ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the goal against Dylan Cease on Friday was to run up the right-hander’s pitch count and get him out of the game in the fifth inning. Texas did that to Cease in Toronto in June.
Schumaker spoke in a pregame interview on Rangers Sports Network before the Rangers opened a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field. Texas entered the night 76-77, 1 game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and 2 games out of the final wild card spot, with 9 games left.
Cease entered 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA and 236 strikeouts. He was named to his first All-Star team this season. Kumar Rocker (5-11, 4.54 ERA) started for Texas.
Texas Rangers Chased Dylan Cease After 107 Pitches In June
On June 27 in Toronto, Texas made Cease throw 30 pitches in the first inning and scored a run. In 4 2/3 innings, he allowed 4 hits and 4 runs, walked a season-high 5, and struck out 10. He threw 107 pitches, 62 for strikes. The Rangers added five runs in the fifth and one in the sixth in a 7-4 win.
Cal Quantrill threw 4 scoreless innings for Texas that day, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts. The Rangers swept that four-game series, June 25-28, and have not swept a series since.
Cease called himself too wild after that outing.
“Not enough strikes, not getting ahead enough,” Cease said. “I’m pretty disappointed. I’m just wasting too many pitches. Throwing 100-plus, I should be going six or seven [innings].”
That June start came after Cease returned from a hamstring strain that put him on the injured list May 25. In his most recent start, Sept. 13 against the Baltimore Orioles, he allowed 1 run on 4 hits over 5 innings, walked 5, and struck out 9. He needed 94 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Skip Schumaker Says Playoff Race Is Enough Of An Edge Against Toronto
Sonny Gray held Texas to 3 runs over 6 1/3 innings for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, and José Soriano starts for Toronto on Saturday. Schumaker said those are the pitchers the Rangers would have to beat in October.
“Well, the mental edge is there’s nine games left and we’re in a playoff race. So I think that’s all the edge you need,” Schumaker said. “And if you end up getting in October, which we hope we do, you’re going to face these guys. You’re going to face the Sonny Grays and the Sorianos and the Ceases. And so these are the guys that you’re going to have to end up beating.”
“So you might as well take your best shot right now because this is what we’re going to be seeing. But we have to get there first, obviously,” Schumaker continued.
“And Dylan Cease is one of the better pitchers in the league, another all-star campaign, and he’s got really good stuff,” Schumaker added. “If we can get his pitch count high like we did last time in Toronto and get him out of there in the fifth inning after 100 pitches, I think we’ve done our job.”
Toronto’s closer is Louis Varland, a first-time All-Star this season who converted each of his first 22 save opportunities.
“They have a good back-end bullpen too. Varland is really, really good,” Schumaker detailed. “But the number one goal is to try to get Cease out of the game as early as we can.”
Soriano (12-7, 3.56 ERA) faces Quantrill on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Jacob deGrom starts Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. CT finale. All three games air on Rangers Sports Network.
