-3 and win the series.

Bochy instead opted for John King and Yerry Rodriguez. The duo allowed four hits and three runs, as a 3-2 Texas lead vanished.

“You try to get through it with what you have,” Bochy said.

Before the game, the veteran skipper said both Joe Barlow and Grant Anderson would be unavailable after pitching earlier in the series. That limited Bochy’s options in another tight game with the Yankees.

“You can’t reconsider that,” he said. “Once they have a day (off), you don’t have a choice. They needed a break. Joe had thrown back-to-back days. Anderson carried a pretty good workload yesterday. You got to go with the other guys.”

King blew a save in Friday’s series opener, but the Rangers won 4-2 in extra innings. Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, as reliever José Leclerc went on the injured list.

Burke, however, was ready. The left-hander has a 1.74 ERA over his previous eight outings covering 10 1/3 innings and hadn’t pitched since Monday. In that appearance at the Chicago White Sox, Burke pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and recorded his eighth hold.

He did begin to warm up after the Yankees took the lead in the eighth, but Rodriguez finished the inning. At that point, obviously, it was too late.

The blown lead turned a potential winning road trip into a 3-3 trek with two straight losses. The Rangers return to Arlington to start an eight-game homestand Monday night against the Detroit Tigers.

Andrew Heaney (5-4, 3.98) is scheduled to start for Texas, with Matthew Boyd (5-5, 5.37) going for Detroit. First pitch at Globe Life Field is set for 7:05 p.m.

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