Rangers Walk it Off against Athletics

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

August 31, 2024

Rangers 3, Athletics 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug 31) – The Texas Rangers snuck back into the win column on Saturday evening, beating the Oakland Athletics, 3–2, in front of a crowd of 28,454. A thrilling walk-off single by outfielder Leody Taveras did the trick for the Rangers, as they have evened this series at one game apiece. They will have an opportunity to win the series in a Sunday matinee with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm Central. Right-hander Mitch Spence (7–9, 4.54 ERA) will get the ball for the Athletics, while the Rangers will send lefty Walter Pennington (0–0, 3.00 ERA) to the hill in the series finale.

Prime Heim

The Rangers broke into the run column in the bottom of the second. With Joey Estes on the mound for the Athletics, Nathaniel Lowe singled to left after Adolis Garcia grounded to short to lead off the inning. Moments later, Carson Kelly flied to right. On deck was Jonah Heim, who proceeded to launch a two-run shot to right. It was his 12th homer of the season. While it didn’t have an impact on the score, it is worth noting that Travis Jankowski singled in the at-bat following the Heim homer. After catching his breath, Jankowski swiped second for his ninth steal of the season, and the 100th stolen base of his career.

The Athletics cut the Rangers’ lead to 2–1 in the top of the fourth against Rangers lefty Cody Bradford. It came on a solo home run to right by Lawrence Butler, his 20th of the year. They tied it up in the top of the sixth. After Jacob Wilson popped out to Lowe at first, Butler hit a sharp double to center. On deck was Brent Rooker, who plated Butler with a double to right.

A First for Taveras

The Rangers got the last laugh in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Tyler Ferguson. Lowe opened the inning by trotting down to first after getting hit by a pitch. Kelly moved him over to second with a single to right. The Rangers made a change, sending in Ezequiel Duran to pinch-run for Lowe. Next up was Heim, who popped out to Wilson at short on the infield fly rule. Moments later, Jankowski drew a free pass, bringing up Taveras. On a 1–2 pitch, Taveras found a hole up the middle, sending a ground ball to center, thus collecting his first career walk-off base hit and giving the Rangers the 3–2 victory.

What Went Right for the Rangers

Heim and Taveras were the difference makers on Saturday. Here are two hitters who spend most of their time at the bottom of the Rangers’ lineup, but they came through. Baseball is a very funny game. Your offense can come at anytime from anywhere in the lineup. It can also hide behind a rock for several games. The same could be said for defense. In the Rangers’ case, everything came together when it needed to.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

Rooker has been a thorn in the Rangers’ side over the past two games. On Friday, he slugged two home runs, and on Saturday, he cracked an RBI double. Butler also got in on the action with his dinger in the fourth.

Good Effort by Bradford

Rangers lefty Cody Bradford took a no-decision on Saturday despite posting his second ultra-quality start of the season. He recorded eight strikeouts over seven innings, matching his career high. His line was 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 97 pitches/68 strikes. Bradford has gone 1–2 with a 2.61 ERA, 28 strikeouts, and four walks over his last five starts. He has now recorded quality starts in four consecutive outings.

The left-hander is 4–2, with a 2.50 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and seven walks in nine starts this season. He joins Cliff Lee in 2010 (62 K/5 BB) as the only pitchers in franchise history to record 50 strikeouts or more and seven walks or fewer over their first nine starts of a campaign, according to Stathead. There are three left-handers in the Modern Era to post an ERA of 2.50 or lower, 50 or more strikeouts, and seven or fewer walks over their first nine starts in a season. They are Bradford in 2024, Hyun Jin Ryu in 2019 (1.52 ERA, 59 K, 4 BB), and Clayton Kershaw in 2016 (1.67 ERA, 88 K, 4 BB).

Rangers closer Kirby Yates earned his sixth win of the season after pitching the ninth, where he walked one and struck out one. His record now sits at 6–2 with an ERA of 1.38.

Estes’ Outing

Athletics starter Joey Estes did not factor into the decision despite posting six innings of two-run ball. The only damage against him was the two-run shot by Heim in the second. His line on the evening was 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 84 pitches/60 strikes. Friday marked his seventh quality start of the season, which is second-most on the Athletics to only JP Sears, who has 11. Estes is 3–2 with a 2.88 ERA over his last eight starts. This comes after going 3–4 with a 5.53 ERA over his first 11 starts. Athletics starters are 1–0 with a 3.07 ERA over the last five games of their current road trip.

After surrendering the winning run in the ninth, Ferguson shouldered his second loss of the season. He now owns a record of 2–2 with an ERA of 3.69.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy took a sigh of relief before reflecting on Taveras’ walk-off single as well as Bradford’s performance. “Didn’t hit the ball hard there in the ninth, but we put it in play, and you saw what happened,” Bochy said of Taveras.

Bochy said of Bradford, “Another great start. He’s such a great competitor. Talk about it so many times, how prepared he is. Great focus out there and pitched another great ballgame for us.”

Bradford’s Postgame Comments

Bradford also made an appearance in the interview room after the game to discuss his start. “I think it’s just a culmination of being prepared and just trusting my stuff,” Bradford said. “Again, I know I might kind of beat it to death, but I don’t throw the hardest. I’ve got to execute. To be honest, it kind of surprises me sometimes when there’s continued success with my execution. It’s just proven, I guess, to myself that I can trust my stuff. Today was an example of that.

“It’s an honor to pitch in this organization again for the hometown team. I’m going to work my butt off to prepare and give this team the best chance to win. I want to cover my innings. I want to serve the team well and cover innings and save the guys in the bullpen. Lately, it’s been coming together. You don’t know when that stretch will end. Baseball is a crazy sport, and so you don’t want to get too high, and you don’t want to get too low. But if I can do my job well and pitch into the fifth, sixth, or seventh inning, I can live with those results.”