SEATTLE — Cody Bradford fell to 0-5 Wednesday afternoon when the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 at T-Mobile Park. He worked 4 innings on 63 pitches, gave up 4 hits and 3 earned runs, walked 2, and struck out 1. All three runs scored with two outs. After the game, the left-hander said he is trying to take small wins, in comments reported by MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry.
“I try not to beat myself up week to week because I’m pretty hard on myself, and in the past that hasn’t been so great,” Bradford said. “I’m trying to take small wins. The first time through the lineup was pretty efficient outside of the [Cal] Raleigh walk. I liked our game plan, and we executed well. So just trying to build off of that for the next going up.”
Cody Bradford’s First Trip Through the Seattle Order
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. Before the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on Rangers Sports Network that he wanted Bradford to change eye levels against left-handed hitters.
Cal Raleigh drew a leadoff walk in the second and came around as the tying run. Raleigh took second after Rangers catcher Elías Díaz made a diving catch against the brick wall behind the plate on a foul pop from Josh Naylor. Taylor Ward then lined a two-out single to center.
Two innings later, Bradford got the first two outs of the fourth. After Naylor singled and Ward walked, Cole Young doubled off the wall in right field. Both runners scored when the ball got past Brandon Nimmo, and Seattle led 3-1.
Tyler Alexander replaced Bradford to start the fifth. Texas did not score again until Corey Seager led off the eighth with a homer off Gabe Speier.
Bradford entered the start 0-4 with a 4.45 ERA. His preparation is part of why Schumaker keeps giving him the ball.
“With what he’s doing right now, I’ll take my chance with Cody, just because of how much he prepares and how he knows his pitchability,” Schumaker said before the game. “All that stuff is real. But there’s going to be some times where just because of Tommy John, you don’t have the pitch execution that you’re used to having.”
Cody Bradford’s Season Since Internal Brace Surgery
Over 34 1/3 innings in seven starts, Bradford has allowed 45 hits and 18 earned runs, walked 9, and struck out 17. His ERA is 4.72. Texas is 1-6 in those starts and has lost the last six. Bradford has received 2 runs of support or fewer in six straight starts.
Bradford had internal brace surgery on his left elbow in June 2025 and missed that season. He was shut down for three weeks with elbow tightness after his first Triple-A rehab start on April 2. The Rangers reinstated him from the 60-day injured list Aug. 5. His start that day against the San Francisco Giants was his first major league appearance since Sept. 25, 2024.
His last major league win came Sept. 18, 2024, when he held the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless over 7 innings at Globe Life Field. Bradford went 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA that season. He was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 5 relief appearances during the 2023 postseason run that produced the franchise’s only World Series title. Bradford is from Aledo, and Texas took him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.
Jacob deGrom (10-9, 3.96 ERA) faces Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert (11-9, 3.71 ERA) in Thursday’s series finale, with first pitch at 3:10 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network. Texas (72-74) is two games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West with 16 games left.
