ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the pitchers meeting before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays was the longest the team has had this season. Cal Quantrill left one out into the second inning with right lat tightness, and five relievers covered the remaining 7 2/3 innings of a 6-2 win at Globe Life Field.
Skip Schumaker On Matching Up Behind Cal Quantrill
Rangers starters had combined for 14 1/3 innings over the first four games of the homestand, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported. The meeting Saturday was spent working out matchups based on who was available, Schumaker said.
“You have these pitcher meetings, and honestly, today was the longest meeting that we’ve had,” Schumaker said. “We were trying to figure out exactly how we were going to match up based on availability, and then I’m taking Cal out after the first inning. You can just throw that whole meeting out the window.”
Quantrill faced 4 batters and threw 12 pitches. He will have an MRI on Sunday, and Schumaker said after the game that the tightness is in the lat area.
Texas Rangers Bullpen Covers 7 2/3 Innings In 6-2 Win
Jordan Montgomery took over and threw 3 2/3 hitless innings on 51 pitches, two days after throwing 16 pitches against the Boston Red Sox. Nathan Eovaldi followed with 1 run in the sixth, and Robert Garcia, Chase Silseth, and Jacob Latz pitched one inning each.
The pitching plan for Sunday was still open after the game, Schumaker said.
“I’m worried about tomorrow,” Schumaker explained. “I’m going to celebrate this for another hour or so and then figure out what we have pitching-wise going into tomorrow. We’ll celebrate this one first for the next hour or so, and then have a meeting right now and see where we’re at.”
Texas (78-77) moved one game ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League West with seven games left. Jacob deGrom (11-9, 3.79 ERA) starts Sunday’s series finale at 1:35 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network, and Toronto is going with a bullpen day built around right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.
