The Texas Rangers will turn to rookie left-hander Cody Bradford in San Diego on Sunday afternoon as they attempt to salvage a win in their three-game series against the Padres -- and reverse a recent downward trend.
Bradford (2-1, 4.62 ERA) will be opposed by Padres veteran lefty Blake Snell (7-8, 2.61).
The Rangers are skipping over All-Star Nathan Eovaldi's spot in the rotation for a second straight turn. He hasn't started since July 18 because of elbow soreness, and manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that the pitcher's "extended rest" would be extended.
"His bullpen this week wasn't exactly what we wanted," Bochy said. "Eovaldi will not start Sunday."
Which raised a question and fueled some disappointment. Eovaldi's 2.69 ERA is third in the major leagues behind Snell and the New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole (2.64), and Eovaldi's 11 wins are tied for the MLB lead. Snell vs. Eovaldi could have been a classic pitching matchup.
The question, of course, is whether Eovaldi is OK. In his one start since throwing a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game, his velocity was off, although he blanked the Tampa Bay Rays on two hits and three walks and two strikeouts over six innings in a win on July 18.
The Rangers reportedly acquired three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (9-4, 4.01 ERA) from the New York Mets for prized Rangers' middle infield prospect Luisangel Acuna, 21, on Saturday. But the Rangers certainly hope to use Scherzer as a complementary piece to Eovaldi and not as a replacement.
Without Eovaldi, the focus turns to Bradford on Sunday. The 25-year-old left-hander has made five starts among his 11 appearances for the Rangers, and he's being asked to help the team turn the tide in his first-ever appearance against the Padres.
The Rangers are 2-6 since coming out of the All-Star break with six straight wins. They have lost three straight series. And they have scored one run on 10 hits in the first two games against the Padres while going 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position while being outscored 11-1 in the first two losses of the series.
The Padres must like their chances for a sweep with the ball in the hands of Snell, who is almost as hot now as he was while being named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June.
Over his 12 starts since May 25, Snell is 6-2 with a 0.78 ERA. He has allowed six runs on 38 hits and 37 walks with 99 strikeouts in 69 innings. In June, Snell was 3-1 with a 0.87 ERA. In July, he's 3-1 with a 0.67 ERA.
"Snell is as good as anyone in the major leagues," said San Diego manager Bob Melvin, who sees the Padres' 7-4 record over the past 11 games as a start toward better things. They have crept back to within 5 1/2 games of the final NL wild-card spot.
"We're playing better, but we're still looking for that run," Melvin said.
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