SEATTLE — Cody Bradford drew the seventh start of his season Wednesday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on the pregame show on Rangers Sports Network that the left-hander’s platoon numbers have looked this way since he got to the majors.
Changing eye levels against left-handed hitters is what Schumaker said he wants out of the start.
“He’s actually been reversed his whole career. So it’s not just this year. And I think the changeup has always been super effective against righties. Can we increase the usage maybe against lefties?” Schumaker said. “Getting in and out and not just kind of living in one spot as well against the lefties.”
“But I think you’ve got to move their eyes. And that’s always the hitter’s timing is you’re trying to disrupt it and you’re trying to change eye levels,” Schumaker continued. “And I think that’s the one thing that we’ve got to continue to encourage, especially against lefties.”
Bradford retired J.P. Crawford, Randy Arozarena, and Dominic Canzone in order on 9 pitches in the first inning. Crawford and Canzone hit left-handed.
Cody Bradford’s Season Since Elbow Surgery
Bradford came in 0-4 with a 4.45 ERA. Over 30 1/3 innings he had allowed 41 hits and 4 home runs, walked 7, and struck out 16.
Texas has lost each of his last five starts. In the most recent one, on Sept. 2 against the Athletics at Globe Life Field, he gave up 7 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings and allowed 3 home runs.
The Rangers activated Bradford on Aug. 5 and started him that day against the San Francisco Giants. It was his first major league appearance since Sept. 25, 2024. He had internal brace surgery on his left elbow in June 2025 and was shut down for three weeks with elbow tightness after his first Triple-A rehab start on April 2. Over four minor league starts in July he allowed 1 run in 9 innings with 16 strikeouts and 2 walks.
Cody Bradford’s Record Before the Injury
Bradford went 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 2024, starting 13 of his 14 games. He was 4-3 with a 5.30 ERA in 20 games as a rookie in 2023, and he was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 5 relief appearances during the postseason run that produced the only World Series title in franchise history.
Texas took Bradford in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. He is from Aledo.
Mariners left-hander Kade Anderson (0-1, 5.40 ERA) opposed him. The Rangers are 72-73, two games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West, and Jacob deGrom starts Thursday’s finale at 3:10 p.m. CT.
